Quest for continuous quality improvement for public housing construction in Hong Kong

With mandatory implementation of the ISO 9000 quality system by the Housing Authority in Hong Kong, most construction firms there now claim to have initiated quality systems in their processes as defined in their quality manuals. In addition, an objective quality measuring yardstick, the Performance Assessment Scoring Scheme (PASS), has been administered by the Housing Authority of Hong Kong to monitor the performance quality of contractors. These two measures, coupled with the two other contractual requirements stipulating the use of mechanized formwork and precast facade units, are directed towards achievement of a desired quality standard. However, the PASS analysis has revealed that the general level of quality has not improved significantly and the expected continuous improvement in construction quality has not been realized over a specific time period. Quality appears far better on paper than does the actual work on site. This suggests that quality management in the construction setting is far more difficult to achieve than it is in other industries. This paper explores possible reasons for failure in the quest for quality in public housing construction, and proposes changes needed before the vision of continuous quality improvement can be realized.