quality management in construction industry role of construction manager xyz [pick the date]

ABC

QUALITYMANAGEMENT INCONSTRUCTIONINDUSTRY

Role of ConstructionManager

XYZ[Pick the date]

Construction Manager in Quality Management2

ABSTRACT

This paper is a discussion paper on implementation of

quality management by construction managers in three Major

Australian construction firms. The study examines the importance

of quality management of construction project and how the

construction managers ensure quality management. It also takes

into consideration the importance of top management commitment

towards quality management in the construction industry. This is

a qualitative study. Primary data was collected through

questionnaire surveys and interviews from 30 construction

managers from three construction firms.

The study reveals that as much as the construction managers

try to achieve quality management of projects, there are various

challenges ranging from, organizational challenges such as lack

of top management support of its implementation to unwillingness

of construction staff to accept the quality management systems

among others. Due to the sample size, and limited time for the

research, the study provides areas of further research which can


provide generalized results in the context of Australian

construction Industry.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

All glory, honor and adoration be to the almighty God for

bringing me this far. He instructed, directed and led me in all

my endeavors.

I would like to express my profound gratitude to my supervisor,

and all the participants in the study for the extraordinary

support they showed during the research.


I would also like to acknowledge the support and assistance I

received from my family members who encouraged me daily and has

brought me this far.


Table of Content

ABSTRACT.............................................................2ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.....................................................3Table of Content.....................................................4LIST OF FIGURES......................................................6LIST OF TABLES.......................................................6CHAPTER ONE..........................................................71.0 Introduction.....................................................31.1 Problem Statement................................................31.2 Scope of the Study...............................................31.4 Rational of the Study............................................31.5 Research Aims....................................................31.6 Research Objectives..............................................31.7 Research Questions...............................................3CHAPTER TWO..........................................................3LITERATURE REVIEW....................................................32.0 Introduction.....................................................32.1 Construction Management..........................................32.2 Construction Manager.............................................32.3 Functions of a Construction Manager..............................32.3.1 Design Phase...................................................32.3.2 Design Coordination and Consultation...........................32.3.4 Cost Estimates.................................................32.3.5 Value Engineering..............................................32.3.6 Pre-Purchase of Selected Materials.............................32.3.7 Governmental Agency Coordination...............................32.3.8 Bid Phase......................................................32.3.9 Selection of Bidders...........................................32.3.10 Bidding.......................................................32.3.11 Construction Phase............................................32.3.12 Construction Supervision......................................32.4 Practices of Quality Management..................................3


2.5 Management Commitment in Quality Management Implementation.......32.6 Quality management standard......................................32.6 Problems in Quality Management Implementation....................3CHAPTER THREE........................................................3RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY......................................33.1 Introduction.....................................................33.2 Research Approach and Design.....................................33.2 Data Collection..................................................3Sampling frame.......................................................33.2.2 Sampling Method and Sample Size................................33.2.3 Accessibility Issues...........................................33.2.4 Data Sources...................................................33.3 Data gathering instrument and procedures.........................33.3.1 Questionnaires.................................................33.3.2 Interview Guide................................................33.3.3 Observation and Photography....................................33.4 Reliability of Research Instrument...............................33.5 Validity of Research Instruments.................................33.6 Ethical Considerations...........................................33.7 Data Analysis and Result Presentation............................3CHAPTER FOUR.........................................................3DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION.........................................34.1 Introduction.....................................................34.2 Questionnaire Response Rate......................................34.3 Practices of Quality Management..................................34.3.2 Quality management tools and techniques........................34.4 Management Commitment in Quality Management Implementation.......34.4.1 Does the top management communicate the importance on meeting the client’s requirements to their construction managers?............34.4.2 Does your top management lead in setting quality policies?.....34.4.3 Does your top management conduct management reviews on project quality?.............................................................34.5 Allocation of resources..........................................3


4.6 Problems in quality management implementation....................35.1 Limitations......................................................35.2 Recommendations for Further Research.............................3References...........................................................3Appendix Photographs from the companies..............................3

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Conceptual Framework

Figure 2: Allocation of resources

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Frequency distribution table on managers’ support of

staff ideas to improve customer services

Table 2: Frequency distribution table on whether managers

effectively responded to the views of front line employees

Table 3: Frequency distribution table on managers’ response to

view of their customers


CHAPTER ONE

1. Introduction

A significant contribution to the prosperity and

competitiveness of a country’s economy comes from the

construction industry. The productivity of people of a country

also relies on the nature and efficiency of the built

environment. In any given economy most of the firms entirely

depend on the quality of the built infrastructure such as power

stations, roads, telecommunication networks and rail among others

to remain competitive. A country’s infrastructure is a

significant determinant of inward investments as most of the

investors do consider the quality of the country’s infrastructure

as one of the main factors when determining investment location

decisions. For the construction industry to remain productive and


successful there is a dire need for proper construction

management.

The quality management notion carries a specific meaning

i.e. to ensure efforts to achieve the required level of quality

for the well planned and organized products. From the

construction industry’s perspective quality management in

construction projects adheres to the maintenance of quality

construction works. The construction works are maintained at the

required standard levels to ensure customer’s satisfaction as

well as the company’s long term competitiveness and business

survival of the construction firms (Tan & Abdul-Rahman, 2005, p.

28).

With the inclusion of the modern day cutting edge technology

in engineering and construction today the construction industry

has turned out to be very extremely competitive and it has to

ensure quality management in order to survive in this competitive

and challenging market.

According to Harris and McCaffer (2001) quality management in the

construction industry has to provide an excellent working


environment within which all related procedures, techniques and

tools, need to be effectively utilized to ensure the company’s

operational success. Quality management role for a company is not

a single activity carried out on its own but rather, it is

associated with all the managerial and operational processes of

the construction company.

