Rad, H N and Khosrowshahi, F (1998) Quality measurement in construction projects. In: Hughes, W (ed.) Proceedings of 14th Annual ARCOM Conference, 9-11 September 1998, Reading, UK.
Abstract
Alongside time and cost, quality has remained as the most important parameter, which is the concern of the key players in the realization of a typical construction project. Yet, the subjectivity surrounding the definition of quality has made it very difficult for a concrete method of quality measurement to be developed. Subsequently, the establishment of a trade-off between time and cost against quality has remained largely unexplored. The paper reviews quality from various perspectives and lays the foundation for the development of a concrete definition of quality, in terms of its constituent attributes, and its measurement in quantified manner. Through a comprehensive literature review and validation through a questionnaire, the work brings together a series of attributes associated with quality and groups them under a number of categories. It is contemplated that the constructor and the client have varied perspectives on quality and that a third party point of view can bridge the gap and help to develop a unified perceptive on the subject. The work develops a methodology for a more objective measurement and quantification of quality encompassing measurable as well as subjective attributes of quality. This is carried out through a bi-directional ranking system applied to the attributes of quality. Also, triangulation is applied by cross-comparing the three perspectives on quality from client, constructor and third party. This research contributes towards the development of a three dimensional project strategy space, which can be used for the evaluation of project performance.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | project strategy; quality; quality measurement; quality management |
| Index terms: | project strategy, subjectivity, literature review, quantification, triangulation, quality management, project performance, validation, questionnaire, methodology, construction project |
| Subjects: | data collection methods, research design and methodology, human factors and perception, data analysis and analytics, strategic project management, research methods, production management, professional development, project management theory and practice, measurement and scaling, quality assurance |
| Topics: | Research Practice, Project Management, Information Management, Quality Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here