Strategic Management in the Quality of Construction - Assignment Example

? Strategic Management in the Quality of Construction Introduction: The strategic thinking has long been the centre of attention for many businesses and has been given importance to make sure that the businesses follow a certain strategic thinking to cover their plans and aims (Thorpe and Sumner, 2004). These effective strategic plans would enable the business to be able to gain competitive advantage and future growth chances. In the same way the strategic management is necessary in the construction and the quality of construction which is supposed to enhance the work carried out in the rapidly changing environment. The strategic planning would enable the quality of construction to get better and lead with a systematic approach (Rojas, 2009). A detailed review about the construction quality that is being practiced worldwide is collected with the help of information available through various sources. This research shows how there have to be establishment and maintenance of quality in the construction processes and how important this is. The information collected shows the consequences of the development of quality based schemes and tools on the construction side. In this process, there has to be importance given to the security, tools, architecture, querying and overall performance relating to the other competitors. Quality construction requires a need for review in all the sections to make sure nothing goes wrong. Literature Review: In the past years, research has shown that there is a continuous growth in the construction industry across the world (e.g. Woodward, 1997; Neeraj, 2000; Ruban, 2002). Due to the increasing population there is increased need of houses and buildings, furthermore developing countries are looking forward for a change for which they need the help of infrastructure and thus; construction. This continuous change and growth in the industry have lead to many initiatives to be introduced and being adopted aiming to further improving the quality of construction (Tang et al, 2005). The strategic management of the construction process focuses on these initiatives and aims at developing the same processes to the expectations of the respective people. Some of the initiatives that are strategically planned are the development of alternative procurement strategies that will enable and improve the communication structure of the different participants involved in the construction process (Davis, Goetsch, 2009). Secondly, the introduction to the use of computer technology that helps the enhancement of the construction process through the use of electronic data and sharing. Thirdly, the introduction of a wide range of concepts and tools to improve efficiency and quality would be used and lastly, the development of the improved materials and construction methods including standardization (Skaik, 2009). Strategic management for the construction quality, just like every other industry, has the same approach. The approach for the strategic management has always been to be able to enhance the performance of the business. In the construction industry too, the strategic management in the quality of construction is aimed to bring benefits to the company’s growth and efficiency in the future, and also over the other competitors in the industry (Rumane, 2010). The managers of the construction project are supposed to be able to strategize their resources, their aims and their techniques to fulfill the expectations. The strategic management does not only include the strategies but also the ways in which they are carried out from the beginning to the end. And yet, many of the strategic management plans are failed. Quality of construction is immensely important no matter in what perspective the statement is drawn (Pheng, 2005). Whether it is the constructor, the contractor or the owner, each and all are concerned with the quality of construction. Griffith (2011) defines construction as a process that could be commercial, residential or any other type; there would be absolutely no party wants an averagely constructed building. It is definite that the quality of the construction is severely important, much more than the look and color would be. This is because of many obvious and technical reasons. However, quality seems to be the last thing anyone would want to jeopardize. Forbes and Ahmed (2009) reveal that the construction is always a time taking process, which enables the contractor to plan accordingly. Strategic planning is important to be done and to be interpreted to the assigned contractor. This also include the quality requirements. Construction processes are usually a onetime attempt, and cannot be done repeatedly. The repairing and maintenance of buildings are usually done in six months or after a year which shows it is a long term process that has to be done perfectly once (Hellard, 1993). Daniel and Koerner (2007) talk about the review of the quality of construction, which is established and maintained in the construction projects highlighting the use of materials and tools that, enhance the performance of the work done. Specifications, which are included in these performance techniques enable the assessment of quality established along with the cost factors and the timings. The secondary purpose to review the quality in the construction is to be able to have a detailed analysis on the quality of materials and the future growth improvements that would take place. The current information on the standards of quality being used is always helpful to improve and predict the future growth chances (Tang et al, 2005). Many construction companies have introduced quality databases, which are maintained to keep records of the quality assurance, quality expected and the quality delivered. These databases have helped the construction companies with their quality assurance and future improvements at a high rate. These are strategically planned by companies in regard to all the contracts they award and the contractors they assign. Starting from the material to the cost, hours of labor and progress of work, it is all recorded in the databases and checked at frequent intervals. This enables the quality of construction to be recorded and maintained (Skaik, 2009). The quality databases should be made compulsory in all the construction companies in order to keep a check on the quality. Many agencies are using these databases in various areas. A record of all the information related to a certain construction program enhances the efficiency level and gives a boost to the levels of quality for the future. Recently, there has been special focus made on the attributes of construction quality databases. The information given in these databases were helpful and supportive for the development of concepts, the practices and the solutions to arising issues (Tang et al, 2005). Moreover, it has been assessed that the quality of construction will tend to increase once the knowledge about the strategic management is clear to the managers and to the people associated with the process. Many examples in the construction industry show that the low quality of construction or inefficiency was faced due to the lack of knowledge of the complete project Dikmen, Birgonul, Kiziltas, 2005). Thus, it seems to be extremely important to know about the project completely and