1.1 Problem Statement

In any business or an organization there are always

construction projects and mostly all of the construction projects

are important. For this reason, ensuring project quality is vital

for organizations (Winch, 1989, p. 331-345). Understanding the

fact that the construction companies are aware of the importance

of the quality for organizations and clients, the concept of

quality management is widely being applied in the construction

projects. Although construction managers in construction firms

try to apply quality management in almost all of the construction

activities, there are still a lot of poor quality work that are

harmful to the society (Wearne, 2000, p. 23-37). Such lack of

quality in constructed works in any country by any firm has


become a source of worry and anxiety for the governments and

people equally.

Several buildings have collapsed leading to the death of

many people and destruction of properties present in the

vicinity. Australia has seen a major share of destructive

constructions such as Granville Railway Bridge, QAL scaffold,

Tasman Bridge, West Gate Bridge, King Street Bridge (Melbourne),

and SES8 Tower collapse (Lee, et, al, 2013, p. 18-28). Some of

these collapse have been the consequences of poor quality and has

damaged properties, taken lives, perished dreams and has cost the

country a lot of resources while reconstructing.

The primary common challenge faced by a number of construction

companies is the lack of quality management model for their

construction projects (Kuprenas & Kenney, 1998, p. 25-32). In

order to ensure that the application and implementation of

quality management is effective there is a great need for strong

commitment of both top management and construction managers of a

construction company. Application of quality management within

the construction industry does not only bring potential benefits

to the construction company but also to the clients and the

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Street_Bridge_(Melbourne)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Gate_Bridge#History

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tasman_Bridge

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=QAL&action=edit&redlink=1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granville_rail_disaster


society as a whole (Burati, Matthews, & Kalidindi, 1991, 341-

359). This study is an attempt to find out the quality management

practices implemented by the construction managers and the degree

of commitment of top management in implementing quality

management.

1.2 Scope of the Study

Theoretically, the focus of this study is the essential

issue of quality management in Australian Construction firms. The

study covers the three major Australian Construction companies

which include CBI Constructors, Raptis Group, and JJ McDonald and

Sons Engineering. The participants in this study are construction

managers from these three construction firms. These participants

are selected as they are responsible for planning, monitoring and

management of all the construction activities. The managers are

also responsible and are available since the inception of the

construction project till the end and offer well organized

planning and to work on behalf of the owner and to ensure quality

delivery output. The study also reviews the standards of quality

management that policies make provision for quality management


for construction companies. The time scope of the study ranges

between the early 1980‘s when construction activities became

prominent till date.

1.3 Back ground of the companies

CBI Constructors

CBI is located in Australia and is regarded as one of the major

construction, procurement and engineering companies worldwide.

The company provides wide-ranging solutions to its clients in the

natural resource and energy industries. The company has highly

qualified and skilled experts and more than 16,000 employees

throughout the world. CBI’s integrated business model provides a

complete array of solutions for all the markets in which the

company operates. A diverse and wide variety of capabilities

gives CBI the flexibility to work on any project at any point

starting with conceptual studies, theoretical layouts, front-end

engineering design (FEED), technology selection, design

fabrication, operations, construction, and maintenance and

decommissioning – or for the entire life cycle of the project.


CB&I is strongly committed to conducting its worldwide business activities in

accordance with high ethical standards that are derived from such fundamental values

as honesty, integrity, reliability, fairness, mutual respect and trust. (Cbi.com, 2014)

Raptis Group

The Raptis Group of Companies has been in existence for more than

3 decades. Throughout these years, the company has developed

quality and innovative projects. The company’ projects have won

several national and state design and development awards. The

company’s commitment to create timeless and strong architectural

elements; which has significantly shaped the Gold Coast skyline

which is being imitated around Australia; is valuable. The

dedication of Raptis Group of Companies in the last 10 years

towards architectural style has changed the Broad beach ambience.

Just like CBI, Raptis Group of Companies have highly qualified

and skilled experts and more than 10,000 employees throughout the

world.

JJ McDonald and Sons

JJ McDonald and Sons is a private company that operates in the

areas of construction, civil engineering and other related


activities. JJ McDonald and Sons also have highly qualified and

skilled experts. The company has specialized in construction of

roads, port and coastal facilities, roads, bulk earthworks,

airstrips, dams, rail infrastructure, open cut mining, bridge

works, industrial construction and pipelines. JJ McDonald and

Sons has pride in having built and still builds long lasting

relationships with its partners and the society.

1.4 Rational of the Study

Several authors are of the view that quality management is a

solution for the several challenges faced by the construction

industry for instance occupational health, cost, and safety and

productivity (Burati & Oswald, 1993, p. 456–470) McKim and Kiani,

(1995, p. 24-28) are of the view that, application of quality

management in the industry can help realize better construction

activities.

Studies conducted by Kuprenas & Kenney, (1998, p. 34-38) and

Kuprenas, Soriano, & Ramhorst, (1996, p. 74-78) also revealed the

effectiveness and implementation of quality management within the

construction companies. They discovered that a few construction


firms abandoned quality management implementation where as others

had given serious attention to its implementation. Quality

management is commonly implemented by the construction managers

of the company; however, for the implementation to be successful

they need the support and commitment of the company’s higher

management (McKim & Kiani, 1995, p. 59).

After realizing the importance or the benefits of quality

management in construction project it is important to study the

various quality management practices used by the construction

managers to ensure quality project. As there is a need for

management support for successful implementation of quality

management practices within the company, it is also important to

study the level of management commitment of the three companies.

Lastly, studying the challenges the construction managers face

while implementing quality management practices, and procedures

was important as accrued from the challenges, several

recommendations could be provided to help overcome the

challenges.

1.5 Research Aims


This study focused on the importance of quality management

of construction project and how the construction managers ensure

achievement of quality management. Therefore the aim of this

study is find out the various quality management practices used

by construction managers to ensure quality projects. To achieve

the study’s aims, the following objectives and research questions

were identified to guide the study.

