Quality Management in Construction

A PROJECT REPORT ON
APPLICATION OF QUALITY MANAGEMENT

PRACTICES IN
CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY
Submitted by
LAKSHMI VIMAL, DEVIKA B, GOVIND A
Trimester-4
(2019-2021 BATCH)
Submitted to
Dr. SINI V PILLAI
Assistant Professor
CET SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

TRIVANDRUM
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We would like to express our sincere thanks to Dr. Sini V Pillai, our subject faculty of Quality
Management, for her continued support and encouragement. We are deeply indebted to her for
the guidance and much appreciated correction during this project work. Her guidance has helped
us immensely during the research and the development of this project. We offer our sincere
appreciation for the learning opportunities provided by her.
Finally, yet importantly, we would like to express our heartfelt thanks to our beloved parents for
their blessings and friends for their help and wishes for successful completion of this project.
LAKSHMI VIMAL
DEVIKA B
GOVIND A
APPLICATION OF QUALITY MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN
CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY
Devika B1, Lakshmi Vimal2and Govind3
CET School of Management
Abstract
Quality management is a theory that aims to improve an organisation’s ability to deliver quality
to its customers on a continuously improving basis. Every construction project desires to deliver
quality work on time and budget. Manufacturing firms have been successfully achieving the
above stated goals through implementation of quality management concepts. Waste management
is also a common concern shared by these two industries. Construction industry and
manufacturing industry have both similarities and differences. Even if all the quality
management tools and techniques cannot be implemented effectively in construction projects,
most of them can help in making a large difference in the efficiency and profitability.
The research studies the seven traditional and seven modern quality management tools, the
Quality Function Deployment (QFD) and Lean construction, all in reference to the construction
project management. The thesis examines some of the frequent construction problems and the
possibility of implementing quality management concepts to solve and prevent such issues. The
study concludes with understanding the limitations and challenges, preventing the construction
industry from adopting the inapt tools and techniques.
Keywords: quality management tools, construction, TQM, quality function deployment, lean
construction
CONTENTS
List of Figures i
List of Tables i
1. Introduction 1
1.1 General 1
1.2 Literature Review 2
1.3 Scope of Research and Objectives 3
2. Quality Management 5
2.1 Seven Principles of Quality Management 6
2.2 Construction Quality Management 7
2.2.1 Creating a Quality Management Plan for Construction Projects 8
2.2.2 Establishing Quality Procedures 8
3. Application of Quality Management Tools 9
3.1 Traditional Tools 9
3.2 Modern Tools 15
4. Quality Function Deployment 22
4.1 Definition of Quality Function Deployment and Its Evolution 22
4.2 House of Quality 22
4.2.1 Building House of Quality for Construction Industry 23
5. Lean Construction 27
5.1 Principles of Lean Construction 28
5.2 Lean Tools 29
6. Implementation 33
7. Limitations and Challenges 37
8. Conclusion and Future Scope 40
8.1 Conclusion 40
8.2 Future Scope 40
References 41
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1. Seven Principles of Quality Management 6

Figure 2. Stratification 9
Figure 3. Check Sheet 10
Figure 4. Histogram 11
Figure 5. Pareto Chart 12
Figure 6. Fishbone Diagram 13
Figure 7. Scatter Plot 14
Figure 8. Control Chart 15
Figure 9. Affinity Diagram 16
Figure 10. Relations Diagram 17
Figure 11. Tree Diagram 17
Figure 12. Matrix Diagram 18
Figure 13. Prioritisation Matrix 19
Figure 14. Arrow Diagram 20
Figure 15. PDPC 21
Figure 16. House of Quality (HOQ) 23
Figure 17. House of Quality for construction industry 24
Figure 18. Symbols used in relationship matrix 25
Figure 19. Symbols used correlation matrix 25
Figure 20. Correlation matrix (Part E of QFD) 26
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1. Application of quality management concepts in construction problems 33
i
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 GENERAL
Construction industry is one of the most booming industries in the whole world. India's real
estate and construction sector, which is the second largest employer after agriculture, would add
another 32 million jobs to the existing 45 million in the next five years. The real estate
development industry, which currently contributes at least 9 per cent to India’s gross domestic
product (GDP), is already one of the largest seasonal employment providers in the country. In
the coming years, real estate and construction sector is set to become the prime employment
generator in India, registering the maximum rise in human resource requirement from 2013-
2022, as there is an estimated need of around 76.5 million workers in the building, construction
and real estate sector by 2022 according to the estimates of National Skill Development
Corporation (NSDC). Construction industry is not only a huge employment generator, it also
plays a major role in economic growth, infrastructure development, socio-cultural development,
education, health care and so on. So it acts as an indicator of development of any country.
Despite globalization and the existence of an international construction industry, the majority of
construction activity, building materials, plant, equipment and labour is outsourced, hired or
purchased from other enterprises. Decentralisation of construction activities by the Government
results in difficulty in coordination, wastage of resources, slow decision making, lack of efficient
management, delays, unwanted expenses and more. To sum it up, quality of construction
activities is highly affected. Even if the construction activities are centralised, it is going to face
some of these difficulties since it is highly dependent on external factors.
Quality management is the act of overseeing all activities and tasks needed to maintain a desired
level of excellence. It is a term that mostly revolves around production and manufacturing.
However, construction projects are just like production lines in several ways. Both require men,
material, machine and money management, have complex processes and tools to achieve a
certain outcome and profit is highly affected by waste, time, management and efficiency. So it is
evident that quality management practices followed in the manufacturing industry can be applied
in the construction industry also.
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APPLICATION OF QUALITY MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY
INTRODUCTION
1.2 LITERATURE REVIEW

