Brooks, T (2020) Implementation and effectiveness of the ISO 9001 quality management system in the construction sector in the UK and Ireland. PhD thesis, Queen's University Belfast, UK.
Abstract
The construction industry in the UK and Ireland has long suffered from endemic quality failures. Formal quality management systems have been proposed as a tool to improve construction delivery. The ISO 9001 standard is the result of research and incremental development. If implemented fully it should lead to continual quality improvement. However, it can be inferred from the continuing quality problems in the construction industry that something is wrong with its implementation. In this context, this study aims to investigate the extent of implementation of the ISO 9001 quality management system (QMS) in construction organisations, the effectiveness of implementation, and the mechanisms behind the operation of the system. ISO 9001 implementation in three case study organisations is studied using observation, documents and thirty four interviews which are analysed using an abductive grounded theory approach. Synthesis of the interviews generates causal loop diagrams which represent the response of construction managers to their quality management systems. Based on this output, a questionnaire survey is developed. In all three case study organisations, regulatory decoupling between the operations of the companies and their ISO 9001 systems is taking place. Disconnection of the QMS to quality ‘on the ground' is evident. This is reflected in the 146 eligible questionnaire survey responses. Deception, backdating signatures and making up paperwork to meet QMS requirements is widespread. Reasons vary between respondents and include time and cost pressure, the administrative burden imposed by QMS paperwork, social contagion of a culture of fudging, the unlikelihood that deception will be detected in an audit and the lack of penalty for deception. The picture of compliance is complex and continually evolving. The study concludes with recommendations for industry to act to minimise regulatory decoupling of ISO 9001 quality management systems, and to reconnect these systems to delivery of quality 'on the ground'.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor: | Spillane, J P |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | audit; case study; effectiveness; grounded theory; interview; Ireland; quality management; questionnaire survey; UK |
| Index terms: | ISO, compliance, interview, penalty, survey, decoupling, documents, construction manager, questionnaire, construction sector, construction organization, case study, grounded theory, quality improvement, audit, quality management system, effectiveness, implementation, construction industry, quality management, Ireland |
| Subjects: | data collection methods, profession, standards development, project delivery, performance measurement, performance management, professional development, industry analysis, regulatory law, systems engineering, organization, contractual arrangements, theoretical framing, health safety and environment, Geography, quality assurance |
| Topics: | Roles and Professions, Research Practice, Information Management, Business Strategy, Quality Management, Legal Issues, Procurement, Geographical Context, Engineering Principles, Health and Safety |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
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