Thesesaastu 2019 285

PRACTICING PROFESSIONAL ARCHITECTS’
ASSESSMENT OF QUALITY FACTORS IN
ARCHITECTURAL SERVICE DELIVERY IN ETHIOPIA
LULSEGED LEGESSE NEGASH
MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION IN

CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT
ADDIS ABABA SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
UNIVERSITY
NOVEMBER, 2018
PRACTICING PROFESSIONAL ARCHITECTS’ ASSESSMENT OF
QUALITY FACTORS IN ARCHITECTURAL SERVICE DELIVERY IN
ETHIOPIA
By
LULSEGED LEGESSE NEGASH
A Thesis Submitted to
The Department of Business Administration for the Partial Fulfilment of the
Requirements for the Degree of Master of Business Administration in Construction Management
ADDIS ABABA SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY UNIVERSITY
NOVEMBER, 2018
ii
Declaration
I hereby declare that this thesis entitled “Practicing Professional Architects’ Assessment of
Quality Factors in Architectural Service Delivery in Ethiopia” was composed by myself, with
the guidance of my advisor, that the work contained herein is my own except where explicitly
stated otherwise in the text, and that this work has not been submitted, in whole or in part, for any
other degree or professional qualification.
Lulseged Legesse __________________ __________________
Name Signature Date

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Certificate
This is to certify that the thesis prepared by Mr. Lulseged Legesse entitled “Practicing
Professional Architects’ Assessment of Quality Factors in Architectural Service Delivery in
Ethiopia” and submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Business
Administration in Construction Management complies with the regulations of the University and
meets the accepted standards with respect to originality and quality.
Signed by Examining Board:
____________________________________ ____________________ ______________
Thesis Advisor: Signature: Date:
____________________________________ ____________________ ______________
Examiner (Internal): Signature: Date:
____________________________________ ____________________ ______________
Examiner (External): Signature: Date:

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Abstract
Many stakeholders including practicing professional architects (practitioners) in the construction

industry often criticize the quality of buildings and infrastructure in Ethiopia. The practitioners
cite a number of factors that impact the quality of construction projects in the country. A significant
portion of the factors lie within the purview of architectural service delivery. Some studies also
confirmed the correlation of design quality with the success of construction projects. Since
architectural service delivery has significant impact on the quality of building projects and on the
built environment, it is sensible to identify the possible quality factors in these professional
services in Ethiopian context. The objective of this study is to identify, analyze their presence and
rank order the quality factors in architectural service delivery in Ethiopia based on the assessment
of the practitioners and to suggest workable ideas that can be deployed as measures in addressing
the identified shortcomings in the practice. For lack of sufficient studies published on this specific
subject in Ethiopia, a workshop was organized whereby a representative group of professionals
from different cross-section of the practice, with potentially varying perspective of the problem,
have identified continuing professional development; professional integrity; education, training
and capacity; service quality standard; programmatic requirements; service fee (compensation);
time allotted for design development and documentation; information, communication and
technology; the role of a think-tank of architectural practice; regulatory requirements and external
influences as factors that have influence on architectural service delivery in Ethiopia. These factors
were then analyzed based on the data collected using questionnaires sent to all 328 Practicing
Professional Architects (PPARs) currently registered by the Ministry of Construction of Ethiopia
(respondents) and whose contact addresses could be identified. Data collected from 68 respondents
and analyzed confirmed that indeed all 11 factors identified have various levels of influence on the
quality of architectural service delivery in the country and service fee (compensation); education,
training and capacity; and professional integrity, in their rank order, are identified to be the top
three being the most prevalent. The study recommends Architectural Practices to work closely
with AEA to develop standard output rates and minimum fee scale for their professional services;
Architects to regularly take up refresher courses to maintain quality of their services and Practicing
Architects to conscientiously carryout their unique role in shaping the built environment and
strictly uphold their professional ethics.
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Key words: architectural practice; professional services; design quality factors; measuring
architectural quality; built environment
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Acknowledgements
I thank God for his blessings; for he has given me the strength and patience to start and successfully
completed the MBA program and this research thesis.
I would like to sincerely thank my advisor, Dr. Geremew Teklu for his guidance and critical
reviews and comments throughout the development of this thesis. I also would like to thank all my
instructors and the AASTU community for their guidance and support throughout my stay in the
campus. My special thanks goes out to Prof. Belete Kebede, my instructor and mentor, without
whose guidance, encouragement and support I wouldn’t have gone this far.
I most sincerely thank my sister, Ms. Emebet Yeshitla, who meant the world to me and who has
been there supporting and encouraging me throughout my studies. I also would like to thank my
beloved friends Ms. Sesnie Zemichael, Ms. Marshet Mengistu, and Mr. Abinet Gebremedhin and
others who have encouraged me, and helped me organize a successful workshop for this study and
who also peer-reviewed my analysis.
Lastly, my sincere regards go to all fellow practicing professional architects who have participated
in the study (both in the workshop and questionnaire survey) and especially for those who I had
in-depth discussions with; I very much appreciated.
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Table of Contents
Page
Declaration ……………...…………………………………………………….………………… ii
Certificate ……………………………………………………………….…….……………...… iii
Abstract ………...………………..…………………………….……………..……………….… iv
Acknowledgements ………………..…………….………………………………….…………... v
Table of Contents ….................................................................................................................... vii
List of Tables ……………………………………………………………...………...…….…… xii
List of Figures ………………………………………………………………….……….....….. xiv
List of Abbreviations ………………….….…………………………...………………....……. xv
1. Chapter One: Introduction ……………...………..…………………………………………...1
1.1. Background of the Study…………………………...……….…………………………....1
1.2. Background of the Case - Overview of Architectural Practice / Service Delivery in
Ethiopia…………………………………………………………………………………..3
1.3. Statement of the Problem….……………………………………………………………..4
1.4. Objective of the Study….………………………….……….….…………….…….……..6
1.4.1. General Objective…………………………………………………………………6
1.4.2. Specific Objectives………………………………………………………………..6
1.5. Significance of the Study…………..…………………………………………………….6
1.6. Scope of the Study……………………………………………………………………….7
1.7. Limitation of the Study………………………………………………….……………….7
1.8. Definition of Key Terms….……………………………………………………….……..8
1.9. Organization of the Study……………………..……………………………………...... 9

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2. Chapter Two: Review of the Related Literature …………….……………………………. 10
2.1. Theoretical Review……………….……………...…………………………………….. 10
2.1.1. Service Quality …………………………………………..………...…………… 10
2.1.2. Quality Measurement in Professional Service Firms …..…………………….… 11
2.1.3. Quality in Architecture ………………………………………………………… 11
2.1.4. Measuring Architectural Design Service Quality …………………………...…. 14
2.2. Empirical Review…………………………………………………………………….....14
2.2.1. Service Quality …………………………………………………..…………….. 14
2.2.2. Measuring Service Quality …………………………………………..………… 17
2.2.3. Quality Management of Architectural Services ……………………………….. 17
2.2.4. Assessment of Architectural Design Quality……………………………..……. 19
2.2.5. Factors Influencing Architectural Quality …………….……………………….. 21
2.3. Conceptual Framework……………………………………………………………….. 22
3. Chapter Three: Research Design and Methods…………….……………………………......24
3.1. Research Design……………………………………………………………...…………24
3.2. Research Approach……………………………………………………………………...24
3.3. Population of the Study……………………………………………………………..…..24
3.3.1. Target Population…………………………………………………………...……24
3.3.2. Sampling Technique………………………………………………………….. 25
3.4. Data Collection Tool………………………………………………………………… 25
3.5. Variables of the Study……………………………………………………………..… 25
3.6. Data Analysis Techniques…………………………………………………………..… 26
3.7. Validity and Reliability……………………………………………………………...… 26

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3.8. Ethical Consideration………………………………………………………………….. 27
4. Chapter Four: Data Presentation, Analysis, and Interpretation……….………..…………. 29
4.1. Introduction …………………………………………………………………………… 29
4.2. Demographic Information of Respondents …………..………………….……………. 29
4.3. Analysis of Responses to Establish a premise regarding the Presence of Quality
Factors in the Architectural Practice/Service Delivery in Ethiopia ...…………….…… 31
4.3.1. Quality Factors in Architectural Service Delivery, in Building Construction
Projects and in Built Environment of Ethiopia …........................................….. 31
4.3.2. Factors within the individual Architect’s sphere of influence ……………….. 35
4.3.2.1 Presence of Influences of Continuing Professional Development
on quality of architectural service delivery in Ethiopia ………………… 35
4.3.2.2 Presence of Influences of Professional Integrity on quality
of architectural service delivery in Ethiopia …………………………..….. 37
4.3.3. Factors within the sphere of influence of architectural practices/firms and
Other institutes………………………………………………...………..………..39
4.3.3.1 Presence of Influences of Education, Training and Capacity on
quality of architectural service delivery in Ethiopia …………….………. 39
4.3.3.2 Presence of Influences of Service Quality Standard on quality of
architectural service delivery in Ethiopia ………………………….…….. 41
4.3.3.3 Presence of Influences of Programmatic Requirements on quality of
architectural service delivery in Ethiopia ……….……………………….. 43

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4.3.3.4 Presence of Influences of Service Fee (Compensation) on the quality of
architectural service delivery in Ethiopia…………………………………44
4.3.3.5 Presence of Influences of Time allotted for Design Development and
Documentation on the quality of architectural service delivery in
Ethiopia ………………………………………………………..………. 45
4.3.3.6 Presence of Influences of Information, Communication and Technology
on the quality of architectural service delivery in Ethiopia ….…………. 46
4.3.4 Factors in the sphere of influence of architectural community………………….. 48
4.3.4.1 Presence of Influences of the role of A think-tank of Architectural
Practice on the quality of architectural service delivery in Ethiopia …..…. 48
4.3.5 Factors in the sphere of influence of the Nation……………………………………50
4.3.5.1 Presence of Influences of Regulatory Requirements on the quality of
architectural service delivery in Ethiopia…………………………………..50
4.3.5.2 Presence of Influences of National/External Influences on the quality of
architectural service delivery in Ethiopia……………………………..……52
4.4. Rank Order of Presence of Quality Factors in Architectural Service Delivery
in Ethiopia based on the average means and standard deviations of the opinion
survey………………………………………………………………………...………… 55
5. Chapter Five: Summary of Major Findings, Discussion, Conclusion and
Recommendations …………….………………………………………………….………….56
5.1. Introduction …………………………………………………………….………….……56

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5.2. Summary of the Major Findings…………….…………………………………….…….56
5.3. Conclusions……………………………………………………………………….……..58
5.4. Recommendations……………………………………………………………….………59
5.4.1. Government / Policy makers…………………………….……………………….59
5.4.2. Architectural Community………………………………………………...…….. 60
5.4.3. Architectural Institutions…………………………………………………...……60
5.4.4. Practicing Architects………………………………………………………..……61
5.5. Recommendations for further studies…………………………………………….……..62
References…………………....……………………………………….………..…………….…..63
Annex I: Questionnaire ……………..………….……..………………………………..…….….74

xii
List of Tables
Page
Table 3.1: Reliability Cronbach's Alpha ……………………………………..………….….…...25
Table 4.1: Distribution of respondents based on their Gender category ………………...………27
Table 4.2: Distribution of respondents based on their Educational Qualifications ……..………28
Table 4.3: Quality of the Built Environment (buildings and infrastructure) in Ethiopia ……..…29
Table 4.4: Quality of Architectural Service Delivery in Ethiopia…………………………….…30
Table 4.5: The influence of Quality of Architectural Service Delivery on the Quality of
Building Construction Projects and ultimately on the Quality of the
Built Environment in Ethiopia ………………………………………………….……33
Table 4.6: Influence of Continuing Professional Development on Quality of Architectural
Service Delivery in Ethiopia …………………………………………...…………….34
Table 4.7: Influence of Professional Integrity on the quality of architectural service delivery
in Ethiopia ………………………………………………………………..………….36
Table 4.8: Influence of Education, Training and Capacity on the quality of architectural
service delivery in Ethiopia ………………………………………………………….38
Table 4.9: Influence of Service Quality Standard on the quality of architectural
service delivery in Ethiopia ……………………………………….…………………41
Table 4.10: Influence of Programmatic Requirements on the quality of architectural
service delivery in Ethiopia …………………………………………….……………43
Table 4.11: Influence of Service Fee (Compensation) on the quality of architectural
service delivery in Ethiopia ………………………………………………….…….45

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Table 4.12: Influence of Time allotted for Design Development and Documentation
on the quality of architectural service delivery in Ethiopia ………………….….…46
Table 4.13: Influence of Information, Communication and Technology on
the quality of architectural service delivery in Ethiopia …………………………….48
Table 4.14: Influence of a think-thank of architectural practice on the quality
of architectural service delivery in Ethiopia ……………………………………..…50
Table 4.15: Influence of Regulatory Requirements on the quality of architectural
service delivery in Ethiopia …………………………………………………..…….53
Table 4.16: Influence of National/External factors on the quality of architectural
service delivery in Ethiopia ………………………………………………..……….56
Table 4.17: Rank order of factors influencing the quality of architectural
service delivery in Ethiopia ……………………………………………………..….58

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List of Figures
Page
Figure 1. Conceptual Framework…………..…………………………………………….……...21

xv
List of Abbreviations
ACA Association of Consulting Architects, Australia
AEA Association of Ethiopian Architects
AIA American Institute of Architects
ASCE American Society of Civil Engineers
BIM Building Management Modelling
CA Consulting Architects
CAE Consulting Architects and Engineers
CAT. Category
EiABC Ethiopian Institute of Architecture, Building Construction and City Development
FIDIC Federation Internationale des Ingenieurs Conseils (French), International

Federation of Consulting Engineers
MUDHCo Ministry of Urban Development, Housing and Construction (currently Ministry of
Construction)
NGT Nominal Group Technique
PPAR Practicing Professional Architects
QA & QC Quality Assurance & Quality Control
UIA Union of International Architects