Ashokkumar (2014) collected definitions on quality management concepts such as quality
systems, quality assurance, quality control, Total quality management etc. The seven traditional
tools in quality management were studied. This research emphasises on the execution phase of
the construction. A questionnaire was developed to collect details on concrete work, man power,
material quality, equipment quality etc. and survey was conducted in predefined companies.
Here SPSS software was used in data analysis. The importance of quality control in construction
along with factors affecting the quality of construction is studied in detail.
Bazaati & Beheshtizadeh (2017) studied the use of Quality Function Deployment (QFD) in the
construction industry using the data related for a construction company that is in Iran, as a
sample. It also determines the quality of houses produced by the company. The research used the
questionnaires that were distributed between seventy people who are the consumers of that
company. The survey evaluated the consumer’s needs of houses and the ways for improving the
quality of products. The Earthquake-resistance, the accessibility, the heating and the insulation
are the specifications found as the topics that have importance for customers.
Karna et al. presents a study on customer satisfaction towards the construction. Several
implications regarding customer satisfaction in the construction have been drawn from the
findings of the research through a survey. They stated that benefits of high customer satisfaction
in the construction are not as straightforward as stated in other areas of production, the reason
being the temporary, unique and one-off nature of construction. They also reviewed customer
satisfaction in the Finnish construction industry.
Dinesh et al. (2017) conducted a study to identify the implementation of lean management in
construction to analyze how lean construction can be carried out through customers point of
view,benefits and barriers of lean construction and how to reduce the waste in the construction
industry. As the result of their study they conclude that planning and control of production,
improving the safety measure performance, risk level forecasting for time and new approach
developing to construction safety and removal of waste in every stage. Impact in the construction
activities on our environment have to be minimized by green growth and sustainable and also by
2|Page
INTRODUCTION
proper implementation. The application lean in construction is not only possible at operational; it
should be planned at strategic level.
Radhika and Sukumar(2017) conducted a study on the overview of lean construction and the
barriers in its implementation.Based on the literature reviews and surveys they found that there
are six main barriers in the implementing the concept of lean construction, such as equipment
breakdown, work structuring, external delays, poor material management etc. They also include
the control measures for each barrier that can be recommended for the future use. By adopting
these measures, the benefits like Reduced overhead cost, Elimination of hazard, Increased
profitability, Reduced variability, Reduced lead time, Better quality of materials, Reduced
rework, Improved work efficiencies, Minimize the chances of future delay, Elimination of
unnecessary cost etc. can be achieved.
1.3 SCOPE OF RESEARCH AND OBJECTIVES

Construction industry plays an important role in the development of a nation. But sadly that
much attention is not given to the quality part in our country. Lot of incidents have been reported
recently about the failures of structures due to faulty construction. Wastage of resources is
another problem along with the inability for completion of the work in time. Quality
management is successfully implemented in many manufacturing firms, which can be adopted in
the construction industry also.
Lots of studies and research are prevalent when it comes to the application of any one particular
quality management concept or tool in the construction industry. A comprehensive study
including multiple quality management techniques is to be done. This project aims to study in
detail the applications of different quality management concepts and techniques in the
construction industry.
The specific objectives of the research are the following
1. To study different quality management concepts and techniques.
2. To understand different phases of the construction project where quality management
practices can be applied.
3. To investigate the implementation of quality management in the construction industry.
4. To analyse how implementation of these concepts help to minimise cost, wastage and
delay in the construction industry.
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INTRODUCTION
5. To learn the limitations that prevent the implementation of these concepts in construction
activities.
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QUALITY MANAGEMENT
CHAPTER 2
QUALITY MANAGEMENT
Quality management is the act of overseeing all activities and tasks that must be accomplished to
maintain a desired level of excellence. This includes the determination of a quality policy,
creating and implementing quality planning and assurance, and quality control and quality
improvement. It is also referred to as total quality management (TQM).
TQM is a business philosophy that champions the idea that the long-term success of a company
comes from customer satisfaction and loyalty. TQM requires that all stakeholders in a business
work together to improve processes, products, services and the culture of the company itself.
While TQM seems like an intuitive process, it came about as a revolutionary idea. The 1920s
saw the rise in reliance on statistics and statistical theory in business, and the first-ever known
control chart was made in 1924. People began to build on theories of statistics and ended up
collectively creating the method of statistical process control (SPC). However, it wasn't
successfully implemented in a business setting until the 1950s.
It was during this time that Japan was faced with a harsh industrial economic environment. Its
citizens were thought to be largely illiterate, and its products were known to be of low quality.
Key businesses in Japan saw these deficiencies and looked to make a change. Relying on
pioneers in statistical thinking, companies such as Toyota integrated the idea of quality
management and quality control into their production processes. By the end of the 1960s, Japan
completely flipped its narrative and became known as one of the most efficient export countries,
with some of the most admired products. Effective quality management resulted in better
products that could be produced at a cheaper price.
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QUALITY MANAGEMENT
2.1 SEVEN PRINCIPLES OF QUALITY MANAGEMENT
Figure 1.Seven Principles of Quality Management
(Source: advisera.com)
1. Customer Focus
The primary focus of quality management is to understand current and future needs of the
customers, meet customer requirements and to strive to exceed customer expectations. This is
essential for the survival of any organisations who are dependent on their customers.
2. Leadership
Leaders establish unity of purpose and direction of the organization. The leadership should
provide people with the required resources, training and freedom to act with responsibility and
accountability. A leader should act as a role model for others to look up to.
3. Engagement of People
It is essential for the organization that all people are competent, empowered and engaged in
delivering value. An engaged employee experiences a blend of job satisfaction and commitment.
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QUALITY MANAGEMENT
4. Process Approach
The desired result is achieved more efficiently when activities and related resources are managed
as a process. Processes within an organization should be structured in order to achieve a certain
objective in the most efficient and effective manner.
5. Improvement
Continual improvement of the organization’s overall performance should be a permanent
objective of the organization. The organization should Make improvement of products,
processes, and the system an objective for every individual in the organization.
6. Evidence Based Decision Making

Evidence is information that shows or proves that something exists or is true. Evidence can be
collected by performing observations, measurements, tests, or by using any other suitable
method. Any decision making should always be based on evidence. Facts, evidence and data
analysis leads to a greater accuracy in decision making.
7. Relationship Management
An organization and its interested parties (stakeholders) are interdependent and a mutually
beneficial relationship enhances the ability of both to create value. Examples of interested parties
include customers, suppliers, owners, partners, employees, unions, bankers, or members of the
general public.
2.2 CONSTRUCTION QUALITY MANAGEMENT