1.6 Research Objectives

To identify quality management practices applied by

construction managers in construction projects

To assess the company’s management commitment towards

implementation of quality management in construction

projects

To identify the challenges faced by the construction

managers in implementation of quality management of

construction project

1.7 Research Questions

From the literature review in regard to quality management

and implementation of quality management in construction


projects, with a focus on issues relating to quality management

practices, quality management challenges and top management

commitment, it was observed that not much research had been done

on the subject in the context of Australian construction

companies. This created a gap in knowledge in this particular

area. The researcher formulated three questions to guide the

research in Australian context:

How do the construction managers practice quality

management?

What is the management’s level of commitment towards

implementation of quality management?

What are the challenges encountered by construction managers

in relation to quality management implementation?


CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.0 Introduction

The construction industry creates a significant contribution

to the prosperity and competitiveness of a country’s economy

(Schriener, Angelo, & McManamy, 1995, p. 24–28). Modern and

efficient infrastructure is the primary driver of a country’s

productivity and it is the construction industry that is

responsible for delivering a strong built infrastructure in a


cost effective and an innovative way (Ruddock & Lopes, 2006, p.

717-723).

The infrastructure of a country is a significant determinant

for prospective investors considering the country as an

investment opportunity. They do want to invest in a place where

the built infrastructure is of supreme quality as they want

secure location for their multimillion dollar investments. The

entire country is fully dependent on the performance of most of

the built infrastructure such as power stations,

telecommunication networks, roads, and rail among others to

remain competitive.

The productivity of a country’s people is also reliant on

the nature and efficiency of the built environment. The mobility,

effectiveness and flexibility of the workforce and the

productivity of the companies and of the public and private

sectors depend on the availability of appropriately located

premises and houses along with an organized and strongly built

roads and bridges connecting the most difficult locations

together. The construction industry in Australia also plays an


important role in the country’s economy (Hampson, & Brandon,

2004, p. 14-20). The construction industry in Australia has shown

a remarkable growth over the past few years. The three leading

Australian construction firms such as CBI Constructors, Raptis

Group, WDS, and JJ McDonald and Sons Engineering have greatly

contributed to the country’s Construction industry.

2.1 Construction Management

Construction management by definition refers to the overall planning,

coordination and control of construction project from its beginning to its completion

(Harris & McCaffer, 2013, p. 13). Construction management aims at

meeting a client’s requirement so as to produce a financially

viable and functional project. For the construction industry to

remain productive and successful there is need for proper

construction management. Construction project management isn’t a

simple task rather it is a challenge that cannot be taken lightly

(Oberlender, 1993, p. 26-29). According to Raftery et al., (1998,

p. 729-737), construction projects management have become very

complex and are subject to continuous change. With due thanks to

the growing technological changes and the demands of the new era


the industry’s environment has also become highly competitive and

costly and these challenges turn into a manifold plethora where

there are joint projects, partnerships and sub-contract

agreements. To ensure there is effective construction project

management there is a need for one person who looks after the

entire operations of the project and this is the construction

manager.

2.2 Construction Manager

Construction managers work for the project and acts as the

leaders of the design-building process, designers, builders,

technical agencies, large number of governments and

subcontractors (Gharehbaghi & McManus, 2003, p. 56-58). The

construction managers are the driving force behind the scenes and

control the modus operandi of the construction project.

Construction managers are charged with the responsibility of

planning, organizing, directing, controlling and evaluating the

activities of a construction department or construction company

following the directions of the general manager, senior manager

or project owner if in case it is not a company project (Stein,

2013, p. 16-27). The general function of construction managers is


to work as an agent appointed by the project owner to ensure that

the project is completed within the specifications and plans

provided. The contemporary era construction managers are

dramatically different from the ones of the past. They are

equipped with education, knowledge, skill set, technology and an

attitude of analytical thinking which helps them to take a

holistic approach towards the construction project.

There have been remarkable advancements in material and

technology being used, design, financing, engineering and even

the government bureaucracy (Issa, Flood & Caglasin, 2003, p. 15-

28). With the increase in the complexity of construction

practices and process, project owners demand accurate guidance

and accountability in all the construction phases (Al-Momani,

2000, p. 643-651). The role of construction managers is not to

substitute any other departmental manager or even an expert from

another realm but rather to assist all involved in the

construction project to fulfill their requirements and create a

conducive environment where everyone can work together as a team

on behalf of the project owner (Arditi & Gunaydin, 1997, 235-

243).


2.3 Functions of a Construction Manager

Construction managers are inducted prior to the inception of

the construction project to offer well organized planning and

delivery effort and to work on behalf of the owner. Construction

managers offer their services at different stages of the

construction project which are categorized as follows Design

Phase, Bid Phase, Construction Phase, Delivery Phase (Love &

Gunasekaran, 1997, p. 155-162)

2.3.1 Design Phase

The role of the project owner more often end at the hiring

phase where the construction manager takes over on his or her

behalf and ensures that the all his or her needs are taken into

consideration while designing the project. At this stage the

people responsible (design team) develops and tests the project

starting with diagrams and sketches and moving from these

sketches to complete designs of the whole building. The detailed

brief developed by the design team is then followed by a

comprehensive design of all parts and how they are joined

together to make up the structure. All this work is illustrated


in drawings and the specifications. At this stage the

construction manager performs the following duties:

2.3.2 Design Coordination and Consultation

As at this stage the project owner’s presence is limited,

the construction manager takes over and plays an essential role

at in assisting and coordinating all the phases of the design

stage as well as reviewing the conceptual designs during their

development and recommending other solutions in case the proposed

design details are likely to affect the construction schedule or

feasibility (Martinez, Rashida & MacMurray, 2007, p. 58).

According to Jordan & Carr (1976, p. 511-519), a

construction manager has knowledge regarding construction and

building. They are well conversant with the construction

materials, tools and methods that can be used in construction of

a building, roads and any other structures. With this kind of

knowledge, the construction managers provide advice on site

improvements and how it is to be used. They also provide advice

during selection of construction materials, equipments and

building systems (Stukharf, 1987, p. 90-98). Last but not least

the construction manager offers recommendations on the


availability of labor and the materials, construction

feasibility, time frame of the project and cost related factors

such as cost of the alternative construction materials, designs

and preliminary budgets.

