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A quality management system based‐ISO 9001 focuses on confirming process conformance from the initial development of a product through production, test, installation and servicing. Information management has been a key factor affecting the effective implementation of the standard. The aim of this study is to explore management of information flows in quality assurance in project management. It is hoped to that it will be helpful in pursuing continuous quality improvement in the construction industry.

Based on the characteristics of the construction industry, this study designed an organizational structure with three levels, including firm, sub‐firms and project departments. The paper examined the difficulties for the multi‐level organizational structure in information transferring and feedback.

It is found that there are information asymmetries in quality management from internal and external organizations. Internally, information asymmetry exists between contractor, subcontractors and suppliers; and externally, there is no information sharing mechanism between project departments. Information feedback is more difficult than information transferring in a construction firm.

The construction industry has always been bedeviled with great difficulties in sharing information among its participants. Although many construction firms have claimed to be ISO 9000‐certified, there is still missing an effective channel of information flow for quality management.

The paper proposes reengineering current management strategy for establishing an information network for quality management. This study could help construction firms to effectively manage information flow to achieve continuous quality improvement.

In 2000, the Hong Kong Government commissioned the Construction Industry Review Committee (CIRC) to provide a thorough review of the strengths/weaknesses of the Hong Kong construction industry and to recommend improvement measures. The CIRC’s report, released in 2001, recommended many improvement measures related to total quality management (TQM) principles. Despite many of these improvement recommendations being fulfilled in the ten years following the release of the report, there is a lack of literature documenting these achievements and the corresponding level of TQM application. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the level of TQM application by construction contractors in Hong Kong using a questionnaire survey.

A literature review was conducted and a survey questionnaire was then designed for a full-scale survey. The data collected from the survey were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Correlations between the respondents’ scores on the survey questions were established.

The survey findings indicate a moderately high level of application of TQM principles, reflecting a moderately high achievement in implementing the CIRC’s intended improvements. The TQM application level is comparable to that of Singapore, which is also a country with a high Chinese population. The findings further suggest that organisational learning and supplier management are the two major TQM principles that contractors should focus on to sustain their long-term businesses.

The Hong Kong experience should be of interest to other developing and developed countries, both regionally and globally, in search of a similar paradigm for improving quality.

This research is the first one done as to the level of TQM application in the Hong Kong construction industry. No one has done it before so this is the originality. The results are not only valuable to the stakeholders in construction in Hong Kong, but also to other developing and developed countries, both regionally and globally, in search of a similar paradigm for raising their quality culture.

Construction organizations have responded in different ways to the increasing demands for quality. An interim assessment of the benefits and costs of different approaches is useful in determining future directions for organizations that have already, or are about to, set up construction quality management systems. Evidence from a series of surveys in Hong Kong indicates that long term strategies are needed, for example targeting ‘total quality management’ or comprehensive quality management systems, with ISO 9000 certification being only one step along this route. Specific issues to be addressed are identified, such as the development of construction‐specific guidelines and the integration of safety and dispute avoidance systems in a comprehensive quality management system. A framework is also proposed to assist in selecting the optimal quality management route for a given construction organization. Lessons learned from Hong Kong and elsewhere can be incorporated in this framework, and will help separate rhetoric from reality in rationalizing the quality management strategies of construction organizations.

There are various methods to assess the failure of a road construction project that does not meet quality and performance standards. This study aims to evaluate the factors affecting the quality management of road construction projects in Indonesia by identifying the critical challenges in implementing quality management processes and examining the countermeasures to address these problems.

In this research, the quality management processes in Indonesian road construction projects are evaluated using a mixed quantitative and qualitative approach. Quantitative data obtained from two rounds of Delphi questionnaire surveys as the primary data source, and focus group interviews as the qualitative data are used to achieve the aims of this study.

It is found that from as early as in the preconstruction stage of a project, the availability of quality standards and documentation is problematic when implementing quality management processes. The critical factor of the quality control activities of a project and the quality management roles and responsibilities of the stakeholders during road construction is the project team. This constraint deals with the interaction of the competency, commitment, and mutual cooperation among the main stakeholders to ensure that quality management processes are implemented. This implementation is a part of controlling the road pavement materials, supervising the project activities according to a specified standard, and reporting the project performance. The findings of this study add parameters relating to quality management and quality processes in a road construction project area.

This study is the first to evaluate the quality management processes in the construction of Indonesian road projects. The investigation identifies and evaluates the causes of the persistence of poor road quality. All revealed constraints are substantial factors that hinder the implementation of quality management processes when delivering quality road products. This study addresses the key influencing factors and scenarios related to quality management during road construction projects in Indonesia and other developing countries as practical examples and provides case-based insights for construction practitioners and civil engineering academics in developed countries.

To obtain a general opinion concerning the implementation of quality management systems (QMS) of construction‐related firms in the USA and Hong Kong, and to determine whether construction‐related firms have ever made an effort to measure quality improvement.

Two questionnaire surveys, one in the USA and one in Hong Kong, were conducted by sending out questionnaires to construction‐related companies. The surveys were then followed by 15 in‐depth, semi‐structured interviews with top management and quality managers of construction‐related firms in both the USA and Hong Kong.