Quality management in construction includes the policies, processes and procedures put in place
(typically by management) to improve an organisation's ability to deliver quality to its
customers; whether those customers are clients/owners, contractors or subcontractors - on a
consistent and constantly improving basis.
The major objectives of quality management are:
● To minimise the defects on asset delivery or handover

● To identify and solve defects and issues before your customers do
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QUALITY MANAGEMENT
2.2.1 CREATING A QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR CONSTRUCTION

PROJECTS
Preventing mistakes is more cost and time effective than correcting them - which is why
establishing a strong quality management plan is a good way to improve quality. An outlined
quality plan will have four main sections, namely;
1. Quality policies
2. Quality objectives (clear and measurable)
3. Requirement standards (ISO accreditations etc.)
4. Other statutory and legal requirements
As one can see, a quality management plan is both an internal and external tool for construction
companies. It ensures that we adhere to and meet the necessary quality standards to do work
legally and feasibly - and that we are structuring our internal quality control policies and
objectives in a way that enables that continuous improvement and ultimately good performance.
2.2.2 ESTABLISHING QUALITY PROCEDURES

Once a quality plan is established and your 'goal posts' are set, the next obvious phase of quality
management is to create procedures which enable you to achieve your objectives. This phase of
quality management design is often more troublesome for companies, as the quality management
starts to involve more moving pieces i.e it's easier to sit down and plan than it is to create
processes for tens or hundreds of people who then need to be trained and monitored etc. In
saying this, there are four key areas of process focus which when tackled individually or through
a comprehensive quality management system or software come together to form this critical
process alignment. These key areas are:
1. Control of documents and records

2. Internal quality audits
3. Control of non-conformances
4. CAPA (corrective and preventative actions)
These quality procedures form a stack through the way that the work moves - from site capture
(documents and records) through to corrective and preventative actions.
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APPLICATION OF QUALITY MANAGEMENT TOOLS
CHAPTER 3
Quality management tools play a crucial role in implementing quality in processes and
continuously improve quality for products and services in an organisation. These simple tools
help the employees to find out the recurring problems, their root causes, collect and organise
necessary data, and finally help them in making the right counter measures and decisions. There
are seven traditional quality tools and seven modern quality tools.
3.1 TRADITIONAL TOOLS
1. Stratification
Stratification is a method which involves dividing and organising the data into groups. This helps
to derive meaningful information and understand a problem for forming apt solutions. For
example, if some causes of delay in a construction firm are deficiencies in planning, shortage of
power supply, political interference, selection of improper site, long time to get permits, strikes,
improper scheduling, frequent change of government and politically motivated decision of
employer, this data is unstratified data. Table 1 shows the stratification of data.
GROUP Management Material External Site Condition Employer
CAUSES OF Deficiencies in Shortage of Political Selection of Long time to

DELAY planning power supply Interference Improper site get permits
Improper Strikes Politically

scheduling motivated
decision of
employer
Frequent
change of
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government
FREQUENCY 2 1 3 1 2
Figure 2. Stratification
2. Check Sheet
Check sheets are used to collect and analyse data. It can be in the form of a table or matrix.
When the data used in a check sheet is quantitative in nature it is also called a tally sheet. Its
main purpose is to list down important events and keep updating its occurrence. From this,
progress, defect patterns and causes of defects can be understood. Figure 4 is an example for a
check sheet. Here, the occurrence of defects in each day of a week is shown.
Figure 3. Check Sheet

( Source : whatissixsigma.net)
3. Histogram
Histogram introduced by Karl Pearson is a bar graph representing the frequency distribution on
each bar. Histogram is used to understand the factors or data that repeat more often. Hence, it
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helps in prioritizing factors and identifying which are the areas that need immediate attention.
Figure 2 shows an example of a histogram of skill sets needed and the months they are needed
in a construction firm.
Figure 4. Histogram
( Source: dummies.com )
4. Pareto Chart
Pareto chart, named after Vilfredo Pareto, revolves around the concept of 80-20 rule which
underlines that in any process, 80% of problem or failure is just caused by 20% of few major
factors which are often referred as Vital Few, whereas remaining 20% of problem or failure is
caused by 80% of many minor factors which are also referred as Trivial Many. Pareto chart is
having bars graphs and line graphs where individual factors are represented by a bar graph in
descending order of their impact and the cumulative total is shown by a line graph. Pareto chart
in Figure 5 shows the causes of defects in supplied items.
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Figure 5. Pareto Chart

( Source: whatissixsigma.net)
5. Cause And Effect Diagram (Fishbone Diagram or Ishikawa Diagram )

Cause and effect diagram, introduced by Kaoru Ishikawa, is used to identify various causes
leading to a problem (effect) and understand the relationship between them. This tool focuses on
finding all the root causes behind a problem. We keep finding causes behind the causes and so on
till we find the root cause. So when the causes are plotted, it will have branches and sub
branches. So it will look like a fishbone, hence also called Fishbone diagram. Figure 6 shows an
example of a Fishbone diagram which plots different causes of construction wastes.
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Figure 6. Fishbone Diagram
6. Scatter Plot
Scatter diagram or scatter plot is basically a statistical tool that depicts dependent variables on Y
– Axis and Independent Variable on X – axis. Joining these dots can highlight any existing
relationship among these variables or an equation in format Y = m(X) + C, where C is an
arbitrary constant. The purpose of scatter diagrams is to establish a relationship between
problems and its causes. The relationship can be linear, curvilinear, exponential, logarithmic,
quadratic, polynomial etc. Stronger the correlation, stronger the relationship will hold true.
Figure 7 shows the scatter diagram with cost and time of a construction.
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Figure 7. Scatter Plot

( Source - Mackova et al., 2014)
7. Control Chart (Shewhart Chart)

Control chart is also called Shewhart Chart named after Walter A. Shewhart. It is basically a
statistical chart which helps in determining if an industrial process is within control (stable) and
is capable to meet the customer defined specification limits within current conditions. Here, data
are plotted against time in the X-axis. Control charts have a central line (average or mean), an
upper line for the upper control limit and a lower line for the lower control limit. These lines are
determined from historical data.
By comparing current data to these lines, experts can draw conclusions about whether the
process variation is consistent (in control, affected by common causes of variation) or is
unpredictable (out of control, affected by special causes of variation). It helps in differentiating
common causes from special causes of variation. This tool also helps in identifying how well any
manufacturing process is in line with respect to customer’s expectations. Control charts help in
predicting process performance, understand the various production patterns and study how a
process changes or shifts from normally specified control limits over a period of time. Figure 8
shows an example of a process control chart on samples with non conformance to the required
quality.
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Figure 8. Control Chart