2.3.4 Cost Estimates

The project manager prepares a budget for the project

subsequent to the completion of project design have been taken

into consideration and all the major requirements of the project

have been identified. These get periodically updated also. During

the budget preparation, the construction manager estimates

construction costs on the basis of a quantity survey of structure

drawings and specifications when the Schematic Design Phase ends

and gives it to the project owner for approval (Oyegoke, 2001, p.

403-417). With the ongoing development of the structure’s drawing

and specifications the construction manager updates and attempts

his level best to keep the costs under control. It is the duty of

the construction manager to advise the project owner and the

architect involved if he feels that the budget of the project is

going beyond the limits and suggests corrective actions to ensure

that the project budget can be met.


2.3.5 Value Engineering

Value Engineering is an organized method to improve the

"worth" of the structure to be constructed and services to be

used by examining various functions. The construction manager

does the reviewing of the drawings and specifications prepared by

the design team. The construction manager evaluates the initial

construction expenses against the operating expenses as well as

advising them on the construction viability of design for present

expenditures against future expenditures, thereby, creating cost

effective designs (Han, Lee & Park, 2014, p. 219-231).

2.3.6 Pre-Purchase of Selected Materials

Construction manager investigates and develops a purchase

schedule for all the construction materials and equipments that

need long lead time procurement for the project owner (Stukharf,

1987, p. 90-92). After recommending the schedule to the owner,

the construction manager coordinates the schedule with the early

preparation of the architect’s contract documents as well as

accelerating delivery of these purchases.

2.3.7 Governmental Agency Coordination


For the construction project to run smoothly without

interruptions from the government, the construction manager

assists in the acquisition of construction permits and government

approvals as he represents the project owner, architect and

engineer.

2.3.8 Bid Phase

Construction bidders at this stage, submit their tender

proposals to supply materials for the project or construct the

project. Here the construction manager is charged with the

responsibility to oversee the bidding and negotiation procedure

during which the contract documents are sent to several pre-

qualified contractors for them to provide their proposed cost for

the construction (Bajari, Houghton & Tadelis, 2014, p. 1288-

1319).

2.3.9 Selection of Bidders

The most qualified bidders for all the material purchases

are selected at this stage by the construction manager (Ioannou,

& Leu, 1993, p. 131-147). He develops pre-qualification standard

for the bidders and develops contractor interest in the

construction project. He also establishes bidding schedules and


carryout pre-bid forums in order to make the bidders familiar

with the bidding documents and management systems.

2.3.10 Bidding

The construction manager sets up and oversees the bidding

procedure. He preparers the bid packages and reviews the project

drawing specifications to determine if the areas of legal

decision making overlap and confirm that all the work has been

included. The construction manager receives bids, analyses the

bids with the contractors for the extent of work and make

appropriate recommendations for the project owner for either

award or rejection of the contracts.

After review of the bids, construction manager selects at least

three lowest bidders for every trade and carry out contract

negotiations to come up with the best price possible (Hatush &

Skitmore, 1997, p. 19-38). When all this is done, he conducts

pre-award meetings and develops construction contracts.

2.3.11 Construction Phase

This is the last stage of the project and the construction

manager is responsible for preparation of job progress schedules

that show the stages of the work all through to its completion.


The manager also schedules and carries out pre-construction and

progress meetings with the contractors, project owners, and

architect to jointly discuss matters of concern such as

procedures, schedules, progress and problems. At this stage the

construction manager provides detailed contractors’ operations

schedules including all the realistic activity duration sequence

and labor and material allocation.

The construction manager regularly monitors the schedule as

the construction continues and identifies the potential

discrepancies between scheduled and possible completion dates. As

per his job description during this time he also reviews the

schedules for all the work that has not been started or is yet to

be completed and recommends adjustments in the schedules to the

contractor and the owner so that the project can be completed on

time. The construction manager also provides summary report after

every monitoring and keeps record of all the adjustments in the

schedule.

During the construction phase, the construction manager

revises and refines the approved construction costs and

incorporates the approved changes as they take place and create


cash flow reports and estimates as needed. Apart from

incorporating the cost changes, he also monitors the approved

estimated construction costs and shows the actual costs for work

in progress and the estimates for uncompleted work. Working with

the architect, the construction manager establishes and

implements procedures for accelerating the process and approval

of shop drawings and samples.

2.3.12 Construction Supervision

To ensure that the project is carried out in the direct way

the construction manager regularly inspects the contractor’s work

to make sure that it is being performed according to the

contracts’ requirements. He makes an effort to protect the owner

against any deficiencies or defects in the work (Xue-dong, 2009,

p. 156). During this process he can reject the work of any

contractor that is not conforming to the contracts’ requirements

and provides enough personnel in order to achieve the project’s

objectives.

Upon the contractors’ determination of considerable

completion of their designated tasks or construction, the

construction manager prepares a list of all the unsatisfactory or


incomplete tasks or items and comes up with a schedule for their

correction or completion. He also monitors and supervises the

completion and correction of the items he had listed. Up to this

level, we can conclude that the construction manager have several

responsibilities in construction management that cannot be

underestimated.

2.4 Practices of Quality Management

Quality management in construction industry is commonly

defined as a complete management philosophy that allows every

aspect of an industry as and place as a strategic issue. Quality

management is achieved through an integrated effort between

different levels of an industry to enhance customer satisfaction

by constantly improving the company’s current performance

(Biggar, 1990, p. 2-4). Several literatures such as Low & Teo,

2004; Biggar, 1990; Haupt & Whiteman, 2004 have promoted quality

management in the construction industry. Most companies including

construction industry have today adopted the ISO certification.

The five major clause of the ISO 9001 standard are

quality management system

management responsibility


resource management

product realization

measurement, analysis, and improvement

ISO standards application has drawn many researchers attention.

According to Moatazed-Keivani, Ghanbari-Parsa and Kagaya (1999,

p. 107-119), the ISO 9000 standards series can form and have

formed the foundation for an competent and beneficial quality

management system in the construction industry.