Practicing Professional Architects’ Assessment of Quality Factors in Architectural Service Delivery in Ethiopia 1
Chapter One: Introduction
1.1 Background of the Study
The practice of architecture consists of the provision of professional services in connection with
town planning and the design, construction, enlargement, conservation, restoration, or alteration
of a building or group of buildings. These professional services include, but are not limited to,
planning and land-use planning, urban design, provision of preliminary studies, designs, models,
drawings, specifications and technical documentation, coordination of technical documentation
prepared by others (consulting engineers, urban planners, landscape architects and other specialist
consultants) as appropriate and without limitation, construction economics, contract
administration, monitoring of construction (referred to as “supervision” in some countries), and
project management (Lincicome and Weimin, 2014, p. 5).
Architectural services can be broadly categorized into: pre-design services; design-through-

construction phase services; post-construction services. Typically, most pre-design and post-
construction services are considered “additional” and those associated with the design through
construction phases are considered “basic,” although many additional services can occur in these
phases as well (Hayes, 2014, p. 953).
Design plays an important role in construction projects. Performance of design process influences
the performance of activities in subsequent phases and overall project performance. Quality of
designs has direct impact on project success Couto (2012). Project failure occurs when technical
issues are overlooked by management during design process Williams & Johnson (2014). However,
not enough emphasis is laid on design management processes Formoso et al. (1998); Takim et al.
(2003). Josephson & Hammerlund (1996) have shown that delays, cost overrun and quality
problems in construction projects are attributable to poor design management practices (Pandit et
al., 2015, p. 52).
Quality is generally perceived and measured by comparison to a like product, standard or service.
Quality in architectural service is reflected in design by the use of proportion, form, spatial
character, and the choice of materials. It is displayed in the technical appropriateness of building
systems that “meet and greet” versus “smash and clash.” It is also found in the sufficiency of the
architect’s documents and the client’s experience along the way (Hayes, 2014, p.684).
Investing in quality architectural services is the key to minimizing project costs and maximizing
value for money. Good design provides great potential for savings at the construction stage of
projects, while poor design increases the potential for cost blowouts during and after construction.
Good design is essential to achieving successful project outcomes, and selecting the best design
team for the job is critical to project success (ACA – WA, 2017, p. 12).
Ali et al. (2012) suggest that worldwide, construction projects experience schedule, cost, and
quality deviations from their original plan. While there are several reasons for these deviations,
one of the significant reason is the inadequate attention paid to design development practices.
Furthermore, poor design brief; poor understanding of owner and stakeholder requirements;
inadequate site investigations; and problems with the use of correct design parameters are some
of the contributory factors to multiple revisions and rework.
There are many factors that affect the type, quality, and deliverables of architectural services for
each project. Among them are the program for the project, client requirements and expectations,
the client’s level of knowledge and experience in the project type, the need for engineering or
specialty consultants to be retained by the architect, the types of other consultants to be hired by
the client, the project budget and schedule, the firm’s internal capabilities, and the method of
construction procurement and delivery, Hayes (2014). This study compared these theoretical
factors from literature with the factors identified by the workshop that were believed to influence
the Architectural service delivery in the Ethiopian context.
1.2 Background of the Case - Overview of Architectural Practice/Service Delivery in

Ethiopia
The urban landscape of Ethiopia is evidently lacking in those qualitative elements that combine to
produce attractive built environments, provide public amenity and enable satisfactory urban
lifestyle. Many of these elements demand significant investment which is constrained by resource
limitations. However, many other elements are primarily dependent on the creative aspects of
urban planning and design, which are evidently lacking. Amongst other elements, one may note:
The Urban Structure – most towns and cities in the country retain and display distinct legible
structures, most are molded to strict grids or hierarchies. The Urban Fabric – whilst it is to be
expected that much of the urban fabric is poor and degraded, even the newer elements of the urban
landscape are generally bland. The design of public facilities is generally distinctly lacking in
creativity and imagination (and apparently also functionality). Major new commercial
developments in Addis Ababa appear to be randomly distributed over the skyline and are probably
directed more by the availability of vacant land than by development guidelines. (MUDHCo, 2014,
p. 8)
Design services and construction phases was introduced as a separate phase to Ethiopian
construction industry during the so called ‘Fragmentation of Phases’ between 1987-1991
Mengesha (2004). Since 2006 the construction industry has become the fastest growing and the
biggest employer in cities and second biggest industry in Ethiopia next only to agriculture.
However, it is characterized by being excessively unaffordable, wasteful, import dependent,
energy consuming, unbalanced and most of all un-contextual, Angelil and Hebel (2010).
Despite its prominent role, the construction industry in Ethiopia, like in other developing countries,
faces many challenges in its practice. Some of these challenges are project overruns, poor quality,
inappropriate procurement systems, and a failure to cope with project requirements and the
inability to adopt best practices, Mengesha (2004); Zewdu & Aregaw (2015); and Assefa (2008).
Architecture (within it – urban development) in Ethiopia seems to be too young to respond to the
current unprecedented demands, desires and expectations which are manifesting themselves
through the rapid urbanization processes, hence demanding a proper media to establish a platform
for intellectual and practical exchange of ideas. (Cherinet & Sewenet, 2012). Many stakeholders
including practicing professionals in the field often criticize the quality of buildings and
infrastructure in Ethiopia. The professionals cite a number of factors that impact the quality of
construction projects in the country. A significant portion of the factors lie within the purview of
Architectural/Engineering service delivery. Some studies also confirmed the correlation of design
quality with the success of construction projects.
The more informed practitioners, clients and policy decision makers are about the quality factors
in the services Architectural Practices provide, the greater are the opportunities to propose changes
and ensure optimum quality of Architectural Service delivery. Therefore, studies on the quality of
architectural service practices is critically important to support policy makers make informed
decisions in terms of improving the quality of the built environment in our surroundings.
The purpose of this research, therefore, is to identify, analyze their presence and rank order the
quality factors in architectural service delivery in Ethiopia based on the assessment of the
practitioners and to suggest workable ideas to policy decision makers in order to address the
challenges in the practice related to quality of service.
1.3 Statement of the Problem
The service industry including architectural practice in Ethiopia is in its infancy compared to
practices of developed counties. As in the case in several other sectors, the construction industry
in Ethiopia is following the footsteps of the developed world’s industry best practices.
Various studies have been conducted and literatures published on the definition, measurement,
assessment and management of quality of professional services (including architectural services)
in different parts of the world. Despite these voluminous existing literatures on quality
management and construction process, little of them address the design factors that influence the
quality of building projects. Yet, it is at the design stage that most decisions affecting the
construction, performance and operation of a building can be wielded to optimize the value of the
building to its end users, Bourn (2000). Hartkopf et al. (1986) acknowledged that any failure at the
conceptual-design stage of a project might lead to stress factors causing significant problems in
the successive stages of the project. Many studies in construction practice have reviewed the
implications of inefficient design. Research undertaken by Building Research Establishment -

BRE (1982), in UK has shown that slightly more than fifty percent of construction faults were
caused by design deficiencies. The National Economic Development Office NEDO (1987) also
adjudged that some two thirds of inadequate qualities on construction sites were due to design
inefficiencies.
If design related factors have such an impact on the quality of building construction projects,
studying the factors that influence the quality of architectural services (of which design is a major
one) is key. In view of that, there are international studies that identified the factors that influence
the quality of architectural service delivery.
In Ethiopian context, several factors influencing quality of building projects or its construction
process (including the ones relating to design) have been studied and documented. However, there
are hardly any studies done or literatures available that identify the factors influencing the quality
of architectural service delivery. Therefore, this research study has organized a nominal
representative group of professionals from a cross-section of the practice in the country using a
Nominal Group Technique (NGT) process Fox (1990), with different perspectives of the problem,
and held a working session in which the following potential factors were identified:1) continuing
professional development; 2) professional integrity; 3) education, training and capacity; 4) service
quality standard; 5) programmatic requirements; 6) service fee (compensation); 7) time allotted
for design development and documentation; 8) information, communication and technology; 9)
role of a think-tank of architectural practice; 10) regulatory requirements and 11) external
influences. Depending on the sphere of influence, the above factors are grouped into four main
categories named: A. Factors in the sphere of influence of individual practitioners, B. Factors in
the sphere of influence of architectural practice related institutions, C. Factors in the sphere of
influence of architectural community and D. Factors in the sphere of influence of the nation.
Therefore, this study, aims to analyze the quality factors already identified by the nominal expert
group workshop; analyze their degree of presence in the architectural service delivery in Ethiopia
based on the PPARs’ ratings; and rank them in their order of presence, and at the end, the following
basic research questions are expected to be answered:
Presence
1. What are the main quality factors in architectural service delivery in Ethiopia?
2. What is the degree of presence of each of these quality factors in architectural service
delivery in Ethiopia?
3. What is the rank of these quality factors based on the PPARs’ ratings of their presence in
architectural service delivery in Ethiopia?
4. What can be done to address the quality challenges in the architectural service delivery in
Ethiopia?
1.4 Objectives of the Study
1.4.1. General Objectives
To identify/understand the Practicing Professional Architects’ perspective of quality factors in

architectural service delivery in Ethiopia.
1.4.2. Specific Objectives
1. To identify quality factors in architectural service delivery in Ethiopia based on the PPARs’
assessment.
2. To find out the PPARs’ ratings on the presence of quality factors in architectural service
delivery in Ethiopia.
3. To rank the PPARs’ ratings on the presence of quality factors in architectural service
4. To suggest workable ideas to policy makers, architectural community, architectural
practices and practicing architects in order to address the challenges negatively affecting
the quality of professional architectural service delivery in Ethiopia.
1.5 Significance of the Study
This study is significant in terms of identifying the major quality factors that are present in
architectural service delivery in Ethiopia. The results of such a study would identify bottle necks
to the quality architectural service delivery and would enable concerned bodies attain focus in
using limited national resources to address the significant problems.
The findings of this study can be used by policy decision makers, the architectural practices and
individual practicing architects with in the industry. It can be used by the regulatory bodies to
identify areas that need improvements on existing regulations or draft new ones. Architectural
practices can make use of the findings to identify the problem areas therefore they readjust
themselves to make some internal improvements to tackle the problem better. The findings are
useful for policy makers to draft and enact policies that ensure the quality of the built environment.
The quality problem of architectural service delivery is one of the issues least addressed through
systematic research efforts in the country. Thus, the findings of this study provides useful insights
to understand the extent of the challenge and provides suggestions for further studies and bridge
the research gap for further research studies.
1.6 Scope of the Study
The scope of this study is mainly on identification and analysis of quality factors in architectural
service deliver in Ethiopia. It also describes design related and other factors’ influence on the
quality of building projects and ultimately on the quality of the built environment in the country.
This study focuses on PPARs’ identification, analysis and ranking of quality factors for their
presence in architectural service delivery in Ethiopia and suggest workable ideas in addressing
the quality problem in the architectural service industry and also on recommendations for further
studies.
1.7 Limitation of the Study
The study is only limited to identifying quality factors in architectural practices/service delivery
in Ethiopia and analyzing their presence with their potential to influence based on the practitioners’
understanding of measurement of quality of architectural service. The study does provide the
parameters to measure the quality of architectural services and to what extent each of the factors
identified have influence on the quality of the service delivery.
Though the study initially planned to collect and analyze opinions of practitioners from all levels
of architectural practice, due to time and resources constraints, the focus of the study is limited to
Practicing Professional Architects (PPARs) currently registered in Ministry of Construction of

Ethiopia and it doesn’t include Graduate Architects (GARs) and Professional Architects (PARs).
The other limitation is that, due to lack of clear records at the Professionals Registration Bureau
of Ministry of Construction of Ethiopia, the original intent of the study to separately identify and
analyze the assessments of PPARs working in the regions cannot be met. Therefore, the study used
the list of all PPARs regardless of where they practice in Ethiopia as a whole as they all get
registered centrally in the federal Ministry and it was difficult it identify the practitioners current
location of practice.
1.8 Definition of Key Terms
In this thesis:
Architectural Practice: refers to the practice of architecture and the process

of architectural service delivery in planning, design
and construction phases of a project and other
advisory roles.
Architectural Practices: refers to architectural design firms also referred to as

architectural consulting firms (CAEs & CAs).
Practicing Professional Architect (PPAR): refers to the ultimate professional license grade level
an architect acquires from Ministry of Construction
to practice architecture in Ethiopia. It requires prior
fulfilment of requirements such as educational
qualification, years of relevant experience and
testimony of engagement in design and supervision
of projects.
Quality: refers to the level of architectural services, building

construction project or the built environment’s
compliance to relevant (international and local)
industry standards and best practices and their

meeting or exceeding clients’ expectations.
Built Environment: refers to everything built/man-made around us such