(Source: brighthubpm.com)
3.2 MODERN TOOLS

1. Affinity Diagram
The affinity diagram was created in the 1960s by Japanese anthropologist Jiro Kawakita. It
organizes a large number of ideas into their natural relationships. It is the organized output from
a brainstorming session. After generating ideas, they are grouped according to their affinity
(similarity). Figure 9 shows an example for affinity diagrams of cost overruns in construction
projects.
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Figure 9. Affinity Diagram
2. Relations Diagram
An interrelationship diagram depicts the relationship among factors in a complex situation. It is
used to show cause-and-effect relationships. Its main purpose is to help identify relationships that
are not easily recognizable and visualize such relationships. Arrows are drawn from each cause
to its effect and this is continued to find sub causes that results in these primary causes and so on.
Figure 9 is an example for a relations diagram in a construction scenario. Here the root causes for
mistakes by labourers are insufficient fund allotment for training and lack of incentives. These
two clearly indicate insufficient finance.
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Figure 10. Relations Diagram
3. Tree Diagram
A tree diagram depicts the hierarchy of tasks and subtasks necessary to complete an activity or
achieve an objective. The tree diagram starts with one item that branches into two or more, each
of which branch into two or more, and so on. The finished diagram resembles a tree, with a
trunk and multiple branches. It is used to break down broad categories into finer and finer levels
of detail. An example of steps to eliminate construction failures is shown in figure 11.
Figure 11. Tree Diagram

4. Matrix Diagram
Matrix diagrams are used for analyzing and displaying the relationship between data sets. The
matrix diagram shows the relationship between two, three, or four groups of information. It also
can give information about the relationship, such as its strength, the roles played by various
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individuals or measurements etc. Figure 12 shows the matrix diagram of factors leading to
construction wastes, its causes and effects. Here different symbols indicate different values
which shows the strength of that factor in the contribution of effects given. From the matrix it
can be observed that poor management is accountable for most of the construction wastes and
among the types of waste time is the most affected fator.
EFFECTS WASTE OF WASTE OF WASTE OF Totals RANK

MATERIALS TIME MONEY
CAUSES
COMPLICATED DESIGN ∆ ● o 9 3
DESIGN ERRORS o ● o 11 2
POOR PROJECT ● ● ● 15 1
MANAGEMENT
INADEQUATE SKILLED ∆ ● o 9 3
WORKFORCE
Totals 10 20 14
RANK 3 1 2
∆ Low 1
o Medium 3
● High 5
Symbols Relationship Value
Figure 12. Matrix Diagram

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5. Matrix Data Analysis (Prioritization Matrix)

Prioritization matrix is used to narrow down options by weighting and evaluating the available
choices with respect to some criterias. It is used to identify which problems or choices are the
most important to work on solving first. The matrix helps you rank problems or choices, using
weighted criteria that are important to your project. Figure 13 shows an example for a
prioritisation matrix with three construction activities. It can be observed that the Survey should
be given the priority.
WEIGHTAGE 40 40 20 100
ACTIVITY COST SAVINGS MONTHS TO TOTAL

COMPLETE SCORE
DESIGN 2 3 1 44
ESTIMATION 5 1 2 56
SURVEY 1 5 3 60
CRITERIA SCORE CRITERIA VALUE
0 0%
1 20%
2 40%
3 60%
4 80%
5 100%
Figure 13. Prioritisation Matrix
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6. Arrow Diagram
An arrow diagram is used to determine optimal sequence of events, and their interconnectivity. It
is used for scheduling and to determine the critical path through nodes. The arrow diagramming
method shows the required order of tasks in a project or process, the best schedule for the entire
project, and potential scheduling and resource problems and their solutions. The arrow diagram
lets you calculate the critical path of the project - the flow of critical steps where delays can
affect the timing of the entire project and where addition of resources can speed up the project.
Figure 14 shows the arrow diagram of building a room.
Figure 14. Arrow Diagram

( Source: www.uoh.edu.sa )
7. Process Decision Program Charts (PDPC)

The process decision program chart (PDPC) helps to predict what might go wrong in a plan
under development so that countermeasures can be taken in advance. By using PDPC, you can
either revise the plan to avoid the problems or be ready with the best response when a problem
occurs. Figure 15 is an example for a PDPC in construction material procurement.
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Figure 15. PDPC
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QUALITY FUNCTION DEPLOYMENT
CHAPTER 4
4.1 DEFINITION OF QUALITY FUNCTION DEPLOYMENT AND ITS EVOLUTION

● The Quality Function Deployment (QFD) is a technique of quality improvement. In this
systematic technique, the customer requests and expectations spread to every stage of the
design, the process and the production. The QFD was used for the first time, in 1960, in
the Kobe shipyards in Japan by Mitsubishi heavy industry. Later, various applications
were performed in Toyota and subsidiary industries of Toyota. In the 1980s, it was used
in the USA (Sameni Keivani & Khalili Sourkouhi, 2014; Shino & Nishihara, 1990).
● The application of the QFD in the construction industry was performed for the first time,
by Shino and Nishihara, 1990 in Japan. Burati and Oswald, 1993. Abdul-Rahman, Kwan
and Woods, 199, examined the application of QFD technique in the construction
industry by focusing on construction of low-cost housing. Pheng and Yeap, 2001 did a
research on the advantages and disadvantages of the application of the QFD technique in
design/construction projects.
4.2 HOUSE OF QUALITY

The foundation of the house of quality is the belief that products or services should be designed
in a way that reflects the customer's desires and tastes. The house of quality is a conceptual map
that provides ways for interfunctional planning and communications. This methodology provides
multiple benefits like understanding the customers, predicting how customers will perceive a
product’s value, obtains buy-in from stakeholders, using customer needs to develop goals,
providing structure and prioritizing the resources.
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Figure 16. House of Quality (HOQ)

(Source: sixsigmacertificationcourse.com)
4.2.1 BUILDING HOUSE OF QUALITY FOR CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