On the same issue, Dissanayaka, Kumaraswamy, Karim and

Marosszeky (2001, p. 29-40) contended that the encouragers that

drive the execution of ISO 9000-guaranteed quality frameworks in

different development commercial ventures seemed, by all

accounts, to be according to the capability for open works

tenders, to live up to client's or customers' desires and to

change of the nature of work done. Then again, Love, Li, Irani

and Faniran (2000, 321-331) contended that ISO 9000 certificate

is impossible for construction organizations yet rather required

for those organizations that wish to remain and support their

competiveness inside the profoundly aggressive markets today. Liu

(2003, p. 147-158) additionally called attention to that ISO 9000

arrangement have a noteworthy effect on the builder's perception

to quality.


As to quality administration usage in development venture

administration, the Project Management Institute (2000, p. 95-

105) distinguished the ideas of value arranging i.e. the ID of

value guidelines; quality confirmation i.e. general evaluation of

the venture execution; and quality control i.e. checking of

specific task results, in the quality administration forms.

Various procedures and apparatuses recognized as a major aspect

of the execution methodology included; profits and expense

examination, stream outlining, benchmarking, quality expense,

outline of trials, quality reviews, assessment, pareto graphs,

pattern investigation, measurable testing, and control outlines.

Quality procedures and apparatuses in backing of value projects

inside an organization were separated by Mathews, Ueno, Kekale,

Repka, Pereira and Silva (2001, p. 692-707) into three primary

sorts which are; hard quality devices, delicate systems and

blending strategies. Hard quality apparatuses allude to quality

frameworks that are formal, for example, measurable examining

guidelines, reported quality frameworks, control graphs, and

quality expenses. Blending systems are the activity arrangements

and methodology audit which incorporate things, for example, the

adaptability of the association structure, quality rings, quality

arranging devices and control diagrams. Then again delicate

routines incorporate things like preparing, normal contact with

merchants and outer associations, consumer loyalty studies,

assessment toward oneself, activities to upgrade environment

effect, benchmarking, and strengthening.


2.5 Management Commitment in Quality Management Implementation

Taylor et al. (2003, p. 535-550) expressed that focus of the

client, association and understanding of the top administration

are essential precursors for the accomplishment of value

administration. Samson et al. (1999, p. 393-409) in his paper

depicted administration and human resourec administration as

among the solid indicators of execution of value administration

hones. Low et al. (2004, p. 37) on a development exploration

expressed that the dedication of the top administration in usage

of quality management is a component that will reflect upon the

execution of the quality management rehearses in development

commercial ventures. Still on the same subject, Chin et al.

(2003) in his examination reasoned that an organization's top

administration responsibility is the most vital element in the

fruitful execution of ISO 9000.

As per Haupt et al. (2004, p. 166-173) elevated amounts of

administration activities would come about into a decreased event

of difficulties when quality administration is generally conveyed

in development locales. Development tasks have a few stages and

along these lines Arditi et al. (1997, p. 235-243) accentuates

that administration responsibility to consistent change of value

is discriminating in every development stage. In an alternate

research by Biggar (1990), he prescribes that an organization's

administration should appropriately comprehend and help the

quality administration transform by effectively taking an

interest in its usage.


At the point when examining administration duties, a few issues

emerge in its conceptualization. To understand the issues that

emerge, ISO 9001:2000 needs the accompanying in connection to

administration responsibility: The administration need to impart

the essentialness of gathering the customer's and also

administrative and statutory administrative prerequisites;

foundation of value strategy; guaranteeing the foundation of

value destinations; performing administration surveys and

guaranteeing accessibility of assets.

2.6 Quality management standard

International Organization for Standardization (ISO)

International Organization for Standardization (ISO)

International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is the

worldwide engineer and distributer of different International

Standards giving rules to different issues. Universal

Organization for Standardization is a non-administrative

association that makes an extension between the private and open

segments. Numerous parts of International Organization for

Standardization are a piece of distinctive nation’s government

structures approved by their legislatures.

Whatever remains of its parts are from the private division chose

by the national associations of industry affiliations (NPIA).

With this these parts the International Organization for

Standardization permits assertions that give arrangements and

addresses the needs of both the general public and different


organizations. Among the different benchmarks that have been

distributed by this association, the measures that arrangement

with administration have been examined as follows:

ISO 9000

ISO 9000 series is a quality management standard that has

been recognized internationally. The standards of this family lay

out the systematic method of controlling activities to ensure

that all the expectations and needs of the clients are met. ISO

9000 was specifically designed to apply to any service or product

of any process in any part of the world. The ISO 9000 series

signifies an international agreement on standard quality

management practices. This family comprises of guidelines and

standards pertaining to quality management systems. Apparently

ISO 9000 series comprises of three quality management standards

which include:

ISO 9000: 2000

ISO 9001:2000

ISO 9004:2000


Among the three standards, ISO 9001:2000 provides the

requirements for quality management in spite of what the

organizations using it do, its size or whether public or private

sector whereas ISO 9000:2000 and ISO 9004:2000 provide the

guidelines to implement quality management.

Implementation of these quality management standards has a

significant impact on organizations as it promotes both staff and

client satisfaction. Quality management systems save

organizations unnecessary costs due to improved productivity and

efficiency (Landin, 2000, p. 510). From the guidelines provided

by the standards, improvements can be made on different

operations within companies to minimize extra costs and time

spent redoing the work. Adoption of these standards and

implementation of the requirements and guidelines can also

improve companies’ reputations and this can also give the company

a large economy edge (Low & Teo, 2004, p. 9).

2.6 Problems in Quality Management Implementation

A number of challenges have been established in quality

management implementation.


Especially Haupt et al. (2004, p. 166-173) in their research

established various hindrances for quality management

implementation in construction sites. Among the identified and

established challenges were; transient nature of construction

workers, difficulty in measuring results, too much paperwork,

some construction managers and workers even as a team do not

realize the importance of quality management, some suppliers are

not interested in quality management, and low bid subcontracting

is also one of the reasons. Tang and Kam (1999, p. 562) in their

study of Hong Kong construction companies found that making

engineers understand and accept the quality management system,

the lack of strong management support, and lack of effective

communication were the main challenges in implementation of ISO

9001 in construction consultancies.