as buildings, roads, bridges, other infrastructures and
open spaces between these built structures that are
built for human interactions which are different from
the natural environment.
1.9 Organization of the Study
This thesis is divided into five chapters. Chapter one gives general background of the study – on
factors influencing quality of architectural service delivery and its relevance in the Ethiopian
context. It also presents statement of the problem, the objectives of the study, its scope and its
limitations and significance of the study. Chapter two summarizes the literature related to the
architectural services, measurements of quality of these services, factors affecting the quality of
these services and their impact on the quality of building construction projects. Chapter three
addresses questionnaire design, the sample size, the selection of the respondents and professionals
interviewed and the method of collecting data from the respondents related to the problem. Chapter
four discusses the statistical methods used, tables and information deduced from statistical analysis,
the statistical results and interpretation of the tables and information. It also contains the ranking
by their magnitude of influence to the quality of architectural service delivery. Finally, the last
chapter five contains summary of the study, conclusion and suggested recommendations and
recommendation for further study.
Chapter Two: Review of the Related Literatures
2.1 Theoretical Review
Before diving into the empirical discussions about the factors influencing the quality of
architectural services delivery, it is important to situate quality of professional services, their
measurement with emphasis on measuring architectural design service quality within a theoretical
context.
2.1.1 Service Quality
Service quality is more difficult for the consumer to evaluate than product quality because of the
lack of tangible evidence associated with services. Services cannot be held or stored, and it is
difficult to eva1uate a service until after it has been consumed (and even then it may be difficult).
This is especially true of professional services because they tend to be very people-based. Service
quality can be viewed as a measure of how well the delivered service level matches consumer
expectations (Lewis and Booms, 1983). A firm's quality image is a function of its ability to
conform to consumer expectations on a consistent basis. Consistent quality will lead to the repeat
purchases and consumer loyalty necessary for the long-term profitability, and survival, of the
service provider (Bojanic, 1991).
Service providers must realize that the key to maintaining a quality image is consistently meeting
or exceeding consumer expectations. It is not the service provider's perception of the service that
is important; it is the consumer's perception. Consumers' perceptions of service quality depend on
the size and direction of the gap between expected service and perceived service which, in turn
depend on the nature of the gaps associated with the design, marketing and delivery of services
(Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry, 1985). Perceived service quality is the result of the consumer's
comparison of expected service with perceived service (Bojanic, 1991).
Samson and Parker (1994), indicated that the quality management movement has several leaders
who have published groundbreaking works, Deming (1982); Gavin (1987); Crosby (1979); Crosby
(1987); and Juran & Cryna (1988) that have established the field. Others have extended and
tailored the literature to suit the needs of service industries, Albrecht and Bradford (1990). (Juran
and Cryna, 1988, p. 33,2-3) defines service as: “Service is work performed for someone else. The
service may be provided to a consumer (e.g. hair cutting), to an institution (e.g. computer leasing),
or to both e.g (energy services). Service work exists because it can outperform the clients in
meeting their own needs”, or performing duties the clients are incapable of doing at all. A service
is further defined as “where a tangible good is not produced (e.g. nonmanufacturing), and a service
as a transaction where a tangible good is not served”. Service quality, according to (Juran and
Cryna, 1988, p. 33) is the same as for product quality: “fitness for use”. The customer should be
the arbitrator of what the use is and, subsequently, the fitness. The customer would determine what
aspects of the service is most beneficial, rather than the service provider dictating these aspects.
For example, the overriding aspects of service in the airline industry may be safety and promptness.
2.1.2 Quality Measurement in Professional Service Firms
Quality is a particularly important factor with services because of the high perceived risk
associated with making a wrong choice. There are several components of service quality based on
tangible cues such as the service facility, equipment and personnel. Perceived quality can be
defined as the perceived ability of a service to provide satisfaction relative to the available
alternatives. It is critical in services to address perceived quality (rather than objective quality)
because of the difficulty in assessing objective quality due to the intangible nature of services
(Bojanic, 1991).
2.1.3 Quality in Architecture
What is ‘quality’?
“God is in the details”. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. And, as every designer knows, so is the devil, Atkins
(2004). And so is quality. Indeed, the traditional (and present) view of quality is that it is all about
details: error-free documents, checking cross-references, interdisciplinary coordination, and so on.
This view of quality is appropriate for a ‘manufacturing’ view of architecture, which sees the
results of design as a ‘product’ – a building, a bridge, a park, Nelson (2006).
The ‘in the details’ view of quality, however, is inappropriate, incorrect and inadequate for a
perspective of architecture that is about service, and that sees products as outputs of service. If you
are in the service business rather than the product business, then your perspective on quality will
be fatally flawed if it is restricted to finding the devil in the details. A service perspective of design
means that quality is a key component of all service functions, such as communication and client
relationship management. This is the ‘Big Q’ view of quality, Franklin (1989), and it sweeps across
every aspect of design practice, Nelson (2006).
What is quality? The official definition by Kaderlan (1991), is ‘the degree to which a set of inherent
characteristics fulfils requirements’. Requirement is defined as ‘need or expectation that is stated,
generally implied, or obligatory’. Put these together, and quality is ‘the degree to which a set of
inherent characteristics fulfils stated, implied or obligatory needs or expectations’. ‘Obligatory’
means compliance with all laws, statutes, codes, and regulations. ‘Expectations’ means that
requirements are also defined by the ‘customer’, which in architecture means, besides the client,
the end users and the public, and sometimes even financial institutions Nelson (2006).
Nelson (2006) continued to summarize in short: there is very little, if anything, about design and
construction industry output that doesn’t come under the umbrella of ‘quality’. All of this can be
modified by adjectives, such as ‘poor’, ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ (the degree to which the set of inherent
characteristics – read ‘design’ here – fulfils these diverse requirements).
Clearly, then, a program of ‘quality’ in architecture means improving the degree to which design
fulfils needs and expectations. Managing such a program involves three main activities at the
project level:
 Quality planning, which establishes quality processes appropriate for a particular project,
determines resource requirements, and assesses project inputs.
 Continual improvement, a process monitoring approach that seeks to identify potential quality
problems and their causes, so as to prevent their occurrence.
 Quality reviews, including quality control (QC), which seeks to identify and fix errors and
omissions before release of documents. A QC example is pre-bid checking. Review techniques
also include design reviews, design verification, design validation, audits and feedback.
Taken together, these activities are called quality management (QM), and are focused on the linear
progression inherent in every project: inputs, processes and outputs.
Note that the above list does not include quality assurance (QA), which is defined as ‘providing
confidence’ that quality requirements will be fulfilled. For example, the statement ‘our goal is to
meet and exceed client expectations’ is quality assurance. The 2000 edition of ISO 9001 effectively
dropped ‘assurance’ as key concept, replacing it with an emphasis on customer
satisfaction. QA is best understood as express or implied promises to the client (Nelson, 2006, p.
4-5).
Quality in design is connected to a set of values. The fact that the perception of quality connotes
values, varies with time and is different among individuals does not free professional judges from
taking a stand on essential quality questions. Therefore, quality in architecture and urban design
appears to be a fundamentally arguable concept that is subject to a wide range of interpretations.
The hypothesis is that quality should be understood as an open and debatable key concept resulting
in disagreement and discussion. History and professional practice in competitions support this idea.
New cases of quality arise continuously in architecture and urban design. The concept itself is
value-laden and quality is interpreted with support of value charged criteria. Quality is something
positive which meets with public approval. This type of knowledge is obtained by having good
examples and interesting cases pointed out. The target is high quality. A special historical
understanding is needed to reach this goal. The concept of quality even reflects the holistic
approach of the architectural profession to design projects. The built environment is of public
interest. Thus there are different interpretations of the meaning of the concept quality, its scope
and status, Rönn (2017).
2.1.4 Measuring Architectural Design Service Quality
“Quality is an elusive and indistinct construct", Parasuraman et al., (1985). Defining and
measuring quality are complicated because the concept can be viewed from several different
perspectives, Garvin (1983). Kotler and Bloom (1984), for example, have noted that assessing the
quality of a professional service can be problematic because different professionals and different
customers have different views regarding what constitutes quality. No simple indexes or surveys
are available to tell how well a lawyer defended a client or how good the advice was of a
management consultant (Baker & Lamb, 1994).
Grönroos (1982 a) and Lewis and Booms (1983) have discussed problems associated with defining
and measuring quality; especially when the quality is associated with the intangible aspects of
services as compared to the tangible characteristics of physical products. Darbi and Karni (1973)
referred to product characteristics which consumers may find impossible to evaluate even after
purchase and consumption as credence properties. Professional services like medical, legal,
accounting, management consulting, and architectural design tend to exhibit credence properties.
Regardless of the difficulty, clients do evaluate the "quality" of professional services Brown and
Swartz, (1989); and Higgins and Ferguson, (l991).
2.2 Empirical Review
The study has reviewed several literatures related to quality of professional services with main
focus on quality of architectural services and factors that influence them.
2.2.1 Service Quality
Johnston (1999), defined service quality as “customers’ overall impression of an organization’s

services in terms of relative superiority or inferiority”. Furthermore, Literature on evaluation of
service quality is overwhelmed with a wide variety of attributes. Grönroos (1982 b), with the
Nordic way of thinking suggested two factors for service quality namely, “technical quality” and
“functional quality.” Parasuraman et al. (1985) with the American way of thinking initially
suggested ten dimensions to evaluate service quality, which were perhaps the most widely
accepted dimensions. Later, Parasuraman et al. (1988), fine-tuned these ten into five dimensions
in their SERVQUAL survey instrument namely “tangibility”; “reliability”; “responsiveness”;
“assurance”; and “empathy”. Parasuraman et al. (1985, 1988) argued that the service delivery
process can be broken down into specific stages to be measured according to the gaps in customer
perceptions when benchmarked against customer expectations for measuring service quality.
Despite critical debate about SERVQUAL, Babakus and Boller (1992); Brown et al. (1993);
Carman (1990); Cronin and Taylor (1992, 1994); Parasuraman et al. (1991, 1993, 1994a, b); and
Teas (1993) it has retained its longevity and endurance due to its psychometric advantages to
diagnose service quality in comparison to competing instruments like SERVPERF, Cronin and
Taylor (1994); Cronin et al. (2000); Jain and Gupta (2004).
One of the earliest applications of service quality in the construction industry was seen in analyzing
its behavioral determinants in the real estate brokerage industry, Johnson et al. (1988). In the past,
only Baker and Lamb (1994) had attempted to determine what specifically constituted service
quality in the context of commercial architectural design gathering data from in-depth interviews
with just 11 subjects where participants were asked to expand on what they meant by fine-tuned
five dimensions of SERVQUAL. New practices are emerging in architecture, engineering and
construction comprising real estate and infrastructure known as integrated practice. This practice
facilitates architects, engineers, construction managers, and contractors to work together either as
fully integrated firms or in multi-firm partnerships. As research in the realm of service quality in
the integrated construction industry started to see the emergence of conceptual frameworks since
1994, (Prakash and Phadtare, 2018, p. 671-672), reviewed 30 notable studies of the time: Baker
and Lamb (1994), Samson and Parker (1994), Nelson and Nelson (1995), Buttle (1996), Preece
and Tarawneh (1997), Winch et al. (1998), Garland et al. (1999), Holm (2000a), Holm (2000b),
Hoxley (2000), Love et al. (2000), Siu et al. (2001), Maloney (2002), Arditi and Lee (2003), Arditi
and Lee (2004), Dabholkar and Overby (2005), Sui Pheng and Hui Hong (2005), Oliver (2006),
Marja Rasila and Florian Gersberg (2007), Forsythe (2007), Forsythe (2008), Tuzovic (2009),
Seiler and Reisenwitz (2010), Araloyin and Olatoye (2011), Forsythe (2012), Lai and Lai (2013),
Sunindijo et al. (2014), Forsythe (2015), Eldejany (2016), and Forsythe (2016).
An extensive and interesting literature on the measurement of service quality has emerged since
1994. Some essential learning points are: several authors have suggested that service quality is a
hierarchical construct. However, very few like Sunindijo et al. (2014) have attempted for original
measurement for construct service quality; almost all studies have made an attempt to review prior
literature relating to service quality in the domain of integrated practice; most of the empirical
studies since 2008 have involved tenants and customers as respondents in applying hierarchical
representation using SERVQUAL-based dimensions; only Sunindijo et al. (2014) applied EFA in
the domain of integrated construction industry; no study has been reported so far using CFA
showcasing psychometric properties of the service quality scale; although some studies have
attempted to develop a link for measuring customer satisfaction and patronage intension, only
recently adequate theoretical foundations have been seen postulated for structural relations among
constructs relating to service quality Sunindijo et al. (2014); Eldejany (2016).
As most of these studies are tailored to suit the context of specific markets in construction industry
such as building maintenance, engineering, building surveying, housing refurbishment and real
estate, Prakash and Phadtare (2018), believe that there is a need to do a study for service quality
of architects. Just specific to service quality of architects, only the study by Baker and Lamb
(1994), has been found to be of high relevance. Consequently, an emphasis has been placed on
their adaption of SERVQUAL assured with adequate psychometric advantages.
Prakash and Phadtare (2018), study confirms that the service quality of architects is represented
by five factors labeled as design quality, project administration quality, communication quality,
relationship quality and dependability quality in the context of India. This number confirms the
literature that service quality for architects is multidimensional, e.g. Parasuraman et al. (1988) and
also mirrors the number of factors that have been identified in other studies in service quality for
architects albeit with a different cohort of respondents, e.g. Baker and Lamb, (1994); Sunindijo et
al. (2014).
2.2.2 Measuring Service Quality
Focus group interview results reported by Parasuraman et al. (1988 b), support the notion advanced
by Sasser et al. (1978) and Grönroos (1982 a) that "service quality, as perceived by consumers,
stems from a comparison of what they (consumers) feel service firms should offer (i.e., from their
expectations) with their perceptions of the performance of firms providing the services"
(Parasuraman et al., 1988 b). This notion holds that perceived service quality is a function of the
magnitude and direction of five specific perceptual gaps namely: tangible gap; reliability gap;
responsiveness gap; assurance gap and empathy gap which represent the difference between
consumers' expectations and perceptions of a firm's performance along each of the dimensions
(Baker & Lamb, 1994). In order to measure these dimensions and therefore the gaps in perception,
a survey instrument known as SERVQUAL was created and 22 items on this device related to each
of the five dimensions above. Nel and Pitt (1993) have used this research vehicle to effect in the
retail sector, in five “hyperstores” of a large British retail group. Although this methodology does
have inherent problems, it still has both descriptive power and the ability to generate insight and
understanding for managers, Samson and Parker (1994). In a 1988 Gallup Survey on adult
consumers' perceptions of quality the most frequently mentioned attributes for determining the
quality of services were: courtesy, promptness, attitude, and satisfaction of needs (Hammond,
1988). One of the conclusions of the study made by Bojanic (1991) is that there is currently a lag
between improvements in quality and consumers' perceptions of quality.
2.2.3 Quality Management of Architectural Services
Management in architecture has been seen as an instance of management in other fields and
disciplines. As evidence is gathered through architectural case studies and comparisons of data
between architecture and other areas, a considerably more heterogeneous picture seems to be
emerging. Depending on the specific circumstances of each practice, job, building type, client, or
economic context, management practices seem to differ considerably. Akin et al. (1996) conducted
a study that deals with the description of specific management strategies employed in the context
of the goals that govern a given firm's notion of "service quality" on surveys of practices in nine
medium-to-large architectural offices. Results of studies of specific projects, based on
reconstructions of the design delivery process developed from in-depth interviews and a complete
set of project documents including meeting notes, official and unofficial correspondence, and
technical documentation, are organized in three categories: professional, firm, and project.
Accordingly, using a method of analysis developed based on information processing theory and
used to show the relationship between structural aspects of office organization and functions
required to complete projects, the findings indicate correlation between management practices and
the definition of service quality by the firm as well as the individuals in each project team. Specific
models of management, such as the Migration model, are shown to agree with specific structural
and functional circumstances within each level of practice. Some of the findings also shed light on
the role of CAD in design management and on the differences of management for quality of service
that exist between the United States of America and Turkey, where the survey was conducted.
As a consequence of either external pressure such as increasing quality demand of clients, or

internal pressure such as organizational growth, architectural design offices seek ways to achieve
higher quality targets in today’s competitive markets. This is why relatively new management
approaches such as Total Quality Management (TQM) are likely to be the part of the agenda of
architecture companies, which aim to achieve long-term success in competitive markets through
the integration of various organizational functions. TQM is based on “…all members of an
organization participating in improving processes, products, services and the culture in which they
work” ASQ (2009) to achieve organizational objectives. Saarinen and Hobel (1990) argue that
TQM constituents and principles have been part of daily routines in architectural offices, although
they are not always systematically described and documented as ‘quality management’. Durmus
et al. (2010) conducted a study in order to understand how architectural design companies define
quality and explores the extent to which TQM principles like continual improvement; employee
involvement; customer satisfaction and others can be pertinent in these companies. Adopting a
qualitative research strategy, the authors interviewed with the owner-managers of 10 widely-
recognized architectural design companies of different size in Istanbul. The results from the
content analysis of semi-structured interview data suggest that i) TQM principles cannot be
directly applied in architectural design companies without an appropriate translation; ii) special
characteristics of design services are important to explain quality-related perceptions of owner-
managers; iii) the owner-managers feel the pressure from the changing internal and external
environmental conditions, however few of them adopt a systematic and documented approach to
quality management.
The building and construction industries worldwide are experiencing ever closer scrutiny of their
operations as pressure mounts from clients to address the inefficiencies inherent therein. The issue
of quality is of pivotal concern in this regard and Munting and Cruywagen (2008), examined the
status quo of a number of South African architectural practices with respect to how they are
managing quality, and tests their opinions with regard to ISO 9000 certification as a means of
addressing the issue. The results indicate that the architects in question generally have a poor grasp
of quality management theory, although many of the eight main principles required for its
implementation are already intrinsically present in the way they manage their practices; probably
as a result of the small size of the average practice. A systematic and documented approach to
quality management is however largely lacking in the profession and a great deal of negativity
exists with regard to ISO 9000 certification.
2.2.4 Assessment of Architectural Design Quality
Quality is identified through design criteria in a dialogue-based assessment of architecture and