● There are several steps involved in constructing the House of Quality. It begins with
identifying customer needs. The customers for a product or service are identified and
their requirements from the product or service are gathered using different tools such as
focus groups, surveys, and customer experiences.
● A structured list of customer requirements is then drawn by analyzing and organizing this
data using tools such as affinity diagrams and tree diagrams. Requirements of customers
are known as the voice of the customer.
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Figure 17. House of Quality for construction industry
With reference to Figure No. 17, the steps involved in constructing a house of quality for the
construction industry are given below:
A. Voice of the customer (VOC)-

Here, in context with the construction industry, the Clients (customers) have a major role
to play in the promotion of a systematic approach to the management of health and safety
in construction. As construction work develops and changes from day to day the health
and safety management arrangements, as contained within the construction phase plan on
notifiable projects, may need frequent adjustment. On-going cooperation and
coordination will be needed at each phase, possibly requiring regular meetings involving
the client and contractors' on-site management.
B. Voice of Process (VOP)-

Process involved in construction includes; planning, designing, initiating, implementing
and monitoring. This step can also include the continuous improvement and making sure
that the construction firm is satisfied with their work process.
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C. Technical requirements-
The technical requirements for the construction industry can include; machinery,
apparatus, quality control and assurance tools.
D. Relationship matrix
In this part, certain formulae are used to gain the exact relationship matrix. Relationship
matrix engineers design values that help in translating the customers needs or wants into
a product or service. In the relationship matrix, one can identify how strongly each of the
design parameters affects the customer needs. Figure No. 18 shows the symbols that are
used in a relationship matrix.
Figure 18. Symbols used in relationship matrix

(Source: lucidchart.com)
E. Correlation matrix
The correlation matrix helps to determine how design or technical requirements help and
hinder each other. Figure No. 19 shows how to indicate the degree of the need of having
a specific design or technical specification for satisfying the needs of the customers.
Figure 19. Symbols used correlation matrix

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Figure 20. Correlation matrix (Part E of QFD)

F. Evaluation
In this part of QFD, the final product is assessed. Assessing or evaluation of the product
or service can be done using the process of benchmarking or a comparison with the
rivals can be generated. The competitive assessment shows how companies currently
rank for each of your customers’ needs so that one can determine what has been
overlooked and gain the advantage of the competition.
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LEAN CONSTRUCTION
CHAPTER 5
LEAN CONSTRUCTION
Lean is defined as a set of management practices to improve efficiency and effectiveness by
eliminating waste. The core principle of lean is to reduce and eliminate non-value adding
activities and waste. Lean manufacturing, or lean production, is a production method derived
from Toyota's 1930 operating model "The Toyota Way" (Toyota Production System, TPS). Lean
construction is the application of lean production to the construction industry.
Lean construction is a way of designing production systems in a construction environment with

the aim of decreasing time, effort, and waste. Lean construction ensures that a project is quickly
done, and cost incurred on processes are low. Moreover, it helps in achieving maximum value
and minimising cost during project maintenance, design, planning, and implementation. To
ensure that construction projects are of high quality, fast and at less cost, every person from
contractors, architects, designers, to the last tradesman has to be involved.
There are three types of waste that lean production seeks to eliminate: muda, muri, and mura.
Muda (waste) is a type of waste that results from performing unnecessary tasks that do not
provide value. Lean production further breaks down muda into seven categories: transportation,
inventory, motion, waiting, overprocessing, overproduction, and defects. By cutting back on this
type of work, you’re able to produce more efficiently without any reduction in quality.
Muri (overburden) is a type of waste that means excessiveness. It is a type of waste in which a
process goes to the extreme and beyond what is standard, or places an undue burden on your
employees.
Mura (unevenness) is a type of waste in which a process becomes irregular. Things aren’t where
you need them to be at the right time.
Construction projects are just like production lines in several ways. Both have complex
processes, both need materials, equipment, workforce, workflow, and both are vulnerable to
waste and inefficiency. The main idea behind lean production is to minimize waste while
maximizing value without compromising productivity.
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LEAN CONSTRUCTION
5.1 PRINCIPLES OF LEAN CONSTRUCTION
1. Identify the values from clients view point

It focuses on what the customer wants you to build. It includes the specifications and plans.
Identifying value could be a key element at construction management and understanding the
customer’s view point. Lean construction conjointly brings along all factors and aspects of the
operation like the designer, engineer, general contractor, suppliers, and more.
2. Define value stream

When it is clear about the value from the customer’s view point, we can lay out all of the
processes steps necessary to deliver that value. This is known as the value stream. For every
activity, the necessary labor, information, equipment, and materials are defined. Any steps or
resources that did not add value are removed.
3. Eliminate Waste
The main aim of lean manufacturing is to eliminate or decrease the amount of waste within the
operation. Lean construction targets every major type of waste which includes the defects,
overproduction, underutilization of talent, waiting, inventory, transportation, motion, and over
processing.
4. Work Process Flow

The ideal state of lean construction management is continuous workflow that is considered
reliable and predictable. This sequence is essential in construction, and you can’t begin building
the frame until the footings are set.
5. Pull Planning and Scheduling

Creating reliable workflows depend on work being released based on downstream demand. Lean
construction recognizes that this is best done by those performing the work, often subcontractors.
Participants communicate and collaborate closely with each other to determine the schedule of
tasks.
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LEAN CONSTRUCTION
6. Continuous Improvement
The imperative aspect of the lean method is “kaizen”, which translates to “change for the better”
and it mainly aims for gradual improvement. Within every step of the construction process,
possibilities for improvement are identified, and action is taken. This also requires everyone’s
participation and relies on overall communication and respect in order to focus on the end
delivery of a work that matches the customer’s needs.
5.2 LEAN TOOLS

