Wayne Clifton
Liberty University
Project Quality Management in the Construction Industry
1. Introduction
Quality in a product is what every consumer is looking for. This is true in the construction industry. Not only do the owners of a construction project expect to have a project, that is built to specification, on time, and on budget, they expect quality in the finished product, as well. This is accomplished in the construction industry, as well as other industries, through the use of a Quality Management Plan. This is a discussion of three elements that may be included in the Quality Management Plan. They are project quality plan, quality assurance, and quality control.
2. Project Quality Plan
A quality plan is a document that is unique to every construction project (Chung, 1999). In the construction industry, the owner, or his perspective representative’s, such as the architect or engineer, indicate in the contract what must be included in the quality plan (Chung, 1999). A quality plan should be drawn up, or at least a draft of the plan, should be drawn up and submitted to the client with the bid documents. Chung (1999) feels that this will show the client the contractors’ dedications to quality in the project. He also believes that the key elements of the project quality plan is the companies’ quality manual, quality procedures, statutory regulations, inspection and test plan, and procedures specific to the project. When drafting the project plan, the project manager must keep in mind that the quality plan should be updated periodically to ensure it encompasses contract changes (Chung, 1999).
2.1 Quality System Standard
Rumane (2010) describes a quality system standard as documents used to define conditions or behaviors that meet an acceptable criteria. These standards ensure that the finished product meets specifications and is safe for use (Rumane, 2010). Standard setting should be one of the
References: Chini, A. R., & Valdez, H. E. (2003). ISO 9000 and the U.S. Construction Industry. Journal Of Management In Engineering, 19(2), 69. DOI 10.1061/ (ASCE) 0742-596x (2003) 19:2 (69). (This book gives insight into quality assurance in construction and the use of ISO 9000) Hart, J Smith, J. R. (2014). CONSTRUCTION QUALITY MANAGEMENT. Engineer, 44(2), 30-33. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1553349154?accountid=12085 (This article show the relationship between quality control and quality management)