From interviews carried out in Sweden, Landin (2000, p. 509-

518) showed that most of the concepts in ISO 9001 are viewed as

being so difficult to comprehend. Landin argued that companies

realized difficulties and diverging interests represented in

improving their competitiveness and efficiency when they only

used ISO 9001 in many stages in the construction process.


Moatazed-Keivani et al. (1999, p. 107-119) noticed issues of

concern in the areas of cost, bureaucracy, time, interpretation

and consumption with regard to the implementation of ISO 9000

standards in United Kingdom construction industry.

Kumaraswamy and Dissanayaka (2000, p. 783-796) stated that

the major negative results experienced by Hong Kong contractors

on ISO 9000 certification implementation were lots of paperwork,

increase of bureaucracy and more time spent in management. On the

other hand, Abdul-Rahman (1996, p. 485-495) realized various

inadequacies in the implementation of quality management in

United Kingdom i.e. quality assurance and quality management are

not being implemented to their full potential, there was most

quality management procedures were limited to the construction

stage only, the level of commitment towards implementation of

quality management differed between site workers and top

management.

A study conducted by Low (1994, p. 228-234) showed that most

construction contractors in Singapore regarded human-related

problems as the most critical factors in quality assurance

implementation. On the other hand, Serpell (1999, p. 317-322)


showed that operational and cultural as the barriers in

implementation of quality system management. In a research on

quality management of large construction infrastructure project

in Hong Kong showed problems in the areas of procedures process,

documentation, and control of quality inspection process (Au &

Yu, 1999, p. 309-314),.

Figure 1: Conceptual Framework

The conceptual framework as proposed in figure 1 above depicts

predictors in the form of construction managers’ quality

practices, top management commitment, quality management and

quality projects. Quality management of construction project

leads to construction of quality projects that meet both client’s

needs and legal requirements. However for quality management to

Construction

managers’ quality Quality management

Top management

commitment

Quality construction projects


be realized, the construction managers need to implement quality

management practice. To successfully implement quality practices,

there must be support from the top management of the company.


CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY

3.1 Introduction

This chapter describes the design and methodology adopted for the

study. Specifically, the methodology includes the following

elements; the research design, data sources, population, sampling

and sample determination and the data analysis. It also describes

the validity and reliability of the research instrument and

ethical issues considered during the research.

3.2 Research Approach and Design

Although a quantitative survey has been used the study tends

to be a literature review as the author is more interested in

finding the reasons of negligence on part of the higher

management as far as the construction quality is concerned and

the role played by the construction manager is also reviewed. A

quantitative primary research method was selected because it is


through this method that the status of large group of

construction managers in this particularly wide field of study

could be summarized (Punch, 2013, p. 28-32).

3.2 Data Collection

During data collection, the sampling frame and size were to be

determined to increase the efficiency of data. These concepts are

discussed below.

Sampling frame

Sampling frame by definition is a list of the people or items

from which a statistical sample is taken (Encarta Dictionaries,

2007), and in this study the targeted respondents were

construction managers from three Australian construction firms:

CBI Constructors, Raptis Group, and JJ McDonald and Sons

Engineering

Construction managers were targeted for the study because it

has been established by fact that they are involved in various

construction project phases including planning, design, and

construction. They are most often than not responsible for

setting up safety policies and programs on sites and work closely


with the main contractor and hence, their roles in quality

management are explicit.

Construction managers act on behalf of the project owners

and the contractors to supervise the construction workers to

ensure quality. Construction managers are probably the closest

party to the construction workers. They have to ensure a safe

work site by the provision of correct equipment and machines,

implementation of appropriate construction methods and

procedures, and supervision of proper plant or equipment

operation (Quarm, 2000, p. 32-40). Moreover, better safety

results occur if construction managers carry out positive safety

behavior on site including the provision of appropriate personal

protective equipment and regular safety signals to workers (Steve

et al., 2008, p. 30).

3.2.2 Sampling Method and Sample Size

The sampling techniques that was used is purposive sampling.

The reason for choosing this technique is because it allows the

researcher to select the individual who have good knowledge on

the subject of discussion (Tongco, 2007, p. 15). Not all the


construction managers have the same experience especially being

that some of them have been in that field for more than 10 years

while some of them have less years of experience. As a result of

this, only construction manager with more than 5 years experience

were selected for the study. Selection of people with more

experience will help produce unbiased results. 10 construction

managers were selected from every firm making the total sample

size to be 30. During sampling no consideration was given to

demographic, personal characteristics. The selected group will be

the main focus of the study because it is through them that valid

data for the research was obtained.

3.2.3 Accessibility Issues

Accessibility to research data is an important factor in

research. If the researcher will not be able to access both

primary and secondary data on the research topic, the research

findings will be vague (Li, Wang & Cai, 2011, 1875-1879). For

this particular research, most of the primary data was obtained

from construction manager directly. On the other hand, secondary

data from books, journals, periodicals and any other relevant


electronic sources were also used to achieve the objectives of

the study (Griffin and Babin, 2009, p. 980-986).

3.3 Data gathering instrument and procedures

Data gathering on the study was guided by the research

objectives. The instrument used for data collection during the

survey includes the following:

quality management in construction projects.

3.3.1 Observation and Photography

These are essential and primary sources of information and

are typically extremely solid. Observation was utilized as a part

of distinguishing the sorts of individual protective equipments

the development directors give specialists to guarantee great

work execution without stressing safety.

3.4 Reliability of Research Instrument

According to Foa, Riggs, Dancu & Rothbaum (1993, p. 459-

473), reliability is the degree of reliability with which an

instrument measures the attribute it is designed to measure. I

ensured there was internal consistency. Internal consistency in


this study estimates reliability by grouping questions in the

questionnaire that measure the same concept.