Lean contains a wide range of principles and tools with the objective of identifying and
removing waste to increase process speed. Put in plainer terms, Lean practices seek to maximize
value to the client, by minimizing waste of all kinds.
Lean is based on a number of tools and principles following the Japanese approach of 'Kaizen'
(or 'alternate for the better'). Below are a few of the most important Lean tools, employed to
convert companies and manufacturers into Operational Excellence practitioners.
1. Kanban
Kanban is a visual approach for controlling construction as a part of Lean construction. Kanban
is the Japanese word for “visual cards” and is a Lean tool developed in the automotive industry
for implementing JIT production. It is used as a material process flow technique for the pull
replenishment logic system. The use of the Kanban technique helps to minimize the work-in-
progress and inventory costs significantly. It ensures that the right amount of an item is delivered
at the right time. Also work items are represented visually on a kanban board, allowing team
members to see the state of every piece of work at any time. It emphasizes continuous delivery
while not overburdening the development team.
Kanban can be applied to any type of work that follows the pattern of “To Do,” “Doing,” and
“Done,” it can be managed on a Kanban board. Work always begins on the left side of the board,
and works its way to the right side. In this board each work or task is represented by a card. A
digital Kanban card can be used to add notes, attach files and links, and give updates on the
work, or share with anyone who might be involved in the work. This gives a chance to every
stakeholder to visualize the progress. Also it helps in increasing the awareness of workflow,
29 | P a g e
LEAN CONSTRUCTION
coordination between different activities, improves interpersonal communication in the

organisation etc.
2. Just In Time In Construction

Just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing, also known as just-in-time production or the Toyota
Production System (TPS), is a methodology aimed primarily at reducing times within the
production system as well as response times from suppliers and to customers. Its foundations are
the fact that the company produces only what is needed, when needed, and in the amount
needed.Companies employ this inventory strategy to increase efficiency and decrease waste by
receiving goods only as they need them for the production process, which reduces inventory
costs. Just-in-time in construction, is designed to eliminate waste by receiving the goods only
when they are needed for construction processes.
In construction processes, inventory waste is usually the result of excess stockpiling of
materials due to the over-estimating and over-ordering. however it may lead and result
in the excess use of said materials, so translating to a full host of wasted effort, time, and
material.
The JIT methodology conjointly needs that suppliers and contractors collaborate at the next level
than in regular construction ways and it needs that every one project supplies are up to
straightforward. This helps to stop project delays due to unusable materials and helps to
confirm that contractors deliver the next quality product with reduced defects and
maintenance desires over the lifetime of the product.
3. Poka Yoke
“Poka-Yoke” is a Japanese term coined by Shiego Shingo in 1960’s which means “mistake-
proofing”. There are three recognized types of poka-yoke for detecting and preventing errors in a
process:
● The contact technique identifies defects using a part’s form, size, colour, or different
physical attributes. The contact method also can include limit switches and proximity
sensors. For an example, if we would like to avoid placing a part backwards or upside down
in a fixture. This part should have an asymmetrical design with a receptacle only allowing
the part to fit in the correct orientation. instead, a pin can protrude from the part which will
only allow the part to fit when correctly oriented providing the contact method poka-yoke.
30 | P a g e
LEAN CONSTRUCTION
● The constant number technique alerts the operator if an explicit range of movements are not
made. Counters could also be a fixed number of parts that must be used at each step.
Similar to building furniture, if when we’re finished there is a screw left over, we know we
have done something wrong. In manufacturing or service processes the operator is provided
with a bin containing the exact number of parts to complete the stage of the task. A part left
over or one missing will highlight a defect at this stage. The part will not be allowed to go to
the next stage.
● The sequence methodology aims to make sure that the prescribed steps of the method have
been followed before starting the next stage. Not allowing the mistake to be made in the first
place. This could include part boxes only opening in sequence. Colour coding and tagging
are other examples of sequence poka-yokes, these are then inspected to make sure that
critical prior steps were performed.
4. Six Sigma
Six-Sigma is a philosophy that identifies the right issues and root causes and then improves the
method with a structured approach. Six Sigma is all about identifying and eliminating “defects”
which includes mistakes, but also any result that fails to meet customer specifications or could
lead to customer dissatisfaction. Companies that implement Six Sigma should expect to
undertake continuous efforts to achieve stable and predictable process results. Every company’s
processes have characteristics that can be measured, analyzed, improved and controlled.
For improving an existing business process, “DMAIC”- an acronym for define, measure,
analyze, implement and control is to be planned. For creating a new product or process,
“DMADV”- an acronym for define, measure, analyze, design and verify is to be taken care of.
Most contractors are likely looking to improve an established approach to customer service. So
here, focus is on DMAIC. It has five stages:
1. Define the problem you’re trying to solve from your customer’s perspective.
2. Measure key aspects of the process. Target metrics that will enable you to measure
progress toward the stated goal, by collecting relevant data.
3. Analyze the data, look for cause-and-effect relationships, find root cause, eliminate it.
4. Improve the current process.
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LEAN CONSTRUCTION
5. Control the process going forward. Set up systems for monitoring the improved process
once you’ve implemented it.
Eliminating defects means you’ll spend less time reworking and more time completing quality
work. Also, you’ll be able to stay within your cost estimates.
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IMPLEMENTATION
CHAPTER 6
IMPLEMENTATION
The main problems affecting the construction industry are time, cost and waste. Table 1 shows
some of the frequent construction problems that lead to cost overruns, delays and wastes, and
examples of implementing some of the quality management concepts studied in this research
which will help to solve or avoid such problems.
Table 1. Application of quality management concepts in construction problems
FREQUENT REASONS QUALITY RESULT OF

CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT IMPLEMENTATION
PROBLEMS TOOLS/TECHNIQU
ES
1.DESIGN
Design amount doesn’t Changes in design QFD Client requests will not go
match construction amount at a later stage unaddressed
Takes long time to Slow decision Six sigma Define the work, set specific
complete making for large goals to achieve the final result
and complex
projects
Design errors Design specialist Poka-yoke Mistake proofing by avoiding

gets mixed up mix ups. e.g., distinct specific
between different activities using colour code
works
Design-construction Engineering QFD Fewer engineering changes

conflict changes
2.PRECONSTRUCTION
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IMPLEMENTATION
Un-constructible design Lack of QFD Improves interdepartmental

communication coordination
between
departments
Ambiguity in scheduling Unable to plan Arrow diagram or For working out optimal
different activities activity network schedules and controlling them
diagram effectively
Ambiguity due to Unable to predict Process decisions Helps to depict the contingencies
fluctuating external future program chart likely to occur in future and plan
conditions possible countermeasures
3.PROCUREMENT
Insufficient budget Lack of QFD Communication is improved