the strategies that are used to design the construction process. It has been seen with the recent development that the strategic knowledge of the project may lead to the construction industry to flourish in quality and efficiency. It will bring out the much needed improvements in the business. Failure to capture this knowledge about the project from the unread files and unimportant considered files leads to wastage of the activities carried out on that project (Marja et al, 2007). In relevance to the review, the construction industry has generally different characteristics than any other industry. This may be because the work is always different and includes a variety of ideas, techniques and tools. The production sites are changed every time and the construction industry is known as a low-tech industry. The projects are very unique and require a flexible nature. Thus, the strategic management in the construction industry can require a lot of effort put in by the managers and contractors (Neeraj, 2000). The strategic management requires the need for proper analysis of the projects and their requirements, clear aims of the project and a stable environment in which they can be implemented. All these elements may seem difficult to find in the construction industry. Since the construction industry solely relies on manual labor, the strategic management may being a lot of problems. The main problem is communication. The communication from the contractor till the worker working on the main building may bring in many misinterpreted words and ideas. Furthermore, the time completion of the work would only be predicted as the labor work can never be guaranteed. The distinguishing ideas can create a hassle and create issues. In these cases, the growth of the industry and the competition in the market remains low and thus construction industry is known to be less competitive (Love et al, 2000). With all these problems in the strategic management come great problems in the quality of construction. The research shows that the quality of construction is usually the issue raised in the construction projects. The reason behind this is the lack of strategic management, which is seen in this industry. These strategic plans are usually costly and thus present in sophisticated businesses. Lack of proper communication, clear goals, advanced tools and techniques, improved construction methods and many other technicalities give way to the low quality conditions in which the construction takes place and eventually a low quality of the final product. On the other hand, the managers of the construction companies keenly understand the value of quality in the construction process and focus on it more. They work down to understand the project clearly and every detail related to it. They delegate the task to the constructors to avoid miscommunication. The use of IT in the construction industry has enabled the managers to strategize the goals and the events in the way that they have to be carried out. There are various approaches made towards the unifying theory which would connect the thoughts of the different people involved in the process to be able to suit with the unique environment of the construction industry (Rumane, 2010). Decision making also plays an important role in assessing the quality in the construction industry. Efficient decision making is enforced by the management to be able to connect with the employees and the labor force. The wages and the motivation of the employees also directly relate to the quality of the construction. Thus; it has been proved by the research process that the employees and the constructors play an important role in the industry and are greatly motivated at every step to ensure the quality of the project. Continuous motivation of the labor force would encourage them to carry out the work well and under quality assurance. The labor hours and wages are the two most important components. These are critically checked by the department to give special consideration (Langford, Male, 2008). Once these are checked, there is some surety of the quality of the work since the whole process depends upon the factors. The ability to manage both these factors to keep the workforce involved and satisfied can ensure the survival of the business along with the great quality of the work. Extra trainings can also be given to the workers to provide awareness and knowledge about the new techniques and tools that may be used. Conclusion: In conclusion, it has been recognized that in order to focus on the quality of the construction, there are many factors that need to be considered as well. The strategic management, thinking and planning plays an important part in any business. Maybe not on a great and professional scale, but the construction industry severely needs the strategic planning and the introduction of new initiatives. The quality of construction is the literature of the research, which needs to be focused on whether it is about planning, aiming or development. The quality, as discussed above, is the most important aspect in the construction industry and leads to the future advancement and growth of the industry.Nevertheless, the successful projects are formed by the project vision that is developed in the light of strategic management. References Daniel, D.E. and Koerner, R.M. (2007). Waste Containment Facilities: Guidance for Construction Quality Assurance and Construction Quality Control of Liner and Cover Systems. London: ASCE Publications Davis, S., Goetsch D. (2009). Quality Management Lavoisier Dikmen, I., Birgonul T., Kiziltas S. (2005). Strategic use of Quality Function Deployment (QFD) in the Construction Industry Elsevier Forbes, L.H. and Ahmed, S.M. (2009). Modern Construction: Productive and Lean Practice. Hong Kong: CRC Press Griffith, A. (2011). Integrated Management Systems for Construction: Quality, Environment and Safety. NY: Trans-Atlantic Publications, 13-Jan-2011 Hellard, B.D. (1993). Total Quality in Construction Projects: Achieving Profitability with Customer Satisfaction. NJ: Thomas Telford, 1993 Love, P.E.D., Li H., Irani Z., Faniran O. (2000). Total quality management and the learning organization: a dialogue for change in construction Taylor & Francis Langford, D., Male, S. (2008). Strategic Management in Construction John Wiley & Sons Marja N., Paivi H., Heikki L. (2007) Strategic Management Tools in Construction Projects International Journal of Project Management Neeraj, K. J. (2000). Construction Project Management. New Delhi: Pearson Education India Pheng L. (2005) Strategic Quality Management for the Construction Emerald Group Publishing Limited Rojas, E.M. (2009). Construction Project Management: A Practical Guide for Building and Electrical Contractors. London: Ross Publishing Ruban, M. (2002). Quality Control in Road Construction. Detroit: Taylor & Francis. Rumane A. (2010) Quality Management in Construction Projects Taylor & Francis Skaik S. (2009) Implementing Strategic Management in Construction Cmguide Articles Tang, S., Ahmed, S.M., Aoieong, R., Poon, S.W. (2005). Construction Quality Management. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press Thorpe, B., Sumner, P. (2004). Quality Management in Construction. London: Gower Publishing, Ltd. Woodward, J.F. (1997). Construction Project Management: Getting It Right First Time. NJ Thomas Telford, 1997 Read More