urban design projects. The assumption is that the judgment and evaluation of entries in
competitions are strongly connected to the leading values, norms, regulations, organizations and
traditions in Scandinavia. When quality is contextually bound, the assessment becomes a question
of how the solutions fit the specific plot. These issues in a competition process cause uncertainties
and discrepancies in judging and selection. However, while the main role of jury members is to
agree upon the most appropriate solutions, they finally succeed in designating the best entry
through their cumulated tacit knowledge and well-trained eyes (Rönn, 2011, p. 100).
Rönn (2011) conducted a comprehensive study of architectural competitions in the Nordic

countries (1999- 2000). The vital content of the research is derived from a series of meticulously
conducted interviews with key actors including 18 highly qualified and experienced experts from
the jury members representing clients, architectural associations and competitors. The study refers
to quality as a key-concept and a main source of conceiving, judging and selecting a prize winner.
Result of the study indicates that it is possible to articulate how architectural quality issues are met
by jury members; how they are being communicated; and how a winner is nominated and that
Competence and Consensus are therefore two essential factors that make jury members feel
confident in their final choice of a winner.
The design process is complex due to its content, context, stakeholders, ill-defined problems, and
moreover their multifaceted interactions. Furthermore, each design process has special
characteristics which are not easily standardized. Gann et al. (2003) stated the difficulty of
quantifying the quality of architectural design since it consists of both tangible and intangible facts
and objective-subjective components.
Cravens’ et al. (1985) research was carried out at about the time that Parasuraman, Zeithaml and
Berry (PZB) were carrying out their original conceptual work and indeed, Cravens et al. (1985) do
make reference to PZB in their paper. The study sought to evaluate the quality of architectural
services and sampled 80 building developers in a large metropolitan area of the United States. Pre-
test interviews identified 21 items and although attempts were made to identify other items during
the main interviews, no further items were found. A "reasonably close correspondence was found
between service specific criteria and the ten generic quality dimensions developed by PZB."
(Cravens et al., 1985, p. 297). The research went on to rank the 21 Architectural Quality
Assessment Criteria, Cravens et al. (1985) in order of importance to clients as: 1) Responsiveness
with average ranking of 9.2; 2) Competent Staff, 9.2; 3) Experience with projects like mine, 9.1:
4) Meets deadlines, 9.1; 5) Working relationship, 9.0; 6) Understands my needs, 9.0; 7) Quality of
design documents, 8.8; 8) Stays within budget, 8.7; 9) Design creativity / capabilities, 8.4; 10)
Ongoing participation of principals, 8.1; 11) Economic feasibility know-how, 7.6; 12) Engineering
know-how, 7.4; 13) Personal references, 7.2; 14) Construction supervision, 6.9; 15) Used architect
before, 6.8; 16) Competitive fees, 6.7; 17) Proximity of architect to project, 6.7; 18) Presentations
by architects, 6.6; 19) Post construction follow up, 6.2; 20) National prestige of firm, 5.5: 21) Full
range of services, 5.3
2.2.5 Factors Influencing Architectural Quality
Arge (1995), extracted conclusions made from a researched conducted by Norwegian Building
Research Institute (NBI) regarding Architectural quality on ten building projects – five rated as
‘Good’ and five as ‘Bad’ selected by five Architectural Practices in Norway who are taking part
in a larger quality introduction project. The study shows that the quality of the client, and direct-
communication between the architect and the client/user of the building is a crucial factor in quality
management and also indicated that if architectural practices want to secure high quality
architecture, they might have to consider limiting the commissions they undertake. The study
confirmed that:
- A qualified client is instrumental in securing good architecture
- A good client has high-quality goals for their projects
- A good client communicates directly with the architect or through a qualified project
manager
- The architects were the leaders of the design-team in most of the good project-cases
- Good architecture depends on enough time and budget in the design process
- Professional development in the architectural firms depend on the projects
The study based its conclusions on the rating of the five architectural practices on the factors
influencing architectural quality. These are A) External Factors: Project organization and
management; Contract; Time; Fee; Project brief; Planning authorities; Client; Users;
Consultants; Builder and B) Internal Factors: Architectural goals; Internal project organization;
Internal project management; Project assistants; Design methods; CAD; Working conditions;
Office manager; Work plan and management; and Budget plan and management.
Hoxely (1998), in his study indicated that in is less than fifteen years since the associations
representing construction professionals in the UK surrendered to Government pressure, and
abolished mandatory fee scales, predicting as they did so that abolition would inevitably lead to a
decline in the standard of service provided to clients. The study indicated that competitive fee
tendering was the principal route for the appointment of construction professionals in the UK and
during the recession, the fee levels fell to unprecedented low levels.
The hypotheses of Hoxely’s (1998) study have been tested by computing SERVQUAL and the
result indicated that the main hypothesis that clients' perceptions of service quality for fee tendered
appointment are lower has not been supported by the data. Similarly, the hypotheses that service
quality is lower when the fee bid is more competitive and higher when the service has been well
specified, have also not been supported by the data. However, the hypotheses that service quality
is higher when care has been taken with the pre-selection of tenderers and when adequate
weighting has been given to ability in the final selection process, are both supported by the analysis
of the data. Investigation of the impact of the variables represented by each hypothesis, upon the
components of service quality identified by the factor analysis, revealed the interesting finding that
"what" is provided in the service does vary with the method used to appoint the consultant.
2.3 Conceptual Framework
The quality of architectural services in Ethiopia is influenced by a variety of design and other
factors such as: continuing professional development; professional integrity; education, training
and capacity; service quality standard; programmatic requirements; service fee (compensation);
time allotted for design development and documentation; information, communication and
technology; role of a think-tank of architectural practice, regulatory requirements and external
influences. These factors having either a positive or negative impact on the quality of architectural
service delivery are the variables of the study. These factors are grouped into four based on the
area of influence as: 1) Factors within the individual architect’s sphere of influence; 2) Factors
within architectural practices/firms and other institutes sphere of influence; 3) Factors within
architectural community such as Association of Ethiopian Architects (AEA), and other think
thanks of architectural practice’s sphere of influence and 4) Nationwide factors within the reach
of influence of Government Planning and Regulatory bodies and External Influences. The
conceptual framework of the study is illustrated in Figure 1 below.
Chapter Three – Research Design and Methods
3.1 Research Design
As it was difficult to find literature that identified factors that influence the quality of architectural
service delivery in the Ethiopian, this research, as its first objective, adopted the exploratory
research design to identify the potential factors.
Then the research adopted the descriptive research design to assess the influence of factors on the
quality of architectural service delivery. Descriptive survey research design helped the research in
gathering both qualitative and quantitative data on how the study variables influence the quality of
architectural service delivery in Ethiopia. This research design also portrayed the perception of the
population about the problem and it also enabled the researcher to establish the link between study
variables and study problem.
3.2 Research Approach
The research adopted an inductive approach as it started with research questions and collection of
empirical data and arrived at a conclusion that there are quality factors in architectural service
delivery in Ethiopia that have a potential for influence. The research starts from general theory of
the problem and conclude with identifying and ranking the quality factors in architectural service
3.3 Population of the Study
3.3.1 Target Population
According to records of the Ministry of Construction of Ethiopia, currently there are 473 registered
Practicing Professional Architects (PPAR) practicing architecture both in the capital Addis and in
the regions. This research focuses on the perspectives of these practicing professional architects
(respondents) as they are believed to have various wealth of experience in the practice and
knowledge on the quality factors identified to be present in the architectural practice in Ethiopia.
3.3.2 Sampling Technique
In view of arriving at a more accurate conclusion of the assessment, the study conducted an opinion
survey (census) of all Practicing Professional Architects (PPARs) currently registered at the
Ministry of Construction of Ethiopia. A list 473 PPARs was obtained from the Ministry. However,
the list was incomplete as it didn’t have all the contact addresses of the PPARs required to send
questionnaires for data collection. Another contact list from the Association of Ethiopian
Architects (AEA) was used to identify some of the missing addresses of the PPARs on the Ministry
list. Overlapping the two lists, contact addresses of 328 PPARs were identified and questionnaires
were sent to all of the 328.
3.4 Data Collection Tool
Structured Questionnaire was developed and used for data collection from the respondents. The
factors identified from the workshop organized formed the basis of survey questions. The draft
questionnaire was reviewed by some of the practitioners who attended the workshop and by the
advisor. The questionnaire was then refined by incorporated the comments provided. Upon
approval, the tool was used for data collection.
3.5 Variables of the Study
The variables of this study are the quality factors which have been identified by NGT workshop,
which are: continuing professional development; professional integrity; education, training and
capacity; service quality standard; programmatic requirements; service fee (compensation); time
allotted for design development and documentation; information, communication and technology;
role of a think-tank of architectural practice, regulatory requirements and external influences.
3.6 Data Analysis Techniques
To ensure that quantitative data collected from the questionnaire is entered correctly, scores of
‘Strongly Agree’, ‘Agree’, ‘Neutral’, ‘Disagree’ or ‘Strongly Disagree’, with grading of 5,4,3,2,1
respectively, and percent distribution were constructed using Statistical Package for Social
Sciences (SPSS). Data collected were analyzed to get statistical measures such as means and
standard deviations for easy interpretation of the study findings.
Content analysis was used to analyze data from open ended questions by presenting these data in
themes as per the research objectives, Franzosi, (2008). This was done through inductive content
analysis which involved open coding, creating categories (clustering) and abstraction (Hsieh &
Shannon, 2005).
To establish the rank of each of the study’s factors with respect to their presence in architectural
service delivery in Ethiopia, the study made use of average mean and average standard deviation.
3.7 Validity and Reliability
Key indicators of the quality of a measuring instrument are the validity and reliability of the
measures. Validity is the extent to which the interpretations of the results of a test are warranted,
which depends on the particular use the test is intended to serve (Kimberline & Winterstein, 2008).
Content validity. This type of validity addresses how well the items developed to operationalize a
construct provide an adequate and representative sample of all the items that might measure the
construct of interest. Because there is no statistical test to determine whether a measure adequately
covers a content area or adequately represents a construct, content validity usually depends on the
judgment of experts in the field (Kimberline & Winterstein, 2008). This research adapted content
validity which is examined through qualitative approach. Qualitative content validity is determined
using the experts’ opinion as recommended by (Drost, 2011). Accordingly, the contents used in
developing the questionnaire were obtained from the expert’s workshop organized to identify
factors. The questionnaire then was peer-reviewed by fellow practicing professional architects
who provided constructive comments for correction. Then the advisor performed qualitative
examination of the questionnaire for grammar, wording, relevance of questions to form opinion
about the influence of the factors on the quality of architectural service delivery and proper scaling
and then provide feedback for corrections or approve it for use.
Reliability According to classical test theory, any score obtained by a measuring instrument (the
observed score) is composed of both the “true” score, which is unknown, and “error” in the
measurement process (Crocker & Algina, 1986). The true score is essentially the score that a
person would have received if the measurement were perfectly accurate. The process of developing
and validating an instrument is in large part focused on reducing error in the measurement process
(Kimberline & Winterstein, 2008).
Reliability estimates are used to evaluate 1) the stability of measures administered at different
times to the same individuals or using the same standard (test–retest reliability), or 2) the
equivalence of sets of items from the same test (internal consistency) or of different observers
scoring a behavior or event using the same instrument (interrater reliability). Reliability
coefficients range from 0.00 to 1.00, with higher coefficients indicating higher levels of reliability.
Coefficient Alpha or (Cronbach's Alpha) method is one of the most widely used methods for
measuring reliability. Cornbach's Alpha is preferable to the split-half procedure because it supports
correlation for all possible ways of dividing the measure into two halves (Polit and Hungler, 1978).
As shown in Table 3.1, the reliability coefficient of the scale was established by Cronbach's Alpha
using SPSS package, which reflected Alfa coefficient to be in the range from 0.584 to 0.929. This
is considerably higher than the modest reliability in the range 0.50 - 0.60 as cited by Akintoye and
Fitzgerald (1999). Though there are 11 main factors, service fee (compensation) was removed
from the list on Table 3.1 as it had only one sub-item. The result as shown in Table 3.1 ensures
that the questionnaire is reliable.
3.8 Ethical Considerations
The data collection tool (questionnaire) has incorporated a section that ensured the respondents
that the main purpose of it is to collect data for purely academic purposes. Due considerations were
also given to acknowledge the respondents’ contribution to the research in taking their time and
provide useful information.
Table 3.1: Reliability Cronbach's Alpha

Cronbach's Alpha
Main Factors
Severity Number of items
1. Continuing professional development .777 3
2. Professional integrity .922 5
3. Education, training and capacity .894 2
4. Service quality standard .917 5
5. Programmatic requirements .886 2

6. Time allotted for design development .584 3
& documentation
7. Information, communication and .733 4
technology
8. Role of A think-tank of architectural .929 5
practice
9. Regulatory requirements .927 6
10. External influences .842 7

Total .841 42
Chapter Four – Data Presentation, Analysis, and Interpretation
4.1 Introduction
This chapter deals with the analysis of data. Specifically, the data analysis is in line with specific
objectives which are investigated, interpreted and implications drawn on them. This chapter
represents the empirical findings and results of the application of the variables using descriptive,
quantitative and qualitative research design.
The study targeted a population of 473 Practicing Professional Architects (PPARs) registered by
the Ministry of Construction of Ethiopia. Though the names and license numbers of all the 473
PPARs were obtained from the Ministry, the list was incomplete in terms of providing addresses
making it difficult to make contact for data collection. Therefore, the list obtained from the
Association of Ethiopian Architects (AEA) was used in order to identify the addresses of the
PPARs whose addresses were missed from the Ministry’s list. Accordingly, 328 PPARs with
addresses were identified. Out of the 328 PPARs on the combined list, 84 PPARs were not
accessible due to old/incorrect addresses provided. Therefore, questionnaire was sent to all the rest,
244 PPARs on the list with the aim of acquiring responses from all of the available PPARs.
However, out of the 244 available PPARs, only 68 filled in and returned the questionnaire making
a response rate of 27.9%. This response rate is satisfactory to make conclusion for the study as it
acted as a representative opinion of the target group.
4.2 Demographic Information of Respondents
Respondents were requested to indicate their gender category. This was sought in view of
ensuring gender equity amongst the respondents. Results are as presented in Table 4.1.
Results obtained showed that, majority of the respondent were males (86.6%). This shows
unbalanced distribution of the gender signifying that the outcome of the study is dominated by
opinions of male PPARs.
Table 4.1: Distribution of respondents based on their Gender category

Gender Frequency Percentage
Female 10 14.7%
Male 58 85.3%
Total 68 100%
Source: Own Survey, 2018
The level of education is perceived to influence individual’s perception on different issues. In view
of gauging the respondents’ understanding and opinion regarding the factors that influence the
architectural service delivery in Ethiopia, respondents were requested to indicate the highest level
of education attained. Results are presented in Table 4.2
Table 4.2: Distribution of respondents based on their Educational Qualifications

Maximum level of education Frequency Percentage
Bachelors 33 48.5%
Masters 31 45.6%
PhD (including a candidate) 4 5.9%
Total 68 100%
Results on respondents’ max. level of education showed both Bachelors and Master’s degree
holders have dominated the study with 48.5% and 45.6% respectively. Overall, the study
confirmed the assumption that all the respondents were literate which implies that there were in a
position to comprehend the subject under investigation and respond appropriately and expressively.
Respondents were requested their years of experience in architectural practice/service delivery.

