Lam, K C; Lam, M C K and Wang, D (2008) MBNQA-oriented self-assessment quality management system for contractors: Fuzzy AHP approach. Construction Management and Economics, 26(5), pp. 447-461. ISSN 1466433X
Abstract
Many construction clients are not satisfied with the quality performance achieved on their projects though many contractors are ISO9000:1994 certified. Total quality management (TQM) has been a widely applied quality management system for obtaining the benefits of better quality and higher customer satisfaction through the spirit of continuous improvement, which is also adopted by ISO9001:2000 version. It is believed that TQM can help to raise quality and productivity in the construction industry. Self-assessment systems provide an opportunity to design in quality on an organization-wide basis, in which the self-assessment process allows the organization to identify its strengths and weaknesses for continuous improvement actions. A MBNQA-oriented self-assessment quality management system (SQMS), which is based on the seven criteria of Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA), for construction contractors to benchmark, is proposed. A questionnaire survey of Hong Kong construction quality management experts, in which a fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (AHP) was employed to calculate the weights of the seven criteria, was carried out. Remarkable differences for the allocation of weights in the seven criteria particularly in the input criteria (leadership, strategic planning and customer and market focus) and the 'results' criterion compared with the original weights of MBNQA were observed.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | contractor; fuzzy ahp; quality management system; self-assessment; TQM |
| Index terms: | survey, total quality management, construction quality, construction contractor, questionnaire, construction client, productivity, continuous improvement, Hong Kong, construction industry, analytical hierarchy process, customer satisfaction, quality management system, quality performance, strategic planning |
| Subjects: | service delivery, Geography, management, performance measurement, decision-making and optimization, industry analysis, quality assurance, practitioner, data collection methods, project delivery, evaluation methods |
| Topics: | Geographical Context, Research Practice, Business Strategy, Stakeholder Management, Roles and Professions, Quality Management |
| 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