Total Quality Management in construction projects: a conceptual model of teamwork for achieving jobsite quality

Total Quaiity Management (TQM) is a never-ending improvement process aimed at customer satisfaction. It has been successfully applied in the manufacturing industry through a teamwork approach. The manufacturing process is repetitious, the workforce constant, and the environment is such that all parties involved in a process can work together towards a common objective. However, the construction industry is characterised by its one-off nature, where the workforce and processes often vary from project to project. The state of legal independence between participants and their traditional methods of working together are often an obstacle to adopting a team environment. However, these obstacles can be overcome when the partnering concept is introduced in the relationship between various participants. Partnering arrangements can greatly improve the interface between participants, and enable them to establish a Joint Management Team (JMT) that involves all participants in the process. This JMT focuses on operational goals, and co-ordinates all participants to provide support for the various processes. In order to achieve continuous improvement at the construction jobsite, the joint management team focuses on co-ordination and improvement activities, which include: encouragement; training; quality teams; and measuring and reviewing performance. When people and other resources involved in a project are properly managed through the joint management team, total project success becomes possible. This paper discusses the teamwork functions of the JMT for achieving quality at construction jobsite.