The results of the study indicate that different perceptions towards the implementation of formal quality management systems existed between the two places. Mainly due to the lack of initiative and promotion from both clients and governments, construction companies in the USA have failed to see the need to obtain the ISO 9000 certification. In Hong Kong, however, the government's initiatives have resulted in a high percentage of companies having certified to the ISO 9000 standards. The results of the study also indicate that, though most companies used different tools for quality measurements, such measurements were mainly for monitoring and for recording purposes.

This is the first time that such a rigorous comparative study of quality management systems in the construction companies of two different countries has been conducted. It provides useful and practical insights into the differences and similarities between US and Hong Kong construction industries. This paper should be extremely valuable to practitioners in both countries, particularly the USA.

Service-oriented innovation economies are becoming the new trend for the construction industry. Benchmarking the quality management level of developed countries and improving quality management are also becoming necessities for promoting innovation in the economy. The purpose of this study is to analyse the internal relationships between the five enablers of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Excellence model, based on a market-oriented strategy, to serve as a framework for managing and improving quality.

Considering the different market environment and culture, this study refines the strategy enabler based on Zebal and Goodwin's (2011) Developing Country Market Orientation Scale, and builds a market-oriented EFQM Excellence model. Structural equation modelling (SEM) is used to analyse the results of a questionnaire survey of 683 China construction industry top enterprises to explore the internal relationships between the model's five enablers.

(1) “Leadership” has a positive influence on “Market-Oriented Strategy”, “People” and “Partnerships and Resources”; (2) “Market-Oriented Strategy” has positive influence on “Partnerships and Resources”; (3) “People” has a low influence on “Processes, Products and Services”; (4) “Partnerships and Resources” has a medium influence on “Processes, Products and Services” and (5) the relationships between “Market-Oriented Strategy” and “People”, “Partnerships and Resources” are not significant.

This study refines the strategy enabler of the original EFQM Excellence model with Zebal and Goodwin's (2011) Developing Country Market Orientation Scale. It also develops a market-oriented EFQM Excellence model that is suitable for developing countries, and it tests the implicit relationships of its five new enablers in an innovation environment where cultural differences exist.

Looks at how the construction industry’s demand for better management of quality in construction projects is becoming increasingly important for every project participant. Says that one important aspect of a quality improvement programme is the cost of quality which is relatively new to participants of construction projects. Describes the results of a survey among professionals in the construction industry on the issues relating to the management of quality and especially its cost. Shows that results of the investigation indicate, among others, the importance of client role in determining the quality of the end product; the usefulness of information on non‐conformances in preventing failures and improving a process; problems with ground conditions; how most failure costs can be eliminated; how the contractor’s role should include anticipating of problems; and how information on the cost of failures can be an indicator of weaknesses and assist in preventing the same failure in the future.

In addressing the housing deficits for the less privileged citizens, the South African government began constructing social housing after coming to power in 1994. However, the construction of these houses is bedevilled with many issues; prominent among them are poor quality of the constructed houses. This study seeks to develop a quality management framework for achieving quality and efficiency in public-sector housing construction, a hallmark of the country's procurement goals.

Telephone interviews were conducted with construction professionals involved in constructing government social houses across South Africa, chosen randomly. The data gathered were analysed using the content analysis method.

The study found that the most significant cause of poor quality government-constructed social housing is multifaceted, categorised into project management-related, procurement-related, contractor-related, corruption-related and political-related.

Failure to develop and implement a quality management framework on government-constructed social housing leads to poor quality social housing.

The study has identified quality-related issues and has developed a Quality Management (QM) framework for the stakeholders involved in the construction of the houses to guide them in the project implementation process to ensure project success and quality standards.

The construction management literature discusses the benefits which companies derive from having their operations certified to the ISO 9000 series of quality management systems (QMS). In Singapore, quality has been a topical issue in the construction industry for the past decade. ISO 9000 certification, which has been a major part of the construction quality development programme, is now mandatory for large construction contracting and consultancy organizations wishing to register to undertake public‐sector projects. This paper reports on a study on the role which ISO 9000 implementation plays in the quality development of Singapore's construction industry by ascertaining the perceptions, objectives, motivations and experiences (including benefits and problems) relating to quality in general, and to ISO 9000 certification and implementation in particular. A questionnaire‐based survey of large construction companies was conducted. It was found that construction firms benefit from QMS certification, and face no significant problems with it. Recommendations are made for enhancing the benefits of ISO 9000 and ensuring that it has a positive long‐term impact on the development of Singapore's construction industry.

This paper describes the quality management function as practiced in highway construction. This function is displayed as an interrelated system, which identifies the main quality activities. Documents and records used in these activities are also reviewed. A model for multilevel quality management involvement is defined, encompassing contractors, engineers, and managers. The model describes the quality management tasks and the roles assumed in a scheme relating construction quality control, quality assurance, and the interface between them. The scheme can be applied to any construction domain and quality management organizational structure. The study advances the understanding of how quality management is performed and engages participants at several management levels.