Developing a quality assessment tool for the Ghanaian construction industry

Abstract

Globally, there has been an increasing interest and demand in the adoption and implementation of quality management systems in the construction industry, as they provide heightened effectiveness and efficacy for client satisfaction. However, in Ghana, collapses of newly built and on-going building projects have become common place, much of which have been attributed to poor quality works. This situation is engendered by numerous challenges facing the Ghanaian construction industry (GCI), notable of which are lack of appropriate quality standards, resource constraints, and a dynamic regulatory landscape. These underscore the importance of developing a tailored quality management model for the Ghanaian construction setting, which currently has nothing of this sort, as evidenced by the literature. Instigated by this gap, a research study was undertaken to develop a quality management assessment tool (in the form of a maturity model) for improving quality management practices among construction organisations in the GCI. This research employed a mixed research method by triangulating data obtained through various techniques, namely literature review, questionnaire survey and semi-structured interviews. A pilot study was carried out to evaluate the validity of the questionnaires, which contributed to enhancing the research design and its overall quality. Following the development of a conceptual framework that established the key quality management criteria and standard requirements, relevant primary data was gathered from construction organisations of the GCI and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistical analysis, including Independent sample T-Test, Binary logistic regression, Spearman’s correlation and factor analysis. The factor analysis was used to extract components required for the development of the Quality Management Maturity Model (QMMM). Moreso, based on the results and the conceptual model, the structure of the proposed QMMM was designed, which was then validated using feedback acquired from industry experts from the GCI to ascertain the model’s usefulness and suitability. Research findings indicated that the three most significant factors contributing to the successful implementation of QMS are top management commitment, client satisfaction, and the application of legislative instruments. In contrast, the two main challenges affecting the implementation process were found to be inadequate training and education from top management, as well as the belief that engaging in QMS practices is both time-intensive and costly. The model consists of various structural components, maturity levels and scores, a maturity flowchart and an evaluation sheet. QMMM enables identifying areas of improvement for quality management practices in the GCI. A key contribution to knowledge of this research includes the new QMMM developed for the GCI, which is innovative and has the potential of improving quality management practice and standards. Additionally, QMMM can be used by industrial professionals and the wider international community through the adoption of the steps developed for its applicability as indicated in Chapter 6.4.3. Using the QMMM will help organisations to be quality conscious to help engender or bring about a change in the culture, as far as quality management is concerned in order to avoid project collapse. Another contribution lies in the fact that the study findings can foster a more robust academic discourse and encourage a collaborative effort among scholars to investigate the use of maturity models in diverse organisations.