3.6 Ethical Considerations

Research needs not only knowledge and diligence but also

honesty and integrity. Ethics in research refers to the norms for

conduct that distinguish between acceptable and improper

behaviors (Cho & LaRose, 1999, p. 421-434). This is done to

protect the rights of respondents. To render this, the rights to

anonymity, confidentiality and informed consent were observed.

Permission was sought or obtained from the participants and they

were well informed about the purpose of the study, the required

data and were assured that there would be no potential risks or

costs associated with the exercise.

3.7 Data Analysis and Result Presentation

Data analysis is the systematic process of analyzing verbal

or written communication to measure variables. The data collected

in the field was analyzed through calculation of percentages,

mode and means. The findings were expressed in the form of

tables, charts and graph to give a clear visual representation.


It has been observed that “ISO certification was a current

trend in the construction industry and they had no choice but to

implement it in their activities so that they could remain

competitive in the already competitive market. 90% of the

respondents said that ISO system provided effective guidelines

they used in implementing quality management. However, it was

also interesting to realize that most of them agreed that they

obtained ISO certification and implemented thee guidelines simply

for the purpose of marketing.

Even though it is believed that quality management is part

and parcel of construction management and should be a concern of


every construction company. They believed that quality management

was realized when they had fulfilled their responsibility under

the construction contract instead of ensuring customer/client

satisfaction as clearly stated in the philosophy of quality

management.

4.3.2 Quality management tools and techniques

A list of quality management techniques and tools was

developed from literature review. The extent to which quality

management tools and techniques are being used was one of the

research objectives. Among the various quality management tools

the following were listed to be found out; Benefit/cost,

analysis, Benchmarking, Flow-charting, Designs of experiment,

Cost of quality, Quality audits, Inspection, Control charts,

Pareto diagram, Statistical sampling, and Trend analysis.

Among the listed tools and techniques, inspection and the

design of experiment seemed to be the common quality management

practice in all the three companies. Design experiment was

commonly used in performing several tests such as concrete test.

Construction managers were engaged in all the project levels


inspecting the construction work at every phase to ensure quality

performance.

Apart from the listed techniques and tools, project quality

plans; work method statements; and weekly site reports were

revealed to be some techniques also employed to ensure quality

management of construction projects. Most of the construction

managers said that they prepared project quality plan if the

client or consultant requested for one and that they produced

site reports on a weekly basis. This was a quality monitoring

technique for assessing quality of the construction activities.

Lastly, there was also the use of work method statements which

provided guidelines the various operations on construction sites.

4.4 Management Commitment in Quality Management Implementation

To determine top management commitment in implementation of

quality management practices, the respondents were asked three

questions to determine the level of top management commitment

towards implementation of quality management of the respective

companies. The results from the three companies were analyzed and

merged to provide a generalized result of top management

commitment in implementation of quality management practices.


The responses to the three questions were descriptive in nature

and the respondents were required to agree, disagree, tend to

disagree, tend to agree or agree. Each question’s response was

given a score with a value of 1 allocated to disagree, 2 for tend

to disagree, 3 for tend to agree and lastly 4 for agree.

4.4.1 Does the top management communicate the importance on meeting the client’s requirements to their construction managers?

On this first question on whether the top management

communicated the importance on meeting the client’s requirements

to their construction managers, 78% of the total construction

managers who participated agreed with this idea, 51% agreeing and

27% tending to agree, whereas only 26% disagreed on the idea with

16% tending to disagree and the remaining 6% disagreeing. These

results are represented on the frequency distribution table

below;

Table 1: Frequency distribution table on managers’ support of

staff ideas to improve customer services

Frequency

Percent

ValidPercent

Cumulative Percent

Vali Agree 8 27 27 27


d

Tend to agree 15 51 51 78

Tend to Disagree 5 16 16 94

Disagree 2 6 6 100.0

Total 30 100.0 100.0

From the above results, it was noted that the top management

the companies do communicate to the construction managers about

the importance of meeting their customer requirements. However

from the interviews conducted, it was noted that the main reason

as to why they communicate the importance of meeting the clients’

requirements was mainly to avoid problems that that would make

them incurring further operation costs instead of emphasizing

achievement of excellence. From the interview, one respondent

stated that his boss was so much concerned about the time and

cost implications certain problems would bring if they did not

meet the clients requirement or expectations.

4.4.2 Does your top management lead in setting quality policies?

On the second question on whether the top management lead in

quality policy setting, 59% of the staff agreed, 18% of them

agreeing and 41% tending to agree, where as 40% disagreed with


26% tending to disagree and 14% completely disagreeing as shown

in the frequency table below;

Table 2: Frequency distribution table on whether managers

effectively responded to the views of front line employees

Frequency

Percent

ValidPercent

Cumulative Percent

Valid

Agree 5 18 18 18



Disagree 4 14 14 100.0

Total 30 100.0 100.0

From the above results, it was noted that 60% of the

construction managers interviewed agreed that the top management

lead in the setting of quality management policies whereas 40% of

the respondents did not agree to the question. Through the

interview it was noted that the 40% of the respondents who did

not agree to the question said that it was either because there

were no quality policies or that the top management assigned the

task to other people.

4.4.3 Does your top management conduct management reviews on project quality?


The third question was on whether the top management

conducted management reviews on project quality. On this

question, 70% of the construction managers agreed that top

management conducted management reviews on project quality

whereas, 30% did not agree as represented in the frequency

distribution table below. The results obtained from this question

were not surprising as it is common for top management conduct

management reviews on project quality in management to lead in

the ISO 9001 certified industries.

Table 3: Frequency distribution table on managers’ response to

view of their customers

Frequency

Percent

ValidPercent

Cumulative Percent

Valid

Agree 6 21 21 1821



Disagree 2 8 8 100.0

Total 30 100.0 100.0

4.5 Allocation of resources


On allocation of resources the construction managers were asked

two questions as shown below;

1. Do you recommend the allocation for financial resources to

be increased?

2. Do you recommend the allocation for human resources to be

increased?