interdepartmental within departments
coordination
Material shortage Unable to predict Process decisions Helps to depict the contingencies
market fluctuations program chart likely to occur in future and plan
possible countermeasures
Supplier unable to provide Wrong selection of Prioritization matrix Criteria such as responsibility &
materials and equipment supplier reliability can be given more
weightage to choose supplier
Low quality materials Producers unable Control charts Monitor, control and improve
to monitor quality processes. Producers can monitor
the strength of materials
4.CONSTRUCTION
Excess rework Mistakes Lean, Six sigma, Poka- Rework is prevented by

yoke addressing problems when they
34 | P a g e
IMPLEMENTATION
first arise
Fails to meet customer Unable to Six sigma Identifies and eliminate every
specifications implement activity that dissatisfies the
standardisation customer
Delayed subcontractors Inefficient Lean Lean construction technology like

scheduling pull planning software helps to
determine who to have on site on
a given day
Defects in structures Various reasons Check sheet, Pareto Can understand which is the most
for various defects diagram frequently occurring defect using
check sheet. Using pareto
diagram find out the cause with
maximum frequency
Wastage of materials Extra inventory on Lean, Kanban On demand ordering system

site
High storage and Extra machinery Lean, Kanban On demand ordering system
maintenance cost and inventory on
site
Shortage in high quality Multiple Lean Cuts unwanted administrative

management personnel concurrent projects tasks
Financial bottleneck Large scale Lean Keeps huge and complex projects
contracts on time and under budget
Poor attitude of workers Over burden Kanban Kanban board displays workflow,
so allows to notice overburdened
teams
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IMPLEMENTATION
Mistakes by workers Inadequate Kanban, Six sigma Helps managers and overseers to
monitoring and focus on the team currently
controlling performing
Materials and equipment Inefficient Lean, Kanban Kanban board displays workflow
not available at the right scheduling and helps in preparing for the
time next task in priority list
Cost overruns Reworks and QFD Reduction of number of changes

rejects on a product
Delays due to no continuity Teams doesn’t Kanban Project displayed on the

in workflow understand
workflow Kanban board helps teams
understand workflow and
correlate between tasks
Accidents No safety Six sigma, Poka-yoke Ensures quality control and safety
precautions constraints
36 | P a g e
LIMITATIONS AND CHALLENGES
CHAPTER 7
Having discussed some of the various types of quality management tools, most of them can be
aptly implemented in the construction industry. There is a great deal of gray area as well. This
section includes the details of the limitations and challenges that can be observed while
implementing quality management tools and techniques in the construction industry.
1. TQM
● TQM has significant advantages in terms of quality improvement, increased productivity,
greater financial yield and more customer loyalty. But it also comes along with several
challenges and disadvantages.
● TQM demands an organizational culture that focuses on customer satisfaction and a
continuous process improvement. While It also requires a change of attitude and a
reprioritization of daily operations. TQM also requires a long-term management
commitment and constant employee involvement. Changing an organization’s culture,
especially in the construction field can be a tedious job. The workers do not remain the
same in this industry. Hence, the attitude, principles, communication practices, goals etc
changes dynamically in the construction industry.
● TQM can turn out expensive to implement. Implementation often comes with additional
training costs, team-development costs, infrastructural improvement costs and more.The
system when implemented in construction requires continuous investment in the form of
training, process and machine inspection and quality measurement. TQM is not suitable
for very small companies, because its implementation, training and execution costs far
supersede its financial gains.
● TQM focuses on task standardization to ensure consistency hereby discouraging
creativity and innovation. It also discourages new ideas that can possibly improve
productivity. While construction is a kind of field where innovations especially in the
equipment being used throughout the process or project needs an upgrade.
37 | P a g e
2. Quality management tools

● This paper shows the implementation of various traditional and modern quality
management tools in the field of construction. To name a few; arrow diagrams, tree
diagrams, fish-bone diagrams etc. All of these tools can be implemented in the
construction industry. Since there are nearly fourteen tools of quality, it becomes difficult
for the firm to choose the best.
● The construction industry must avoid the use of too many quality measures and should
rather prefer to be selective and recognise that some may conflict with others.
● In fact, choosing an inapt tool might incur losses and reduce the quality of the product
being delivered. This in turn will lead to many other drawbacks like customer
dissatisfaction, high cost of quality and more.
3. Quality Function Deployment

● We saw how QFD turns the Voice of the Customers (VoC) into Voice of Process (VoP).
The entire process to Quality Function Deployment focuses mainly on the customers, that
is, it’s customer oriented.
● A major disadvantage in using QFD is that it ignores other factors such as cost, the length
of the product life cycle, long-term strategy and growth objectives and available
resources. Houses, apartments, factories, offices, schools, roads and bridges are some of
the products of the construction industry and hence, resources management and other
factors play a crucial role in this industry.
● Relying too heavily on QFD at the expense of other factors, as those mentioned above,
can potentially lead to negative financial and operational consequences that could put the
business or the firm at risk.
● Another limitation of QFD is the assumption that customer needs can be captured,
documented and remain stable over the duration of the whole process. Customer needs
change are dynamic in nature and tend to change unexpectedly. The QFD tool, therefore,
can complicate matters further for the firm, since adapting to dynamic market needs can
get complicated, sometimes confusing and expensive.
38 | P a g e
4. Lean Construction
● Lean Construction is an adaption of lean manufacturing principles and practices to the
end-to-end design and construction process with an aim to implement efficiency and
sustainability. More often than not, we hear accounts on promising Lean Construction
success stories. However, unspoken Lean failures also present very valuable learning
insights for the industry.
● Construction is one such industry that sometimes needs to deal with unfinished projects.
Current/unfinished projects may take a hit whilst a company is trying to incorporate Lean
Construction and is something that needs to be considered before taking on a new
strategy.
● So as to make the construction projects complete quickly and efficiently, firms by
adopting lean construction sometimes tend to cut corners. Cut corners lead to degradation
in quality and therefore the project won’t hold the same longevity. This might benefit the
contractors in the short-term span but can turn dreadful in long run.
● Despite its significant economic contributions, the construction industry faces numerous
government policy related problems. Some studies reveal that certain barriers arise due to
government attitudes towards the construction industry in some countries. Those barriers
include inconsistency in policies, lack of social amenities and infrastructure, materials
unavailability and unsteady price commodities. Furthermore, some of the structural
barriers like inflation, professional wages and corruption could also be related to
governmental issues.
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CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE SCOPE
CHAPTER 8
CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE SCOPE
8.1 CONCLUSIONS
In several ways, construction projects work indistinguishably from production lines. So, both of
them can adopt similar concepts to tackle the same issues. However, they have differences too.
In manufacturing, it is possible to analyse the efficiency and productivity of a product over and
over again until a nearly perfect process and product quality is achieved. But in construction,
every project is a prototype. Since there is no exact copy of a particular project with the same
conditions, processes, materials and people to practise on, continuous improvement is difficult to
implement. But still, a lot of quality tools and techniques can help in achieving total quality even
if they can’t be implemented completely. There are definite principles and lessons from such
concepts that can be applied to the construction projects. With the help of quality management
practices, certainly the construction industry can achieve higher levels of productivity and
quality.
8.2 FUTURE SCOPE