Results obtained showed that majority of the respondents (92.6%) had 11 and years above relevant
experience in the trade which implies that they were in a position to provide credible information
about the factors influencing architectural service delivery based on their hands on experience in
the area.
Respondents were also requested to indicate the type of firm their work in. Results obtained
showed that respondents were from different cross-section of the practice working with in:
Consulting Architects and Engineers (CAE), Consulting Architects (CA); Contractors; Real Estate
Developers; Government Planning Institute; Government Regulatory Institutes; Government
Ministries, Government Enterprises; Higher Academic Institutes; Manufacturing Industries;
Freelances and Practicing Professional Architects practicing abroad. The results obtained implies
that the respondents are on the forefront of architectural service delivery which qualifies them to
provide credible opinion about the quality of the architectural service delivery and about the factors
that influence it. The diversity of the respondent’s practices also ensures that the opinions collected
reflect the understanding of the subject matter from different vantage points which provide a more
holistic approach in addressing the factors influencing the quality of architectural service delivery
in Ethiopia.
4.3 Analysis of Responses to Establish a Premise regarding the Presence of Quality

Factors in the Architectural Practice/Service Delivery in Ethiopia
4.3.1 Quality Factors in Architectural Service Delivery, in Building Construction Projects

and in Built Environment of Ethiopia
Before going directly into the analysis of the identified quality factors, the research starts with
establishing a premise amongst the practitioners on the presence of quality problems in the
architectural service delivery; in the building construction projects; and on the built environment
in Ethiopia. It also checks the practitioners’ views on the cascading effect of the quality of one on
the other.
This sub section of the study sought to establish perception of the practitioners (PPARs) regarding
the quality of built environment in Ethiopia, therefore respondents were requested to rate the
overall quality of Ethiopian built environment. Results are as presented in Table 4.3
Table 4.3: Quality of the Built Environment (buildings and infrastructure) in Ethiopia
Mean Standard
Opinion Frequency Percentage
Deviation
Extremely good 0 0.0%
Good 4 5.9%
Average 25 36.8%
Poor 34 50.0%
Extremely poor 5 7.3%
Total 68 100% 2.41 0.717
Results obtained from practitioners rating of the overall quality of the built environment in
Ethiopia, showed majority of the respondents (57.3%) rated that the quality as ‘poor’ and
‘extremely poor’ as shown be a mean of 2.41 implying that the quality factors need to be identified
and measures be put in place for its improvements.
Respondents were requested to suggest measures that can be adopted to improve the built
environment in Ethiopia if they feel it should. The respondents suggested improvement of
regulatory system to ensure strict compliance; revision of master and local development plans with
focus on integrated land use and development of sufficient public spaces with due consideration
of the urban fabric and local context; increased investment on infrastructure projects; enforcement
and promotion of use of qualified professionals, materials, methods of work in the construction
industry; strict quality assurance and control mechanisms; improvement of quality of education in
the industry (including accreditation of architectural/engineering schools to international standards
etc); creation of awareness of the general public; and focus on continuous capacity building of the
professionals.
The respondents also suggested the improvement and maintenance of the registration and licensing
of architects/engineers to align with international standards; instate and enforce integrity and
accountability of professionals; encourage merit based competitions; and focus on balancing the
time provided for design and documentation with the construction/implementation of projects.
The study also sought to establish perception of the practitioners (PPARs) regarding the quality of
architectural service delivery in Ethiopia, accordingly respondents were requested to rate the
overall quality of architectural service delivery in Ethiopia. Results are as presented in Table 4.4
Table 4.4: Quality of Architectural Service Delivery in Ethiopia

Mean Standard
Deviation
Extremely good 0 0.0%
Good 3 4.4%
Average 33 48.5%
Poor 26 38.2%
Extremely poor 6 8.8%
Total 68 100% 2.49 0.723
Results obtained from practitioners rating of the overall quality of the architectural service delivery
in Ethiopia, showed that majority of the respondents (48.5%) rated it as ‘average’ and 47% rated
as ‘poor’ and ‘extremely poor’ as shown by a mean of 2.49 implying that there is a room for
improvements.
Respondents were requested to suggest measures that can be adopted to improve the architectural
service delivery in Ethiopia if they feel it should. The respondents suggested that: existing
regulations to incorporate quality requirements for architectural practices and professionals;
autonomy and leadership role be provided to architects to make unbiased professional decisions;
project permit process to include jury evaluation and design checking by a third party consultant
for approval; instatement of mandatory training program for certification/licensing including
assessment of the technical and managerial capacity of architectural practices; graduate architects
working min of 2 years under registered senior architect before being registered & licensed;
promotion of open architectural competition for significant projects; awareness creation for
architects of their unique role/impact they create on the built environment; creation of forum where
stakeholders share information; work on min standard time for design development and
documentation.
The respondents further suggested establishment of service fee scale and min. standard service fee;
awareness creation regarding professional ethics and establishment system of accountability for
architects; and encouragement of architects’ continuous professional development and knowledge
on local and international, building codes, standards and technical advancements for design
professionals.
The study then sought to establish perception of the practitioners (PPARs), regarding the influence
of the existence of quality factors in architectural service delivery on the quality of building
construction projects in Ethiopia and ultimately on the quality of the built environment of the
country. Therefore, respondents were requested to provide their opinion regarding the cascading
effect of presence or lack of quality of architectural service delivery on the quality of building
construction projects and then on the quality of the built environment. Results are as presented in
Table 4.5
Table 4.5: Presence of Influences of Quality Factors in Architectural Service Delivery on the
Quality of Building Construction Projects and ultimately on the Quality of the Built
Environment in Ethiopia
Mean Standard
Deviation
Strongly agree (5) 49 79.0%
Agree (4) 13 16.8%
Neutral (3) 3 2.9%
Disagree (2) 1 0.6%
Strongly disagree (1) 2 0.6%
Total 68 100% 4.56 0.887
Results obtained from practicing professional architects’ rating of the overall quality of the
architectural service delivery in Ethiopia, showed that majority of the respondents (95.8%)
‘strongly agreed’ and ‘agreed’ that the quality of architectural service delivery has a cascading
influence on the quality of building construction projects and then ultimately on the quality of the
built environment in Ethiopia as shown by a mean of 4.56.
In addition, the respondents indicated that the quality of building construction projects and the
built environment in Ethiopia is influenced by factors other than design quality factors such as
government’s decision makers; quality of construction; academic institutions; finance; working
environments influence and workmanship quality; plot size threshold etc.
The factors identified in the workshop conducted as part of this research were broadly grouped
into four categories based on the sphere of influence. These are: 1) Factors within the individual
architect’s sphere of influence; 2) Factors within architectural practices/firms and other institutes
sphere of influence; 3) Factors within architectural community such as Association of Ethiopian
Architects (AEA), and other think thanks of architectural practice’s sphere of influence and 4)
Nationwide factors within the reach of influence of Government Planning and Regulatory bodies
and External Influences.
4.3.2 Factors within the individual Architect’s sphere of influence:
4.3.2.1 Presence of Influences of Continuing Professional Development in Architectural

Service Delivery in Ethiopia
Respondents were requested to what extent they agree to the statements on the presence of quality
factors related to continuing professional development in architectural service delivery in Ethiopia.
Results are as presented in Table 4.6
Results obtained on the quality factors related to Continuing Professional Development showed
that majority of the respondent agree that level of design and managerial competency of practicing
architects; commitment of architects to upgrade themselves/acquire new skills and latest
technology in design and construction; and architects level of communication skills to fully
understand client's requirements and clearly express own ideas are indeed present in architectural
service delivery in Ethiopia as shown by mean of 4.38, 4.37 and 4.00 respectively
Table 4.6: Presence of Influences of Continuing Professional Development in Architectural

Strongly disagree
Strongly agree
Std. Deviation
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Mean
Statement
(2)
(5)
(4)
(3)
(1)
- commitment of architects to
upgrade themselves/acquire new
skills and latest technology in
design and construction 65.7 % 26.9 % 6.1 % 0.7 % 0.7 % 4.37 0.929
- architects level of
communication skills to fully
understand client's requirements
and clearly express own ideas 46.0 % 38.2 % 12.1 % 2.9 % 0.7 % 4.00 1.022
- level of design and managerial
competency of practicing
architects 62.1 % 32.2 % 4.0 % 1.3 % 0.3 % 4.38 0.847
Average 4.25 0.933
Respondents were requested to suggest measures that can be adopted to improve Continuing
Professional Development. The respondents suggested constant reading, relevant travel,
professional exchange forums and discussions, site visits to enhance constant learning of the
professionals; short refresher courses (in collaboration with AEA and major construction material
manufacturers/suppliers) which can also be made mandatory requirement for renewal and
upgrading of licenses; incentivize professionals to seek continuing professional development (ex.
min. points to be accumulated annually to renew/upgrade licenses); to instate the system of
qualification exam for PPAR licenses; instatement of continuing education programs in
collaboration with AEA, EiABC (and other Schools of Architectures) and industry partners
(manufacturers and suppliers); instatement of system of award & recognition and public disclosure
for exemplary works; and instatement of further specialization for participation in large/complex
project that require high level expertise.
4.3.2.2 Presence of Influences of Professional Integrity in Architectural Service Delivery in

Ethiopia
factors related to Professional Integrity in architectural service delivery in Ethiopia. Results are as
presented in Table 4.7
Results obtained on individual quality factors related to Professional Integrity showed that
majority of the respondent agreed that integrity to maintain professional ethics in carrying out
professional duties; consciousness/attitude to serve clients with utmost diligence; commitment to
provide original service and strictly comply with Intellectual Property and Copyright regulations;
accountability / liability for failures due to errors, omissions and decisions of professional service;
and autonomy of architects to provide objective / uncompromised professional judgement and
expert advice over any other motive thoughtfully considering the social and environmental impact
of their professional activities are indeed present in architectural service delivery in Ethiopia as
shown by means of 4.57, 4.43, 4.41, 4.35 and 4.34 respectively.
Respondents were requested to suggest measures that can be adopted to improve Professional
Integrity. The practitioners suggested that architectural education institutions to incorporate
professional ethics and integrity (value systems) into their curricula and promote its significance
for the industry; AEA to work with the Ministry to create awareness on the legal and moral issues
of copyright and monitor professional integrity in architectural service delivery including setting
up systems to educate, exchange information, reward and/or make practitioners accountable; create
a transparent system whereby information on ongoing projects is disclosed if there are any
unethical actions; introduce/enforce rationally well formulated policy for the registration of
architects (AEA Policy for the Registration of Architects which was ratified at the 15th AEA
Convention - 3.4 Moral Character); conduct a nationwide campaign regarding professional
integrity; create a system whereby employer’s influence due to bias is significantly kept to
Table 4.7: Presence of Influences of Professional Integrity in Architectural Service Delivery in

Ethiopia
Strongly disagree
Strongly agree
Std. Deviation
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Mean
Statement
(2)
(5)
(4)
(3)
(1)
- consciousness/attitude to serve
clients with utmost diligence 64.8% 29.2% 4.0% 2.0% 0.0% 4.43 0.798
- integrity to maintain
professional ethics in carrying
out professional duties 82.0% 12.0% 3.9% 0.6% 0.6% 4.57 0.903
- commitment to provide original
service and strictly comply with
Intellectual Property and
Copyright regulations 70.0% 24.0% 4.0% 1.3% 0.7% 4.41 0.950
- accountability/liability for
failures due to errors, omissions
and decisions of professional
service 65.9% 28.4% 3.0% 2.0% 0.7% 4.35 0.974
- autonomy of architects to
provide objective /
uncompromised professional
judgement and expert advice
over any other motive
thoughtfully considering the
social and environmental
impact of their professional
activities 62.7% 31.2% 4.1% 1.4% 0.7% 4.34 0.940
Average 4.42 0.913
minimum; regulation of service fee to ensure fairness; and develop/improve standard codes of
conduct and strictly enforce it.
4.3.3 Factors within the sphere of influence of Architectural Practices and other institutes
4.3.3.1 Presence of Influences of Education, Training and Capacity in Architectural

factors related to Education, Training and Capacity in architectural service delivery in Ethiopia.
Results are as presented in Table 4.8
Results obtained on the institutional quality factors related to Education, Training and Capacity
showed that majority of the respondent agreed that quality/standard/philosophy of architectural
education in assuring the public that the architect has met acceptable standards enabling proper
performance of those services and professional career development program are indeed present in
architectural service delivery as shown by a mean of 4.50 and 4.34 respectively.
Respondents were requested to suggest measures that can be adopted to improve Education,
Training and Capacity. The practitioners suggested that new schools of architecture be equipped
with qualified professionals with experience and required facilities including special departments
with lessons learned from international best practices; instate mechanism to measure and maintain
quality of architectural educational institutions and students; instate architectural license
examination with focus on meeting minimum quality standards, codes on public safety,
accessibility and sustainability issues as part of licensing process; create a mechanism whereby
professional communities (such as AEA) review architectural education and training curricula;
develop a system of professional discussions/critics on significant ongoing projects; graduate
architects to go through internship development program under strict supervision of senior AEA
registered architects to meet continuous assessment criteria of on-the-job training, get registered
and be provided with the title ‘Architects’; architectural universities to encourage students do
research as well as excel in technical aspects of the profession; architectural education curricula to
Table 4.8: Presence of Influences of Education, Training and Capacity on the Quality of
Architectural Service Delivery in Ethiopia
Strongly disagree
Strongly agree
Std. Deviation
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Mean
Statement
(2)
(5)
(4)
(3)
(1)
- quality/standard/philosophy of
architectural education in
assuring the public that the
architect has met acceptable
standards enabling proper
performance of those services 71.9% 23.5% 2.9% 1.3% 0.3% 4.50 0.838
- professional career
development program 61.0% 32.5% 4.1% 2.0% 0.3% 4.34 0.891
Average 4.42 0.865
involve more field work and practical approach to the design and construction methods; certain
professional development courses be made mandatory for renewal or upgrading of licenses; AEA
membership to have privileges such as continuing professional development courses/sessions.
The practitioners further suggested that architectural universities be located in highly urbanized
areas where educators can also easily be practicing; emphasis be given to ‘Architectural Practice’
course as it is vital to address practical issues in the academic discourse; philosophy of architectural
education and the curriculum to give due emphasis to the local (national) context; and creation of
integrated approach in order to have a smooth interaction among the different stakeholders in the
industry such as educational institutions, line ministries and professional associations, individuals
and civil societies, practicing architects and consulting firms etc.
4.3.3.2 Presence of Influences of Service Quality Standard in Architectural Service Delivery

