Investigation of quality management practices in building construction sites in the UK

Some large construction companies have adopted quality certification such as ISO9000 to manage their construction projects to ensure the effectiveness, flexibility and competitiveness of a business as a whole. A study presented in this paper investigates the status of quality management on building construction sites of a major ISO9000 certified construction company in the UK. A questionnaire survey of site managers working in eleven projects was conducted and views of thirty five site managers were analysed. The findings of the study suggest that site managers possess familiarity with some techniques used to ensure quality in their respective projects. However, they were reliant upon their own experience and concepts to manage quality. It was perceived that senior management did not demonstrate any leadership with respect to the quality system and lacked uniformity in methods and frequencies of communications. The majority of site managers suggested that they considered quality management equally important when compared to health and safety. However, the site managers perceived that senior management attention to the quality was less. The study shows a lack of training of the site managers in the skills required for quality management. There is a need to make site managers more aware of quality management systems, procedures and their importance in delivering projects within the stipulated quality.