Keeping in view the limitations of time and its scope of present investigation, only part of the
area is researched. There are numerous quality management tools, techniques and practices that
are not included in this project. The Lean concept has numerous tools and techniques to be
studied in detail. Lean construction itself needs a separate thesis altogether. Also there is a scope
to collect and study information on construction companies where quality concepts are practiced
successfully.
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REFERENCES
REFERENCES
[1] Ashokkumar, D., (2014), “Study of Quality Management in Construction Industry”,

International Journal of Innovative Research in Science, Engineering and Technology, 3(1), 36-
43.
[2] Bazaatia, Siamak., & Beheshtizadeh, Davoud., (2017), “Using Quality Function Deployment
(QFD) in the Construction Company”, Journal of Applied Environmental and Biological
Sciences,7(6),7-16.
[3] Karna, Sami, Junnonen, Juha-Matti & Kankainen, Jouko, “Customer Satisfaction in
construction”.
[4] Dinesh, S., Sethuraman, R. & Sivaprakasam, Shruthi, (2017), “The Review on Lean
Construction an Effective Approach in Construction Industry”, International Journal of
Engineering Research and Modern Education, 119-123.
[5] Radhika. R., Sukumar, S., (2017), “An Overview of the Concept of Lean Construction and
the Barriers in its Implementation”, International Journal of Engineering Technologies and
Management Research, 4(3), 13-26.
[6] https://sitemate.com/us/resources/articles/quality/quality-management-construction/
[7]https://asq.org/quality-resources/new-management-planning-tools
[8]https://www.whatissixsigma.net/7-qc-tools/
[9]https://isoconsultantkuwait.com/2019/05/08/1572/
[10]www.businessworld.in
[11]www.ilo.org
[12]http://www.sixsigmacertificationcourse.com/house-of-quality-hoq-qfd/
[13]https://iglcstorage.blob.core.windows.net/papers/iglc-4abdc0fc-effd-4be3-a6e2-
21bb4eea27f2.pdf
[14]https://sixsigmastudyguide.com/house-of-quality-hoq/
41 | P a g e

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Quality Management in Construction

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A PROJECT REPORT ON

APPLICATION OF QUALITY MANAGEMENT

CET SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

Devika B1, Lakshmi Vimal2and Govind3

CET School of Management

Figure 1. Seven Principles of Quality Management 6

Table 1. Application of quality management concepts in construction problems 33

1.2 LITERATURE REVIEW

1.3 SCOPE OF RESEARCH AND OBJECTIVES

2.1 SEVEN PRINCIPLES OF QUALITY MANAGEMENT

Figure 1.Seven Principles of Quality Management

6. Evidence Based Decision Making

2.2 CONSTRUCTION QUALITY MANAGEMENT

● To minimise the defects on asset delivery or handover

2.2.1 CREATING A QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR CONSTRUCTION

2.2.2 ESTABLISHING QUALITY PROCEDURES

1. Control of documents and records

3.1 TRADITIONAL TOOLS

GROUP Management Material External Site Condition Employer

CAUSES OF Deficiencies in Shortage of Political Selection of Long time to

Improper Strikes Politically

Figure 3. Check Sheet

Figure 5. Pareto Chart

5. Cause And Effect Diagram (Fishbone Diagram or Ishikawa Diagram )

Figure 6. Fishbone Diagram

Figure 7. Scatter Plot

7. Control Chart (Shewhart Chart)

Figure 8. Control Chart

3.2 MODERN TOOLS

Figure 9. Affinity Diagram

Figure 10. Relations Diagram

Figure 11. Tree Diagram

EFFECTS WASTE OF WASTE OF WASTE OF Totals RANK

Symbols Relationship Value

Figure 12. Matrix Diagram

5. Matrix Data Analysis (Prioritization Matrix)

ACTIVITY COST SAVINGS MONTHS TO TOTAL

CRITERIA SCORE CRITERIA VALUE

Figure 13. Prioritisation Matrix

Figure 14. Arrow Diagram

7. Process Decision Program Charts (PDPC)

Figure 15. PDPC

4.1 DEFINITION OF QUALITY FUNCTION DEPLOYMENT AND ITS EVOLUTION

4.2 HOUSE OF QUALITY

Figure 16. House of Quality (HOQ)

4.2.1 BUILDING HOUSE OF QUALITY FOR CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

Figure 17. House of Quality for construction industry

A. Voice of the customer (VOC)-

B. Voice of Process (VOP)-

Figure 18. Symbols used in relationship matrix

Figure 19. Symbols used correlation matrix

Figure 20. Correlation matrix (Part E of QFD)

Lean construction is a way of designing production systems in a construction environment with

5.1 PRINCIPLES OF LEAN CONSTRUCTION

1. Identify the values from clients view point

2. Define value stream

4. Work Process Flow

5. Pull Planning and Scheduling

5.2 LEAN TOOLS

coordination between different activities, improves interpersonal communication in the

2. Just In Time In Construction

Table 1. Application of quality management concepts in construction problems

FREQUENT REASONS QUALITY RESULT OF