in Ethiopia
factors related to Service Quality Standard in architectural service delivery in Ethiopia. Results are
as presented in Table 4.9
Results obtained on the institutional quality factors related to Service Quality Standards showed
that majority of the respondent agreed that the presence of mechanism for measuring quality of
architectural service provision; presence of quality assurance (QA) & quality control (QC) systems;
use of standard systems/norms for design/construction service processes; commitment / selfless
dedication of architects to provide high level of service to their clients and society beyond just
meeting statutory requirements; and presence of design review culture are indeed present in
architectural service delivery in Ethiopia as shown by a mean of 4.31, 4.26, 4.25, 4.25 and 4.24
respectively.
Respondents were requested to suggest measures that can be adopted to improve Service Quality
Standard with the ultimate aim of improving architectural service delivery. The practitioners
suggested that standards have to be researched and framed within the legal ‘standards authority’
structure and should be easily accessible for practices and professionals; develop the culture of
having a mockup as required to ensure design intent is attained; set minimum duration for studying
each design task in depth and use checklists to check the fulfillment of important design parameters;
government to instate institution to provide accreditation services; adoption of constructability
review and a system to perform inspections on different stages of construction and enforce stricter
regulations on quality of materials and workmanship; a system to ensure the involvement of other
relevant disciplines from the start of design process for consistency and comprehensive project
design; creation and accessibility of a resource pool of relevant codes, standards and regulatory
documents; promotion of culture of discussing, debating, and profession critics on a regular basis.
Table 4.9: Presence of Influences of Service Quality Standard in Architectural Service Delivery in
Ethiopia
Strongly disagree
Strongly agree
Std. Deviation
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Mean
Statement
(2)
(5)
(4)
(3)
(1)
- use of standard systems/norms for
design/construction service
processes 64.0% 22.1% 11.4% 2.1% 0.3% 4.25 0.983
- commitment/selfless dedication of
architects to provide high level of
service to their clients and society
beyond just meeting statutory
requirements 69.2% 18.0% 10.4% 1.4% 1.0% 4.25 1.098
- presence of design review culture 53.8% 36.1% 7.3% 2.8% 0.0% 4.24 0.866
- presence of mechanism for
measuring quality of architectural
service provision 68.3% 21.8% 6.1% 3.4% 0.3% 4.31 1.011
- presence of quality assurance
(QA) & quality control (QC)
systems 69.0% 19.3% 7.2% 4.1% 0.3% 4.26 1.060
Average 4.26 1.004
The practitioners also suggested a fair and healthy competition among service providers be
instituted; a comprehensive supervision of services be done by consultants/professionals with the
right education, experience and skill sets and ethics; regulatory bodies (project
reviewers/approvers) to have a higher level of competence to provide critical/constructive review;
and the involvement of related government offices and professional associations in standard
documents preparation and endorsement.
4.3.3.3 Presence of Influences of Programmatic Requirements in Architectural Service

Delivery in Ethiopia
factors related to Programmatic Requirements in architectural service delivery in Ethiopia. Results
are as presented in Table 4.10
Table 4.10: Presence of Influences of Programmatic Requirements in Architectural Service

Strongly disagree
Strongly agree
Std. Deviation
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Mean
Statement
(5)
(4)
(3)
(2)
(1)
- availability or lack of proper
design programming 46.8% 31.5% 15.7% 6.0% 0.0% 3.93 1.027
- clarity of the clients (design) brief 47.0% 30.1% 16.9% 6.0% 0.0% 3.91 1.033
Average 3.92 1.030
Results obtained on the institutional quality factors related to Programmatic Requirements showed
majority of the respondent agreed that availability or lack of proper design programming; and
clarity of the clients (design) brief are indeed present in architectural service delivery in Ethiopia
as shown by a mean of 3.93, and 3.91 respectively.
Respondents were requested to suggest measures that can be adopted to improve Programmatic
Requirements with the ultimate aim of improving architectural service delivery. The practitioners
suggested practices/professionals to develop client brief or design program collection checklists;
clients to get business plans developed for projects, which determines the project budget/cost limit
and ensures the source of fund for the project; a standard instated where by clients disclose project
budget and designers to ensure projects designed with in the budget limits; inclusion of preparation
of programmatic requirements in architectural education curriculum to minimize redesign work in
the future; design programing to be well understood and be done professionally with properly
allocated time and remuneration.
4.3.3.4 Presence of Influences of Service Fee (Compensation) in Architectural Service

factors related to Service Fee (Compensation) in architectural service delivery in Ethiopia. Results
Table 4.11: Presence of Influences of Service Fee (Compensation) on the Quality of Architectural
Strongly disagree
Strongly agree
Std. Deviation
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Mean
Statement
(5)
(4)
(3)
(2)
(1)
- level/amount of fee for
professional services 79.3% 15.5% 3.9% 0.6% 0.6% 4.54 0.905
Average 4.54 0.905
Results obtained on the institutional quality factors related to Service Fee (Compensation) showed
majority of the respondent agreed that the level/amount of fee for professional services are indeed
present in architectural service delivery in Ethiopia as shown by a mean of 4.54.
Respondents were requested to suggest measures that can be adopted to improve Service Fee
(Compensation) with the ultimate aim of improving architectural service delivery. The
practitioners suggested that architectural practices, AEA and the Ministry should create awareness
amongst the client/society on the direct relationship of service fees with quality of architectural
services: government/AEA to intervene and regulate professional service fees standards or instate
fee scale; encourage merit/quality based competitions than fee competitions; determine a standard
percentage of consultancy fee based on project trade cost (6-15%); to develop comparative analysis
of design output to its stage; conduct research to develop a fee standard; and enforce the service
fee scale proposed by AEA.
4.3.3.5 Presence of Influences of Time allotted for Design Development and Documentation
on the Quality of Architectural Service Delivery in Ethiopia
factors related to Time allotted for Design Development and Documentation in architectural
service delivery in Ethiopia. Results are as presented in Table 4.12
Results obtained on the institutional quality factors related to Time allotted for Design
Development and Documentation showed majority of the respondent agreed that time allotted for
design development and documentation; clients interest to expedite the design/construction
process; and delays in getting clients’ feedbacks and approvals are indeed present in architectural
service delivery in Ethiopia as shown by a mean of 4.43, 4.12 and 3.56.
Respondents were requested to suggest measures that can be adopted to improve Time allotted for
Design Development and Documentation with the ultimate aim of improving architectural service
delivery. The practitioners suggested that professionals, architectural practices & associations to
create awareness about the need for sufficient design time to clients, government decision makers
and the public using media, workshops, article etc.; revise regulatory process durations that affect
design time like policies, governmental provisions of landholding, lease, construction regulations;
develop project management skills to set up realistic schedules and manage the time and other
resources; use of computer based project scheduling; develop standard for estimating time required
for design development and documentation; emphasis on time allowed for design development
compared to construction as key decisions are made in design stage; keep records of previous
projects timelines as lessons learned to estimate time future projects.
Table 4.12: Presence of Influences of Time allotted for Design Development and Documentation
in Architectural Service Delivery in Ethiopia
Strongly disagree
Strongly agree
Std. Deviation
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Mean
Statement
(2)
(5)
(4)
(3)
(1)
- time allotted for design
development and
documentation 68.1% 22.6% 8.0% 1.3% 0.0% 4.43 0.816
- clients interest to
expedite the
design/construction
process 50.0% 37.1% 9.6% 2.9% 0.4% 4.12 0.955
- delays in getting clients’
feedbacks and approvals 18.6% 46.3% 28.5% 6.6% 0.0% 3.56 0.870
Average 4.04 0.880
4.3.3.6 Presence of Influences of Information, Communication and Technology in

factors related to Information, Communication and Technology in architectural service delivery in
Ethiopia. Results are as presented in Table 4.13
Results obtained on the institutional quality factors related to Information, Communication and
Technology showed that majority of the respondent agreed that immature culture in conducting
research; presence of standard communication protocol; limited access to information and
communication in the country; and use of latest technology in architectural service provision are
Table 4.13: Presence of Influence of Information, Communication and Technology on the Quality
of Architectural Service Delivery in Ethiopia
Strongly disagree
Strongly agree
Std. Deviation
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Mean
Statement
(2)
(5)
(4)
(3)
(1)
- use of latest technology in
architectural service provision 30.2% 43.5% 19.4% 5.6% 1.2% 3.65 1.076
- limited access to information and
communication in the country 34.5% 42.9% 18.4% 3.8% 0.4% 3.84 0.956
- presence of standard communication
protocol 30.1% 52.6% 15.8% 0.8% 0.8% 3.91 0.876
- immature culture in conducting
research 61.6% 30.1% 7.2% 0.0% 1.0% 4.29 0.978
Average 3.92 0.972
indeed present in architectural service delivery in Ethiopia as shown by a mean of 4.29, 3.91, 3.84
and 3.65 respectively.
Respondents were requested to suggest measures that can be adopted to improve Information,
Communication and Technology with the ultimate aim of improving architectural service delivery.
The practitioners suggested that: information related to regulations and directives should be clearly
indicated and information distributed wholly and fairly and made easily accessible (e.g. online);
architectural practices to establish proper documentation and communication protocols; creation
of local (smaller) chapters of AEA to facilitate communication amongst professionals; government
to support/subsidies access to technology for architects and other professionals; government shall
provide financial access for international trading in consulting firms to import latest technological
innovations which includes design software, computers and IT equipment capable of running
sophisticated projects, and machineries for soil testing, surveying, and model making; conducting
research on latest available and affordable technology relevant to enhance quality of architectural
service delivery; a forum for discussion and communication of new ideas, findings, researches,
etc..
The practitioners further suggested the provision of short courses and trainings by universities to
facilitate the use of latest technology in architectural service provision; introduction of the concept
and practice of working on a Building Information Modelling (BIM) platform; and awareness
creation amongst professional on the advantages and uses of latest technologies in the industry.
4.3.4 Factors in the sphere of influence of Architectural Community:
4.3.4.1 Presence of Influence of the role of A think-tank of Architectural Practice in

factors related to the existence of a think-thank of architectural practice in architectural service
delivery in Ethiopia. Results are as presented in Table 4.14
Results obtained on the communal factors related to the existence of a think-thank of Architectural
Practice showed majority of the respondent agreed that availability of forum for professional
dialogue; standard fee structure for professional services; competition based on service fee;
recognition of excelling architectural practice performance; role/mandate of the Association of
Ethiopian Architects (AEA) in promoting/controlling quality of architectural practice; and clarity
delegation of responsibility for the custodianship of architectural practice/the built environment
are indeed present in architectural service delivery in Ethiopia as shown by a mean of 4.29, 4.28,
4.25, 4.22 and 4.13 respectively.
Respondents were requested to suggest measures that can be adopted to improve the role of a
think-thank of architectural practice with the ultimate aim of improving architectural service
delivery. The practitioners suggested that professional associations need to lead, develop standard
professional practice guide lines, procedures, ethical codes, etc.; AEA should be empowered and
strengthen its institutional capacity, get power of authority to manage and control the Architectural
services; AEA shall attract so many architects with actual and perceived benefits, and also shall
Table 4.14: Presence of Influences of a think-thank of Architectural Practice in Architectural

Strongly disagree
Strongly agree
Std. Deviation
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Mean
Statement
(2)
(5)
(4)
(3)
(1)
- clarity on whose responsibility it
is for the custodianship of
architectural practice/the built
environment 55.2% 31.3% 9.6% 3.6% 0.4% 4.13 1.006
- role/mandate of the Association
of Ethiopian Architects (AEA) in
promoting/controlling quality of
architectural practice 62.7% 27.9% 5.2% 3.5% 0.7% 4.22 1.063
- recognition of excelling
architectural practice performance 60.6% 30.4% 6.2% 2.1% 0.7% 4.25 0.998
- availability of forum for
professional dialogue 63.4% 28.8% 5.1% 2.1% 0.7% 4.29 0.993
- standard fee structure for
professional services; competition
based on service fee 65.3% 24.7% 7.2% 2.1% 0.7% 4.28 1.020
Average 4.23 1.016
penalize those who are way far beyond its cause of establishment. (eg. posting professionals/firms
on a blacklist (e.g. at AEA's website) who violates the code of ethics endorsed by AEA based on
valid testimony); AEA must give professional support for government decision makers; AEA
should work on setting a standard fee structure at least by setting the minimum architectural service
fee; AEA should work on facilitating forums for professional dialogue and also assist the
university on continues trainings and workshops.
The practitioners also suggested networking of associations, think tanks, and groups can facilitate
better exchange of ideas; think-than of architectural practice should accommodate voices of non-
architects (such as the free media) in discussing issues related to design, planning, the environment
and etc. to make sure new ideas, new research subjects not thought off before & major challenges
can be presented, debated on and generate directions for policy and legal formulation; the think
tank must be led by professionals who are genuinely committed for advancement of the practice;
and think-tank to organize architectural recognitions and awards to encourage practitioners and
leave an example to follow.
4.3.5 Factors in the sphere of influence of the Nation:
4.3.5.1 Presence of Influences of Regulatory Requirements in Architectural Service Delivery

in Ethiopia
factors related to Regulatory Requirements in architectural service delivery in Ethiopia. Results
Results obtained on the influence of communal factors related with the existence of a think-thank
of architectural practice showed that majority of the respondent agreed that maturity level of the
legislation, policies, codes & standards and capacity for enforcement; directive/regulation on clear
procurement procedures for architectural services; intent and strength of regulations/statutory
requirements to maintain quality in architectural service provision; strength/capacity of regulatory
bodies to enforce quality of architectural services being provided; level of requirements for
registering and licensing of practicing architects; and number of practicing architects in the country
per capita are indeed present in architectural service delivery as shown by a mean of 4.21, 4.18,
4.16, 4.12, 4.09 and 3.51 respectively.
Table 4.15: Presence of Influences of Regulatory Requirements in Architectural Service Delivery

