Importance of Absolute Quality Principles MWH Construction Company - Case Study Example

Total Quality Management in Construction Industry: a case study of MWH Construction Company Name: Date: Institution: Introduction Many organizations strive to provide an atmosphere that will lead to a high value to their customers. The high value is often achieved through constant improvement in the control and utilization of resources and efficiency of processes. The process of maximizing value to the clients of an organization that takes an improvement in all the organizations sectors and resources is often known as total quality management. All the factors that are applied in the production or delivery of the service are reviewed and evaluated with the aim of providing an improvement to the factors in this process. This work applies the process of total quality management in the construction industry. Specifically, it looks into the case of MWH Construction Company. It reviews how the company applies the seven basic principles that are involved in total quality management. It provides a report on the evaluation of the construction service thread as one of the services that are offered by the company and traces the total quality management principles as they are applied at every stage of the company's service delivery. MWH Global is a construction company with major specialization in water resource development, construction and consultation services at a global scale. The company has its main offices in Broomfield Denver, Colorado. It has operations in over 30 countries including the United Kingdom where it is has undertaken the infrastructure assessment of the Manchester corridor (MWH Global. n.d). The company also provides its clients with products for water and environmental management services and spares. Municipal and industrial water treatment Since 1844, the company has been a leader in the provision of Municipal and industrial water treatment. The company boasts of over 500 projects completed to this date (MWH Global. n.d). From the inception of these projects to completion, the company undertakes some activities that are aimed at delivering the best outcome to the clients and the completion of the project on time. The activities begin from the preconstruction assessment of the project to the actual implementation and monitoring of the project. During the preconstruction phase, the company takes keen considerations on the impacts of the project and the regulations that will affect the project. During the implementation phase, the constant review of the economic rates and their impact on the overall cost of the project is done (Oakland, 2012, p.23). Delivery of the right project specification and the quality of the material used in the process is also consistently checked by the relevant departments of the company. In the proceeding discussion, some of the applications of the total quality principles by MWH Global within this thread of service is given. Capable leadership The success of most organizations begins by the application of good leadership and management of the same entity. The leadership of the organization will define the direction in which the organization wants to go and initiate compliance among members. A clear direction to the members of the organization will lead to a successful arrival at the objectives, and ultimately the vision of the organization is achieved (Schein, 2010, p.56). At MWH Global, the leadership is focused on providing the members with a clear path to the objectives and goals of the company. The leadership identifies the fact that MWH being a global company, it has to operate in different cultural environments. This has led to the top leadership adopting the policy of ‘listening more and talking less'. Through this process, the company can identify the areas of challenges in its operations that are related to the cultural environment and make relevant changes to progress. Organizational culture is also the responsibility of the senior leadership (Hughes, & Beatty, 2011, p.69). MWH Global has set itself apart by adopting high standards in the management t of natural resources through its excellent construction work which is of high quality. To achieve this position, the company has hired the best staff in its senior management that is competent enough to manage the challenging construction work at a global scale. According to information available on their website, the senior management team is comprised of professionals with high academic qualifications and performance record. The information on the qualification of the management is also given to assure the clients of the fact that their projects will be managed by an experienced team of professionals with a proven track record. The organization also believes in teamwork and the benefits of collaboration of different professionals. The senior leadership is thus composed of professionals from different fields that aim at delivering the highest standards in all the aspects of the projects that the team will undertake (Sallis, 2014, p.61). The leadership at MWH Global has initiated projects such as the Safestart project that aims at protecting the interest of both its employees and the clients (MWH Global. n.d). This project aims at reducing the number of health and safety risk incidents in construction. Through this project, the welfare of its employees is protected. The clients also benefit from the reduction in costs of insurance cover and medical expenses that are incurred in the delivery of the construction projects. In 2015, the company received some awards in the American market that includes the perfect record award by the national safety council and the significant improvement award (MWH Global. n.d). Customer driven In the delivery of any project, the specification aspect by the client is an important aspect and must be properly implemented. Proper implementation of the details of the project as set by the client will determine the level of success or failure of the whole project. MWH Global understands that it operates in a global environment, has put in place mechanisms that will allow it to deliver the specifications to their clients' satisfaction (Peris-Ortiz, Álvarez-García, & Rueda-Armengot, 2015, p.75). MWH Global recognizes that to deliver on their clients' specification, it has to understand the specific needs and nature of the clients. This is the main driving force behind the formation of teams that understand the clients at every location of its constructions. The aim of the teams is to take on board the customers even as they strive to maintain the highest standards in the construction industry. The company has a dedicated communications department that deals with receipt of feedback and quality related issues from its current and previous clients. The aim of this department is to receive and forward all the communications to the relevant departments for action and correction if the need arises (Peratec, 2014, p.17). At MWH Global, this office is headed by a chief communications officer. Product/service From the inception of a project such as the Municipal and industrial water treatment, there are some preconstruction activities done by the company both on-site and off-site. These preconstruction activities include the determination of the impacts of the project and legal compliance of the project. The company also looks at the possibility of fluctuation of economic rates and the impact of the rates on the construction project. It then determines the relevant materials that are needed for the project and the availability of the same. The aim of these preconstruction activities is to provide value to the customer. Through proper compliance with the local legal requirements, the company aims at minimizing the risk of potential suits that could delay the project and reduction in the overall cost of the project. Legal suits could sometimes lead to expensive compensations being incurred by the clients which could derail the project in the long run. The preconstruction activities also cover the identification