Total Quality Management and Construction Project Management in India

The construction industry has been heavily criticized in recent times for its performance and productivity in relation to other industries. With the turn of time, it appears that the construction industry is going through an intense period of introspection, which is worsened by increased technological and social change. These changes are altering the tempo of the environment within which construction operates. Besides, such changes significantly affect the way business is conducted. Many of the management practices used to support construction organizations are being challenged. The industry's clients are moving forward and demanding improved quality service, faster project delivery and innovations in technology. It is no accident that the construction industry has turned to the manufacturing sector as a point of reference and source of innovation. Quality Management has increasingly been adopted by construction companies as an initiative to solve quality problems and to meet the needs of the final customer. This research therefore aims at evaluating the Quality Management Practices of Indian Contractors with emphases on D1 K1 contractors registered with the ABC Steel company and to achieve this aim, three specific objectives were set for the study and they are to determine whether Indian contractors are committed to Quality Management Planning in the delivery of construction projects; to determine the challenges encountered by contractors while implementing quality assurance during the execution of projects and proposing measures for effective quality assurance practice.