in Ethiopia
Strongly disagree
Strongly agree
Std. Deviation
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Mean
Statement
(2)
(5)
(4)
(3)
(1)
- intent and strength of
regulations/statutory requirements
to maintain quality in architectural
service provision 70.7% 18.4% 5.3% 4.2% 1.4% 4.16 1.241
- strength/capacity of regulatory
bodies to enforce quality of
architectural services being
provided 69.6% 18.6% 4.3% 6.4% 1.1% 4.12 1.252
- maturity level of the legislation,
policies, codes & standards and
capacity for enforcement 69.9% 21.0% 3.1% 4.9% 1.0% 4.21 1.191
- level of requirements for
registering and licensing of
practicing architects 59.4% 30.2% 6.5% 2.2% 1.8% 4.09 1.194
- directive/regulation on clear
procurement procedures for
architectural services 58.1% 35.2% 3.2% 2.1% 1.4% 4.18 1.105
- number of practicing architects in
the country per capita 25.1% 43.5% 22.6% 7.5% 1.3% 3.51 1.072
Average 4.05 1.176
Respondents were requested to suggest measures that can be adopted to improve the role of a
think-thank of architectural practice with the ultimate aim of improving architectural service
delivery. The practitioners suggested that mandates be provided to the association to decide on
their own profession (like registration and licensing of architects, organize major design
competitions); association (professionals) need to be involved on major policy decisions and
regulations; establish a separate empowered regulatory body for regulating the architectural
services of public entities such as public schools, hospitals, health centers & which works on
implementing policies; ensure that codes & standards consider the context of the country; moral
education, proper legal procedure and clear procurement procedures be instated to avoid corruption;
the use of contract standards like FIDIC; governmental agencies to focus on producing strategies
and regulations and monitor the effectiveness of policies rather than directly involving in the actual
construction design, execution and implementation.
The practitioners further suggested that regulatory requirements should also focus on enhancing
quality of architectural designs and the built forms with focus on principal arterial streets; the level
of requirements for registering and licensing of practicing architects must be based mainly on
experience and accomplished projects; documents open for misinterpretation should be elaborated
to restrict precedence that opens doors for malpractice; peer review practice for checking quality;
laws and regulations has to be discussed among stakeholders before implementation; experiencing
sharing with other developed countries can help in structuring the regulatory bodies.
4.3.5.2 Presence of Influences of National/External Influences in Architectural Service

factors related to External Influences in architectural service delivery in Ethiopia. Results are as
presented in Table 4.16
Results obtained on the national/external influences showed majority of the respondent agreed that
client’s goals, expectations and values; level of development/civilization/information of the
society - taste for aesthetics and quality; lack of viable economic considerations of clients -
(requirements vs capacity); political, leadership and change management decisions; impacts of
other policies such as - Construction, Lease, Industry, Economic, Investment etc.; economic level
of the country: access to finance, spending capacity of clients; and historic, social, cultural, and
religious outlook of the society / nation are indeed present in architectural service delivery as
shown by a mean of 4.38, 4.35, 4.26, 4.22, 4.22, 4.12, and 3.76 respectively.
Respondents were requested to suggest measures that can be adopted to improve any of the
External Influences listed above with the ultimate aim of improving architectural service delivery.
The practitioners suggested a close communication and understanding of issues related to the built
environment; creation of awareness (e.g. through media) of the public (including clients) &
government decision makers on quality of professional service and the impact of different policies
on the built environment and service quality; expose the younger generation to architectural
concepts for continuity; political and institutional reforms shall be modernized, so that they seek
professional service on formulating policies, strategies and regulation; device appropriate
policies/conducive environment that encourage small and medium size industries that are engaged
on production of finishing materials; policies like Construction, Lease, Industry, Economic, and
Investment should be devised with minimum political influences, so that design outputs are more
flexible and could be creative.
The practitioners also suggested that public buildings should be done with focus on best conceptual
design not merely cost; land lease and construction permit need to bring banks insurance as
guarantee in case of budget shortage; financial institutions should avail enough finance to the
construction industry with a minimum interest since constructions are long term investments;
adapting socioeconomic transitions; encouragement of availability of more professionals & better
economic opportunities; and develop the general practicing frame work in response to current
international service delivery approach and built environment concepts.
Table 4.16: Presence of Influences of National/External factors in Architectural Service Delivery

in Ethiopia
Strongly disagree
Strongly agree
Std. Deviation
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Mean
Statement
(2)
(5)
(4)
(3)
(1)
- client’s goals, expectations and
values 57.0% 36.2% 6.0% 0.7% 0.0% 4.38 0.713
- lack of viable economic
considerations of clients:
(requirements vs capacity) 48.3% 45.5% 5.2% 0.7% 0.3% 4.26 0.785
- economic level of the country:
access to finance, spending
capacity of clients 48.2% 35.7% 15.0% 0.7% 0.4% 4.12 0.890
- political, leadership and change
management decisions 54.0% 36.2% 7.3% 2.1% 0.3% 4.22 0.912
- impacts of other policies such as:
Construction, Lease, Industry,
Economic, Investment etc. 54.0% 34.8% 9.4% 1.4% 0.3% 4.22 0.895
- level of development
/civilization/information of the
society: taste for aesthetics and
quality 64.2% 31.1% 3.0% 0.7% 1.0% 4.35 0.974
- historic, social, cultural, and
religious outlook of the society /
nation 46.9% 26.6% 19.9% 5.5% 1.2% 3.76 1.173
Average 4.19 0.906
-
4.4. Rank Order of Presence of Quality Factors in Architectural Service Delivery in Ethiopia
based on the average means and standard deviations of the opinion survey
Table 4.17: Rank Order of the Presence of Quality Factors in Architectural Service Delivery in
Ethiopia
Average Average Rank

Factors
Mean Std. Deviation Order
1. Continuing professional development 4.25 0.933 5
2. Professional integrity 4.42 0.913 3
3. Education, training and capacity 4.42 0.865 2
4. Service quality standard 4.26 1.004 4
5. Programmatic requirements 3.92 1.030 11
6. Service fee (Compensation) 4.54 0.905 1
7. Time allotted for design development &
documentation 4.04 0.880 9
8. Information, communication and technology 3.92 0.972 10
9. Role of A think-tank of architectural practice 4.23 1.016 6
10. Regulatory requirements 4.05 1.176 8
11. External influences 4.19 0.906 7
Grand Average
4.20 0.964
Results of the analysis confirmed that all the quality factors identified are prevalent in
architectural service delivery in Ethiopia. Table 4.17 shows the rank order of the quality factors
based on their degree of presence.
The rank order analysis shows that, service fee (compensation); education, training and capacity;
and professional integrity are the top three prevalent quality factors with average mean of 4.54,
4.42 and 4.42 respectively which identified the area that needed focus in order to improve the
problem associated with the quality of architectural service delivery in Ethiopia.
Chapter Five – Summary of Major Findings, Conclusions and

Recommendations
5.1 Introduction
With the main aim of providing responses to the research questions, the purpose of the study was
achieving the specific objectives which were: to identify the factors that influence the quality of
architectural service delivery in Ethiopia; to analyze each of the factors for their degree of
significance in influencing the quality of architectural service delivery in Ethiopia; to rank order,
the factors according to their degree of influence; and to suggest workable ideas to policy makers,
architectural community, architectural practices and practicing architects in order to address the
challenges negatively affecting the quality of professional architectural service delivery. The
subjects (target group) of the study were Practicing Professional Architects (PPARs) registered in
the Ministry of Construction of Ethiopia and practicing architecture in the country. An expert
group workshop was organized to identify the potential factors which were then used to develop
the questionnaire for data collection. The data collected from the respondents were analyzed using
SPSS to find out the central tendency of the responses using mean and standards deviations to
identify the significance of each of the 11 factors identified and to rank them based of their order
of significance of their influence to the quality of architectural service delivery in the country.
Then based on the findings of both quantitative and qualitative analysis, recommendations were
made.
5.2 Summary of the Major Findings
The result of the analysis of the study revealed that the quality of the built environment in Ethiopia
is poor therefore needs major improvement. The study then confirmed that the quality of
architectural service delivery in Ethiopia is average and below, hence needs some measure put in
place to improve it. The study also established that the quality of architectural service delivery
heavily influences the quality of building construction projects and ultimately influence the quality
of built environment in Ethiopia.
In line with the first objective, the study identified that the quality of architectural service delivery
is influenced by various factors. Due to lack of sufficient literature on the subject in the Ethiopian
context, a workshop was organized to identify the factors and the result of which was used as a
basis to develop questionnaire for data collection. The factors identified to have influence on the
quality of architectural service delivery in Ethiopia were: 1) continuing professional development;
2) professional integrity; 3) education, training and capacity; 4) service quality standard; 5)
programmatic requirements; 6) service fee (compensation); 7) time allotted for design
development and documentation; 8) information, communication and technology; 9) role of a
think-tank of architectural practice; 10) regulatory requirements and 11) external influences. The
findings have some degree of similarity with what has been identified by the American Institute
of Architects (AIA) in its publication, (AIA Handbook of Professional Practice, 2014, p.958) as
factors affecting the scope of architectural services.
In line with the second objective, the study results showed that 1) continuing professional
development with mean of 4.25, 2) professional integrity with a mean of 4.42; 3) education,
training and capacity with a mean of 4.42 ; 4) service quality standard with a mean of 4.26; 5)
programmatic requirements with a mean of 3.92; 6) service fee (compensation) with a mean of
4.54; 7) time allotted for design development and documentation with a mean of 4.04; 8)
information, communication and technology with a mean of 3.92; 9) role of a think-tank of
architectural practice with a mean of 4.23; 10) regulatory requirements with a mean of 4.05 and
11) external influences with a mean of 4.19 all have significant but varying influences on the
quality of architectural service delivery in Ethiopia with their average mean being above 3.0.
In line with the third objective, the study result showed that, though it is relatively close in
magnitude, each of the identified factors have varying level of influence. Accordingly, the study
identified that Service fee (compensation); education, training and capacity; and professional
integrity, are the top three influential factors, in their rank order, with average mean of 4.54, 4.42
and 4.42 respectively.
In line with the fourth objective, the study complied suggested measures that need to be put in
place to address issue related to the factors identified in order to improve the quality of architectural
service delivery in Ethiopia.
5.3 Conclusion
The study concludes that the quality of the built environment in Ethiopia is poor therefore needs
major improvement. The study then revealed that the quality of architectural service delivery in
Ethiopia is average and below, hence needs some measure put in place to improve it. The study
also established that the quality of architectural service delivery heavily influences the quality of
building construction projects and ultimately influence the quality of built environment in Ethiopia.
The findings are in line with the research by Mbijiwe, (2017) who confirmed that proper
communication on design enhances the quality of government funded building projects in Isiolo
County, inadequate and deficient design and documentation negatively affects the efficiency of
the construction process, well written design specifications are essential to the efficient
construction of a successful project and that design defects decreases project quality and increases
in overall project costs result. The findings of this study also supports the research by Williams et
al., (2013) that systematic design quality control and quality assurance, careful communication,
and post-design inspection are management techniques that could prevent a large number of
engineering failures. Carper’s (2001) study also indicated that it has been investigated and proven
that introducing design quality control and quality assurance procedures, engineering peer
reviews, and effective communication programs are essential elements in reducing engineering
failures. Research by Couto (2007) also confirmed that incomplete designs, ambiguities, errors,
omissions, inadequate or inconsistent detailing, etc; errors in design due to a lack of knowledge
of local conditions and environment; delays while preparation technical documents by designers
while construction is in progress.
The study concludes that, programmatic requirements; time allotted for design development &
documentation; education, training and capacity; service fee (compensation); service quality
standards; education, training & capacity; external influences; continuing professional
development; role of a think-tank of architectural practice; regulatory requirements; information,
communication and technology are factors that influence the quality of architectural service
The study also concludes that continuing professional development; professional integrity;
education, training & capacity; service quality standards; programmatic requirements; service fee
(compensation); time allotted for design development & documentation; information,
communication and technology; role of a think-tank of architectural practice; regulatory
requirements; and external influences have varying degree of influences on the quality of
The study finally concludes that the rank of the factors in their magnitude of influence are: 1)
service fee (compensation); 2) education, training and capacity; 3) professional integrity; 4)
service quality standards; 5) continuing professional development; 6) the role of a think-tank of
architectural practice; 7) external influences; 8) regulatory requirements; 9) time allotted for
design development & documentation; 10) information, communication and technology and 11)
programmatic requirements.
5.4 Recommendations
The study makes the following recommendations based on the findings:
5.4.1 Government / Policy makers

The study recommends that the Building Proclamation, Building Regulation, Building Directive,
Building Code Standards and other legal/policy and institutional frameworks need to be
revised/enhanced to include provisions to measure the quality of architectural services and
mechanism of monitoring and control for compliance during design, construction and occupancy
of projects.
The study also recommends that a collection of relevant regulatory documents indicated above be
made available for easy reference by practicing architects and create awareness regarding existing
regulatory documents and their applications. The study noted some practitioners lack of awareness
about the existing regulatory documents as they have suggested same regulation be established.
The study further recommends that the design review for work permit should go beyond just
checking compliance to simple statutory requirements into checking design quality against pre-
defined quality measuring parameters. Design review and permit offices at Central (Municipality)
and in the sub-cities should develop their capacities in order to have required knowledge and
experience to review and provide comments on design qualities in addition to guidance on
statutory requirements.
5.4.2 Architectural Community
The study recommends Association of Ethiopian Architects (AEA) to develop its capacity
(professionals working for it, financial etc.) and assume its role as a think-than of architectural
practice, leading the standard and quality of architectural service delivery to the level international
best practice. The study concurs with the respondents’ suggestion that AEA should work towards
developing its capacity to take over the responsibility of registering, examining, and licensing of
architects and also renewing and upgrading of architectural practicing licenses to ensure
architectural practice reach and maintain the highest standards with lessons learnt from other
comparable countries practices. In addition to its current involvement of conducting architectural
design competitions for projects of significance, the study suggests that AEA can upgrade itself to
take up the role of participating in design reviews and construction oversight for pubic building
projects of defined significance. The study further recommends AEA to build capacity and closely
work with the government to eventually take custodianship of the architectural practice, in setting
standards of registration, practice, quality, accountability, taking active part in policy decision
making regarding the practice and the development of the built environment so that it can have a
mandate of regulation and control not only on its members but on architects practicing with in
Ethiopia.
5.4.3 Architectural Institutions

The study recommends architectural schools to revisit their curricula in order to also provide
architectural practice courses with the focus on the quality aspects of architectural service delivery.
Architectural practices also should regularly prepare refresher courses for their architects on
designs, materials and new methods of construction and encourage architects to upgrade
themselves. The architectural institutes also upgrade their capacity in terms of human resources
and office setup in order to ensure the quality of their service delivery.
The study also recommends that architectural practices should develop or adopt service quality
standards and strive to comply to that standard and commit to provide quality service to their
clients. The practices should also develop a mechanism to measure quality of their professional
services and quality monitoring and controlling mechanisms.
Architectural practices should adopt a standard for developing design programs which should be
mutually agreed with clients as it basically defines the scope, budget and schedule of the project
before design development as it is important in controlling quality of the service delivery.
Architectural practices should collaborate with AEA and other firms to develop a minimum
standard fee scale for their services and regulate the market.
The study also recommends that architectural practices should strictly negotiate sufficient time be
allotted for design development and documentation as it is important in ensuring the quality of the
architectural services.
Architectural practices should be equipped with latest technology (design software, and hardware)
in order to ensure quality of their service provision. They also should make the necessary
information and communication arrangement for their architects so as to improve their access to
information and communication which will have impact on the quality of their service delivery.
They should also develop a standard communication protocol.
5.4.4 Practicing Architects