of the materials and the costs associated with the development of the Municipal and industrial water treatment plant. The company identifies high-quality materials that are also cost effective in the implementation of the project and the availability of the materials. This information is given to the customer alongside within a report that details the recommendations of the experts for the approval of the client. Quality systems To be a leader in a sector, firms are supposed to comply with the standards that are set in the provision of products or services with the given sector. The services of the organization must also meet a given threshold so as to be accredited with the standards that govern the given sector. In the construction industry, the most common accreditations cover the compliance with the health and safety management and the quality management system standards. The environmental management standard is also sometimes required for organizations that provide natural resource management services like MWH Global. According to information available on the company's website, all the departments of MHW Global has received either an ISO 9001 or the Occupational Health and Safety Management 18001 certification or both. The aim of compliance with these standards is to improve the reliability of the staff in the provision of the services (Rahman, 2001, p.45). It ensures that all members of the organization from the lowest rank to the senior leadership are all aligned to providing the clients with the acceptable high standard of services (Kaynak, 2003, p,90). The standards provide a means to fine tune the performance of the organization at every level. It also leads to a high rate of satisfaction of the customers as all the services given to the clients meet the quality and expectations of the clients in the industry (Kanji, 2012, p.59). The reduction of risks is another potential benefit of compliance to standards. The reduction in risk stems from the fact that the organization will limit itself to the proven and accepted modalities that yield nest results. It also reduces the chances of incidents in projects such as accidents resulting from the use of inappropriate materials in construction. In other instances, the compliance with the standards also makes the organization more sustainable as wastages and risks are limited by operating within the acceptable standards. Potential increases in costs due to lack of standard operations can sometimes increase costs and lead to the operation of the firm being unsustainably high (Tricker, 2014, p.31). Processes design, control, and improvement MWH Global has a comprehensive project management strategy that aims at delivering a satisfactory project to its clients. The company offers high-value preconstruction, construction and construction management services. As noted previously in this treatise, MWH Global have detailed preconstruction activities that aim at mitigating any challenges in the process of implementing a project. During the implementation phase, a dedicated team of project management staff works together with the engineering team to ensure that the project is complete on time. The company has an in-house project management department that develops the schedule of activities, monitors and evaluates the implementation of the project milestones and provides solutions to any anomalies in the project implementation. In the Austin WTP4 Project, for instance, the project team set aside days for the relocation of trees from the site of the project. This was one of the preconstruction activities that was successfully done in partnership with the local community. The cleared material was then used by the project team as mulch to cover the dust on the site. These activities were preplanned and led to a high degree of reduction of costs and successful completion of the project. The company also ensures that the decision making within a project is centralized, and this reduces the time wastage within any construction project that it undertakes. Resource utilization Adept utilization is another component of total quality management (José Tarí, 2005, p.58). A project like the Municipal and industrial water treatment plant would require construction material like steel, concrete, wood and timber pipes and other industrial construction materials. Obtaining these materials in time for the construction to progress as planed is an important aspect in ensuring project success. MWH Global has a dedicated procurement office that ensures that the required materials are delivered on the site without any delays. The details of transportation and logistics of the materials are also handled by the same office. These details are some of the preconstruction activities that are done by the company before the project is begun. The team also looks into the effect of the economic rates on the supply of the materials. The aim of the observation of the prevailing exchange rates is to ensure that projects are not stalled due to the escalation of rates resulting from changes in currency rates (Akintoye et al., 2003, p.16). The company has also shown leadership in the reduction of cost through the use of locally available materials. In the Austin WTP4 Project, it did not waste the trees cleared from the site, but instead the trees were ground to provide mulch that was used to prevent dust on the site. This initiative saved the client from incurring additional costs in controlling the dust. Human resource development MWH Global believes in the growth of its intellectual capital. It is for this reason that the company constantly pursues talent development and retention at the firm. This development is done by providing technical classes to new employees in person. The company also provides the technical classes to its employees on-line which is open to both the old and new employees (Kaynak, & Rogers, 2013, p.38). For employees that are seeking relevant accreditation in the field of water resource management and construction, the company offers sponsorship and hands-on learning opportunities. This training seeks to build high professional standards within its workforce and the delivery of quality to its clients. Continual development is also fostered by the company through sharing and mentoring between employees with different technical knowledge and skills. Through the focus on the employees’ development, high quality is gradually developed which in turn creates value to clients (Besterfield et al., 2011, p.89). Conclusion MWH Global provides clients with high-quality solutions in water resources management and construction. In the delivery of a service like the Municipal and industrial water treatment plant, various elements of total quality management are evident in their work. The company has a detailed project management team that handles all the activities of the project from preconstruction to finish. The activities are properly and meticulously planned to ensure that the clients receive the highest value in the projects that they initiate. The organization has also received ISO 9001 and the Occupational health and safety management 18001 certifications. These accreditations aim at standardizing the quality of their operations, services and products. It also reduces the risk associated with the lack of compliance to relevant quality in delivering their work. The result of the certification is a high rate of client satisfaction and sustainability of the organization in the long run. References Akintoye, A., Hardcastle, C., Beck, M., Chinyio, E., & Asenova, D. (2003). Achieving best value in private finance initiative project procurement. Construction Management and Economics, 21(5), 461-470. Besterfield, D. H., Besterfield-Michna, C., Besterfield-Sacre, M., Besterfield, G. H., & Urdhwareshe, H. (2011). Total Quality Management: For Anna University. Pearson Education India Hughes, R. L., & Beatty, K. M. (2011). Becoming a strategic leader: Your role in your organization's enduring success (Vol. 27). John Wiley & Sons. 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