The reason behind these questions was to determine if the

financial and human resource provided was enough for the

construction managers to implement quality management in

construction projects. For the two questions, the respondents

were to give their responses as either yes or no. A “yes”

signified that the current resource allocation was not

sufficient, whereas a “no” signified that the resource allocation

was sufficient.

58% of the respondents said that the current resources were

not sufficient and that they recommended more resource

allocation. The answers of the two questions were similar meaning

that all those who had yes as their response in the first

question also had yes for the second question and vice versa. The

results are presented in Figure 2 below:


Figure 2: Allocation of resources

4.6 Problems in quality management implementation

To focus the difficulties the development troughs

experienced amid usage of value administration, they were

inquired as to whether they confronted the difficulties the

accompanying difficulties; deficient backing from administration

help; hesitance of undertaking staff to acknowledge the quality

framework; issue with more paper works; challenges in

understanding the quality framework: issues with subcontractors'

works: inadequate correspondence; troubles in measuring results;

issue with documentation; increment of expense; and lacking data

among others.


They were additionally offered space to state

different issues that they experienced yet were not recorded in

the polls. Amid information examination, it was noted that all

the issues recorded were normal important. The real issue at CBI

Constructors an issue with the subcontractors' works which was at

83%. At Raptis Group Company, the principle issue was much on

paper work which was around 75% though, at JJ Mcdonald and Sons

Engineering increment of time amid execution of value

administration was the real issue which was at 75%.

Then again, the normal issues that were experienced by very

nearly 50% of the respondents were the undertaking staffs'

unwillingness to acknowledge quality framework at 67%; expense

increment at 58% and absence of successful correspondence at

half. Separated from the recorded issues, different respondents

recorded different outside elements that restricted their quality

administration in development ventures. Five of the respondents

expressed that productivity of experts and measure of agreement

had huge ramifications on quality administration usage.


4.7 Perceived benefits of quality in construction

The construction managers who participated in the research

ascertained that quality is very beneficial to both the

construction company and the clients. The emphasis of quality in

construction companies helps reduce rework. When the construction

company delivers quality services to its clients the customers

becomes satisfied with their work and the company is likely to

receive repeat customers. This study’s findings on the benefits

of quality management and performance are backed up by another

study conducted by McIntyre and Kirschenman (2000).

All the construction managers who implemented quality in

their management reported that they experienced reduced rework

and improved relationships not only with the construction workers

and architect/engineering firms but also with their clients

(McIntyre & Kirschenman, 2000, p. 67–70). On the same issue, Love

et al. (1999, p. 505–517) found out that costs related to rework

due to poor or work of low quality was almost 12% of the total

cost of the construction project.


CHAPTER FIVE

CONCLUSION, LIMITATIONS AND RECOMMENDATION

5.0 Conclusion

From the above findings on quality management implementation in

the context of Australian construction industry, the following

points can be concluded:

Most construction industries obtain ISO certification only

for marketing purposes.

Quality management is commonly perceived by the construction

managers as a fulfillment of contractual responsibilities

rather than satisfying the customers’ requirements.

Most construction managers are using the traditional quality

management techniques and tools such as inspection and

design experiment. The other methods that construction

managers can use depend on the company’s requirements or the

consultant or clients’ requirements.

Being that the top management’s support of quality

management implementation is important, participation and


leadership of the top management of construction industries

should be strengthened.

To enhance quality management implementation, there is need

for increase of the human and financial resources.

Most of the quality management implementation problems

encountered elsewhere are relevant in the local context and

require attention.

5.1 Limitations

The results of this research heavily relied upon the valid

choice of study methodology, the reliability of the research

instrument and statistical tools applicability. Many limitations

have been experienced by various researchers and this is no

exception. The data collection period was short, and building

construction manager were always busy with their work. They had

little time to spare for responding to the questions in the

research instrument. The research sample size was actually small

and thus could to be used to generalize the research findings to

be applicable in other construction industries. The research


sample was obtained from a purposive sampling approach which did

not provide any controls to data precision.

Even though the research targeted construction workers with

more 5 years and above for the study, there was no means to

verify that the people who were assigned by the company to be

interviewed were the appropriate people or not. Another major

challenge was that most of the respondents were not willing to

reveal their company’s weaknesses and this might have resulted

into false responses from the respondents. Due to the tight

schedules of the respondents, it was not easy to get most of the

respondents to concentrate during the interview sessions. Lastly,

from the study findings, it was noted that all the three

companies on which the study was conducted were ISO certified.

This left out the companies that have not achieved ISO

certification thus generalizing the results of this study to all

construction companies in Australia will not be appropriate.

5.2 Recommendations for Further Research

Due to the several limitations faced during the study and as

related in the last part, there is a need for further research on

this field in Australia. Studies should be conducted on a larger


scale with a larger sample of respondents from different

companies both ISO certified and non-ISO certified. During

sampling of the construction mangers to participate in the

studies, probability sampling approach should be adopted.

More in-depth case studies should be conducted and should involve

several data collection modes to verify the data collected in

questionnaires. Last but not least, researchers should try and

determine and ascertain the correlation between the three major

elements of the study i.e. construction mangers’ practice of

quality management, top management commitment and the challenges

that hinder implementation of quality management in construction

industries in Australia.

Conclusion:

A deep stress ought to be placed on the identification of actual

and prospective quality problems and the improvement measures

while organizing an effective and efficient quality management

for a construction project. It must be ensured that what must be

achieved? Who will do what? What will be the initiation point and

most importantly what will be the controlling measures for the

effective quality management in the construction project.


The construction team members under the supervision of the

construction manager try to manage the quality of their works by

themselves. The construction companies suffer from a lack of a

system of quality management even in this advanced era. The

researchers have come to a conclusion by interviewing the

construction managers that there is a miscomprehension of the

concept of quality management and the application of this concept

in the construction industry which needs to be addressed by the

higher management effectively.

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Appendix Photographs from the companies

quality management in construction industry role of construction manager xyz [pick the date]

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