The study recommends that practicing architects should make sure to continuously upgrade
themselves in taking up refresher courses on substantive areas and acquiring some skills to keep
them up-to-date for the quality of service the industry/practice requires of them.
The study also recommends practicing architects are being mindful of the professional ethics codes
of conduct (of AEA for instance) and to strictly have the discipline to abide by it. The practicing
architects should also be mindful of the unique role they have in enhancing/damaging the built
environment as not every aspect of the practice can be controlled by regulations.
The study further recommends that practicing professional architect should actively participate in
activities that promotes architectural profession and practice and support the activities of AEA and
the works of the Ministry with the ultimate goal bringing quality and excellence to architectural
service
5.5 Recommendations for further studies
Very limited studies have been done or researched findings published regarding this topic in
Ethiopian context. Therefore, this research study is envisaged to serve as a base document for
further studies.
This study focused on the practicing architects’ (practitioners’) perception of the factors
influencing the quality of architectural service delivery in Ethiopia. The study was based on the
practitioners understanding of architectural service quality based on their experience and not on
the findings of a measurement of quality of architectural services based on pre-defined quality
measuring parameters which would be a more objective way of addressing the problem. Therefore,
this study encourages other researchers to consider working on empirical research of measuring
quality of architectural services especially on the factors identified by this study.
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Annex I : Questionnaire
Date : __________________
Dear Respondent,
Thank you for your time and dedication in taking part in this questionnaire survey which
is being conducted as partial fulfillments to the requirements of the award of the degree of Masters
of Business Administration (MBA) in Construction Management.
The research focuses on the topic “Assessment of factors influencing the quality of
architectural service delivery in Ethiopia”. Due to unavailability of local literature on the subject,
a workshop was organized in which a nominal representative group of professionals from different
cross-section of the practice with different vantage points of view of the problem, identified 11
potential factors and 43 sub-factors which made the basis for this questionnaire.
This questionnaire survey is purely for academic purposes and your identity and responses
will be treated with strict confidentiality. There are no absolute correct or wrong answers to the
questions and statements contained in this questionnaire. The questions are intended to collect data
in a form of opinions, views and feelings of respondents in order to assess the magnitude of the
factors’ contribution to the quality of architectural service delivery.
Your input is very much valued and appreciated as it makes a significant difference in
addressing the problem related with my research topic. Hence, I kindly request you, as a practicing
professional architect (PPAR) who has a firsthand information in dealing with the research
problem to share your opinion and provide your response based on your experience on
architectural practice and service delivery in your constituency.
The final paper of my research will be submitted to Addis Ababa Science and Technology
University and the Executive Summary will be shared with you. I believe the findings of my
research would also be able to assist you and your firm to address the problems related to and
improve the quality of your/your firm’s architectural service delivery and contribute your share to
the betterment of the quality of the built environment of our country.
With kind regards, Lulseged Legesse

Instructions:
1. You are kindly requested to answer all questions as sincerely as possible.
2. Fill in the questionnaire by putting an ☒ mark in the appropriate box or by writing your
response in the space provided.
Part A: General Information
1. Name (Optional):
2. Gender
☐ Male
☐ Female
3. Educational qualification in Architecture and related field
☐ Bachelor
☐ Masters
☐ PhD
4. Your years of experience in architectural practice/service delivery

☐ 6 or less
☐ 7 - 11
☐ 11 - 20
☐ 21 and above
5. Type of firm you work in

☐ Consulting Architects (CA)
☐ Consulting Architects and Engineers (CAE)
☐ Contractor
☐ Government Regulatory Institute
☐ Government Planning Institute
☐ Freelance
If any other, please describe
________________________________________________________________________
6. Your position/role/title in the firm

________________________________________________________________________
Part B: Influence of the Quality of Architectural Service Delivery on Building Construction

Projects in Ethiopia
7. How do you rate the overall quality of Ethiopian built environment (buildings and
infrastructure)?
☐ Extremely good
☐ Good
☐ Average
☐ Poor
☐ Extremely Poor
8. Suggest measures that can be adopted to improve the Ethiopia built environment if you feel
it should.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
9. How do you rate the overall quality of architectural service delivery in Ethiopia?
☐ Extremely good
☐ Good
☐ Average
☐ Poor
☐ Extremely Poor
10. Suggest measures that can be adopted to improve architectural service delivery in Ethiopia if
you feel it should.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
11. Do you agree that the quality of architectural service delivery heavily influences the
quality of building construction projects and ultimately the quality of the built
environment in Ethiopia?
☐ Strongly agree
☐ Agree
☐ Neutral
☐ Disagree
☐ Strongly Disagree
If you have a different opinion, please describe.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Part C: Individual influence of Continuing Professional Development on quality of

To what extent do you agree that the quality of architectural service delivery in Ethiopia
is influenced by the following factors?
Statement Strongly Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly

Agree Disagree
5 4 3 2 1
12. commitment of architects to ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
upgrade themselves/acquire
new skills and latest
technology in design and
construction
13. architects level of ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
communication skills; to fully
understand client's
requirements and clearly
express own ideas
14. level of design and managerial ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
competency of practicing
architects
15. Suggest measures that can be adopted to improve Continuing Professional Development so
that quality of architectural service delivery in Ethiopia will be improved.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Part D: Individual influence of Professional Integrity on quality of architectural service


Agree Disagree
5 4 3 2 1
16. consciousness/attitude to serve ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
clients with utmost diligence
17. integrity to maintain ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
professional ethics in carrying
out professional duties
18. commitment to provide ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
original service and strictly
comply with Intellectual
Property and Copyright
regulations
19. accountability/liability for ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
failures due to errors,
omissions and decisions of
professional service
20. autonomy of architects to ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
provide objective /
uncompromised professional
judgement and expert advice
over any other motive
thoughtfully considering the
social and environmental
impact of their professional
activities
21. Suggest measures that can be adopted to improve Professional Integrity so that quality of
architectural service delivery in Ethiopia will be improved.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Part E: Institutional influence of Education, Training and Capacity on quality of architectural


Agree Disagree
5 4 3 2 1
22. quality/standard/philosophy of ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
architectural education in assuring the
public that the architect has met
acceptable standards enabling proper
performance of those services
23. professional career development ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐

program
24. Suggest measures that can be adopted to improve Education, Training and Capacity so that
quality of architectural service delivery in Ethiopia will be improved.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Part F: Institutional influence of Service Quality Standard on quality of architectural service


Agree Disagree
5 4 3 2 1
25. use of standard systems/norms ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
for design/construction service
processes
26. commitment/selfless ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
dedication of architects to
provide high level of service to
their clients and society
beyond just meeting statutory
requirements
27. design review culture ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
28. mechanism for measuring ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
quality of architectural service
provision
29. quality assurance (QA) & ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
quality control (QC) systems
30. Suggest measures that can be adopted to improve Service Quality Standard so that quality of
architectural service delivery in Ethiopia will be improved.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Part G: Institutional influence of Programmatic Requirements on quality of architectural


Agree Disagree
5 4 3 2 1
31. design programming ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
32. clarity of the clients (design) ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
brief
33. Suggest measures that can be adopted to improve Programmatic Requirements so that quality
of architectural service delivery in Ethiopia will be improved.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Part H: Institutional influence of Service Fee (Compensation) on quality of architectural


Agree Disagree
5 4 3 2 1
34. fee for professional services ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
35. Suggest measures that can be adopted to improve Service Fee (Compensation) so that quality
of architectural service delivery in Ethiopia will be improved.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Part I: Institutional influence of Time allotted for Design Development and Documentation
on quality of architectural service delivery in Ethiopia.

Agree Disagree
5 4 3 2 1
36. time allotted for design ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
development and
documentation
37. clients interest to expedite the ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
design/construction process
38. delays in getting clients’ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
feedbacks and approvals
39. Suggest measures that can be adopted to improve Time allotted for Design Development and
Documentation so that quality of architectural service delivery in Ethiopia will be improved.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Part J: Institutional influence of Information, Communication and Technology on quality of

is influenced the following factors?
Agree Disagree
5 4 3 2 1
40. use of latest technology in ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
architectural service provision
41. limited access to information ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
and communication in the
country
42. standard communication ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
protocol
43. immature culture in conducting ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
research
44. Suggest measures that can be adopted to improve Information, Communication and
Technology so that quality of architectural service delivery in Ethiopia will be improved.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Part K: Communal influence of the role of a think-tank of Architectural Practice on quality

of architectural service delivery in Ethiopia.

Agree Disagree
5 4 3 2 1
45. clarity on whose responsibility it ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
is for the custodianship of
architectural practice/the built
environment
46. role/mandate of the Association ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
of Ethiopian Architects (AEA) in
promoting/controlling quality of
architectural practice
47. recognition of excelling ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
architectural practice
performance
48. availability of forum for ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
professional dialogue
49. standard fee structure for ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
professional services;
competition based on service fee
50. Suggest measures that can be adopted to improve the role of a Think-tank of Architectural
Practice so that quality of architectural service delivery in Ethiopia will be improved.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Part L: National influence of Regulatory Requirements on quality of architectural service


Agree Disagree
5 4 3 2 1
51. intent and strength of ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
regulations/statutory
requirements to maintain
quality in architectural service
provision
52. strength/capacity of regulatory ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐

bodies to enforce quality of
architectural services being
provided
53. maturity level of the ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
legislation, policies, codes &
standards and capacity for
enforcement
54. level of requirements for ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
registering and licensing of
practicing architects
55. directive/regulation on clear ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
procurement procedures for
architectural services
56. number of practicing architects ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
in the country per capita
57. Suggest measures that can be adopted to improve the role of Regulatory Requirements so that
quality of architectural service delivery in Ethiopia will be improved.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Part M: National influence of External Influences on quality of architectural service delivery

in Ethiopia.

Agree Disagree
5 4 3 2 1
58. client’s goals, expectations and ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
values
59. lack of viable economic ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
considerations of clients:
(requirements vs capacity)
60. economic level of the country: ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
access to finance, spending
capacity of clients
61. political, leadership and ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐

change management decisions
62. impacts of other policies such ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
as: Construction, Lease,
Industry, Economic,
Investment etc.
63. level of development ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
/civilization/information of the
society: taste for aesthetics and
quality
64. historic, social, cultural, and ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
religious outlook of the society
/ nation
65. Suggest measures that can be adopted to improve any of the External Influences listed above
so that quality of architectural service delivery in Ethiopia will be improved.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Thank you for your time and commitment in completing this questionnaire survey.
Please email the completed questionnaire to:
Lulseged.Legesse@gmail.com
or call on +251911230834 so that I can come collect it in person. Please make sure to retain a
copy for ease of reference.

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PRACTICING PROFESSIONAL ARCHITECTS’

ASSESSMENT OF QUALITY FACTORS IN

ARCHITECTURAL SERVICE DELIVERY IN ETHIOPIA

LULSEGED LEGESSE NEGASH

MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION IN

QUALITY FACTORS IN ARCHITECTURAL SERVICE DELIVERY IN

LULSEGED LEGESSE NEGASH

ADDIS ABABA SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY UNIVERSITY

other degree or professional qualification.

Lulseged Legesse __________________ __________________

Name Signature Date

Professional Architects’ Assessment of Quality Factors in Architectural Service Delivery in

meets the accepted standards with respect to originality and quality.

Signed by Examining Board:

____________________________________ ____________________ ______________

Thesis Advisor: Signature: Date:

____________________________________ ____________________ ______________

Examiner (Internal): Signature: Date:

____________________________________ ____________________ ______________

Examiner (External): Signature: Date:

Many stakeholders including practicing professional architects (practitioners) in the construction

Certificate ……………………………………………………………….…….……………...… iii

Table of Contents ….................................................................................................................... vii

List of Tables ……………………………………………………………...………...…….…… xii

List of Figures ………………………………………………………………….……….....….. xiv

List of Abbreviations ………………….….…………………………...………………....……. xv

1. Chapter One: Introduction ……………...………..…………………………………………...1

1.1. Background of the Study…………………………...……….…………………………....1

1.2. Background of the Case - Overview of Architectural Practice / Service Delivery in

1.3. Statement of the Problem….……………………………………………………………..4

1.4. Objective of the Study….………………………….……….….…………….…….……..6

1.4.1. General Objective…………………………………………………………………6

1.4.2. Specific Objectives………………………………………………………………..6

1.5. Significance of the Study…………..…………………………………………………….6

1.6. Scope of the Study……………………………………………………………………….7

1.7. Limitation of the Study………………………………………………….……………….7

1.8. Definition of Key Terms….……………………………………………………….……..8

1.9. Organization of the Study……………………..……………………………………...... 9

2. Chapter Two: Review of the Related Literature …………….……………………………. 10

2.1. Theoretical Review……………….……………...…………………………………….. 10

2.1.1. Service Quality …………………………………………..………...…………… 10

2.1.2. Quality Measurement in Professional Service Firms …..…………………….… 11

2.1.3. Quality in Architecture ………………………………………………………… 11

2.1.4. Measuring Architectural Design Service Quality …………………………...…. 14

2.2. Empirical Review…………………………………………………………………….....14

2.2.1. Service Quality …………………………………………………..…………….. 14

2.2.2. Measuring Service Quality …………………………………………..………… 17

2.2.3. Quality Management of Architectural Services ……………………………….. 17

2.2.4. Assessment of Architectural Design Quality……………………………..……. 19

2.2.5. Factors Influencing Architectural Quality …………….……………………….. 21

2.3. Conceptual Framework……………………………………………………………….. 22

3. Chapter Three: Research Design and Methods…………….……………………………......24

3.1. Research Design……………………………………………………………...…………24

3.2. Research Approach……………………………………………………………………...24

3.3. Population of the Study……………………………………………………………..…..24

3.3.1. Target Population…………………………………………………………...……24

3.3.2. Sampling Technique………………………………………………………….. 25

3.4. Data Collection Tool………………………………………………………………… 25

3.5. Variables of the Study……………………………………………………………..… 25

3.6. Data Analysis Techniques…………………………………………………………..… 26

3.7. Validity and Reliability……………………………………………………………...… 26

3.8. Ethical Consideration………………………………………………………………….. 27

4. Chapter Four: Data Presentation, Analysis, and Interpretation……….………..…………. 29

Lulseged Legesse

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