Abstract:
Quality may mean different to different people. Some take it to represent customer satisfaction,
others interpret it as compliance with contractual requirements, yet others equate it to attainment
of prescribed standards. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) formally
defines quality as the ‘totality of characteristics of an entity that bear on its ability to satisfy
stated or implied needs’, some deem it as ‘fitness for purpose’. Indeed, a product befitting its
intended purpose would satisfy the user’s needs and expectations.
Quality of construction is even more difficult to define. First of all, the product is usually not a
repetitive unit but a unique piece of work with specific characteristics. Taking building
construction as an example, the product can be an entire building, a section of a building or just a
prefabricated component that ultimately forms part of a building. Secondly, the needs to be
satisfied include not only those of the client but also the expectations of the community into
which the completed building will integrate. The construction cost and time of delivery are also
important characteristics of quality. All these should be properly addressed in designing the
building, and the outcome should be expressed unequivocally in drawings and specifications
