A critical investigation into the implementation of TQM within construction SMEs

Despite the widespread use of Total quality Management (TQM) in the manufacturing industry, it is quite a new concept in construction and its potential benefits yet to be exploited. TQM is increasingly adopted by many construction organisations as an initiative to tackle the quality problems and to fulfil the clients requirements. The focus of this paper is to investigate the implementation of TQM within small and medium size construction enterprises (SMEs). It presents a general overview of the current practice in the construction industry, critical success factors for implementing TQM, primary barriers to the implementation process, and a general proposed framework for TQM implementation in construction related organisations. The methodology used for this research was a combination of questionnaires and interviews. The results demonstrated that quality improvement in the construction industry is possible and a valid mean that can be achieved through the participation of all the employees and parties involved in the process. However, due to the nature of construction industry, there is a limited perception to implement TQM.

Keywords:

TQM , construction industry , SMEs , competitive advantage , critical success factors