TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT

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THE PROBLEM

Introduction

In recent times quality has come under the spotlight in South Africa. This is due to various factors including increased globalisation, which opened world markets to South African producers. It also meant that foreign producers started competing for local market share. In order to get products into the foreign markets, products had to comply to standards like ISO9000. In South Africa, products had to be of an acceptable quality while the price had to be competitive in relation to those of foreign products, which often came from established world-wide brand names.
At the same time foreign markets opened for South African construction companies, especially in Africa and the Middle East. The South African construction companies were eager to generate foreign income following the disastrous effects of the sharp interest rate hikes of 1998 on the construction industry, and foreign income were to sustain turnover should the same happen again. Although the construction industry is not an exporter of completed products, there is an export of expertise and abilities when a South African construction company ventures onto foreign soil. The need for producing quality buildings in South Africa increased as buildings built locally could be used as examples of what a company could produce and therefore impact on the decision to award a contract to a specific company.
The economic downswing in the South African construction sector in 1998 was followed by negative growth figures in the following years which subsequently caused an increase in competition between local companies in the construction sector. The increased competition forced margins down and this, coupled with decreasing contract periods, caused quality to suffer. It is a well-known fact that if either time or cost comes under pressure, quality is usually the first constraints of a contract to be sacrificed.
The general decrease in quality standards and increased competition highlighted the need for companies who wanted to survive, to look at ways of ensuring a good name with clients which could lead to follow-on work. The expected economic upswing in the construction sector would further find companies who can produce quality buildings at an immediate advantage over their rivals. This is where Quality Management came into the picture. Although not a new theme, it is one that has not received the proper attention in the construction industry. This study endeavours to shed some light on the efforts necessary to install and maintain a quality system, and maybe more importantly a quality-culture, for producing quality buildings in a South African construction company.

Delimitations

The study will focus on the implementation and maintenance of a TQM system for construction companies in the building sector of the construction industries. The building sector should be understood as the part concerned with the construction of buildings according to normal methods i.e. not civil engineering projects or projects requiring extremely advanced construction techniques.

TABLE OF CONTENTS :

• TITLE PAGE
• ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
• ABSTRACT
• TABLE OF CONTENTS
• LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES
• LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
• CHAPTER 1 THE PROBLEM
  • 1.1 Introduction
  • 1.2 The problem
  • 1.3 The sub-problems
  • 1.4 The hypothesis
  • 1.5 Delimitations
  • 1.6 Definitions of terms and list of abbreviations
  • 1.7 Assumptions
  • 1.8 Importance of the study
  • 1.9 Research methodology
• CHAPTER 2 THE CONCEPT OF QUALITY
  • 2.1 What is quality?
    • 2.1.1 Definition
    • 2.1.2 The characteristics of quality
    • 2.1.3 The relationship between quality and productivity
  • 2.2 Quality in the construction industry
    • 2.2.1 What is quality in construction?
    • 2.2.2 Source of requirements for quality
    • 2.2.3 How is quality measured?
    • 2.2.4 The cost of quality
    • 2.2.4.1 Prevention costs
    • 2.2.4.2 Appraisal costs
    • 2.2.4.3 Failure costs
    • 2.2.4.3.1 Internal failure costs
    • 2.2.4.3.2 External failure costs
  • 2.3 Conclusion
• CHAPTER 3 TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT
  • 3.1 What is Total Quality Management?
  • 3.2 The Total Quality Management axioms
  • 3.2.1 Commitment
  • 3.2.2 Scientific knowledge
  • 3.2.3 Involvement
  • 3.3 The objectives of Total Quality Management
    • 3.3.1 Primary strategies
    • 3.3.2 Secondary strategies
    • 3.3.3 The focus areas
    • 3.3.3.1 Management focus areas
    • 3.3.3.2 Tool focus areas
    • 3.3.3.3 Employee focus areas
  • 3.4 The result of Total Quality Management
  • 3.5 Conclusion
• CHAPTER 4 IMPLEMENTING TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT
  • 4.1 Quality culture
  • 4.1.1 Creating commitment
  • 4.1.2 Creating cultural change
    • 4.1.2.1 The process of cultural change
    • 4.1.2.1.1 Defining the current culture
    • 4.1.2.1.2 Defining the desired culture
    • 4.1.2.1.3 Closing the culture gap
    • 4.1.2.1.4 Resistance to cultural changes
    • 4.1.2.1.5 Techniques to foster change
  • 4.1.2.2 Management responsibilities to effect change
  • 4.1.3 Empowerment
    • 4.1.3.1 Reasons for empowerment
    • 4.1.3.2 Empowerment barriers
    • 4.1.3.3 The empowerment process
    • 4.1.3.4 Results of empowerment
    • 4.1.3.5 Management of phases of change
    • 4.1.4 Summary of quality culture
  • 4.2 The implementation process
  • 4.2.1 Attaining management commitment
  • 4.2.2 The quality improvement team
  • 4.2.3 Measurement
  • 4.2.4 The cost of quality
  • 4.2.5 Quality awareness
  • 4.2.6 Corrective actions
  • 4.2.7 Plan for quality
  • 4.2.8 Employee education and training
    • 4.2.8.1 Senior management
    • 4.2.8.2 Middle management
    • 4.2.8.3 First level supervision
    • 4.2.8.4 All other employees
    • 4.2.9 Launching
    • 4.2.10 Setting goals
    • 4.2.11 Error-Cause removal
  • 4.2.12 Recognition and reward
  • 4.2.13 Quality Councils and Quality Circles
  • 4.2.14 Repeat
  • 4.3 Critical success factors for implementation of Total Quality
  • Management
  • 4.4 Conclusion
• CHAPTER 5 MAINTAINING THE TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
  • 5.1 Maintaining Total Quality Management
  • 5.2 Leadership
  • 5.2.1 Motivation through communication
    • 5.2.1.1 Types of communication and their use
    • 5.2.1.1.1 Verbal communication
    • 5.2.1.1.2 Written communication
    • 5.2.1.1.3 Visual communication
    • 5.2.1.1.4 The use of examples
  • 5.2.1.2 Communication with whom?
  • 5.2.2 Motivation through recognition and reward
  • 5.2.3 Empowerment
  • 5.3 Managing to maintain the Total Quality Management system
  • 5.3.1 Team building
  • 5.3.1.1 The need for teamwork
    • 5.3.1.2 Advantages of team work
    • 5.3.1.3 Management tasks in team building
    • 5.3.1.4 Pitfalls for teamwork
  • 5.3.2 Training and Education
  • 5.3.2.1 Who must be trained and educated?
  • 5.3.2.1.1 Executive level: Managing– and Financial Directors
  • 5.3.2.1.2 Middle management level: Project- and Site Managers
    • 5.3.2.1.3 Supervisors: Junior Site Agents and Foremen
    • 5.3.2.1.4 All other employees
    • 5.3.2.2 Who must conduct the training?
  • 5.3.2.3 The contents of training
  • 5.3.2.4 Where and for how long must training sessions be held?
  • 5.3.2.5 Why training fails
  • 5.4 The critical success factors required to maintain a Total
  • Quality Management system
  • 5.5 Conclusion
• CHAPTER 6 SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
  • 6.1 Summary
  • 6.2 Conclusions
  • 6.3 Recommendations
  • 6.4 Recommendations for further research
  • BIBLIOGRAPHY

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