Quality in Construction Management: An Exploratory Study

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the relative importance of factors affecting quality.
This is important where great expenditures of time, money, and resources are wasted each year due to
inefficient or non-existent quality levels.
Design/methodology/approach – An exploratory approach is employed. After a literature review,
six interviews are initially conducted with construction experts and then a simple survey of 328
questionnaires was administrated through structured personal interviews among contractors and
architects in the Jordanian housing sector.
Findings – The findings suggest that contractors and architects combined agreed that the highest
important factors affecting quality are: human resource management, customer satisfaction, and construction
specific factors. The findings also suggest that strategic planning, continuous improvement, resources are the
lowest important factors. A conceptual framework encompassing the key quality factors is also developed.
Research limitations/implications – This research has important implications for different level
managers at construction companies. By understanding the quality factors, managers can focus on the
highest factors and catch up with their lowest important factors in order to maintain a balanced and
integrated quality approach.
Originality/value – This is one of few studies that investigate the importance of quality factors. To
the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper providing empirical evidence of the quality factors in
construction management in a developing country.
Keywords Construction management, Quality, Developing country, Housing industry
Paper type Research paper