INVESTIGATION INTO THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT IN THE NIGERIAN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

1.1 Introduction

Total quality management is a holistic approach to managing a project. It includes continuous improvement, customer's satisfaction, and top management support, defect-free product at first attempt, and elimination of reworks, cost effectiveness training and re-training of staff. Total quality management consists of all activities that managers perform to improve their quality and policy such as quality planning, quality control, quality assurance and quality improvement,(Harris & McCaffer, 2002). It is a process of getting rid of poor quality from production rather than getting rid of poor quality products.

As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.

---

1.2 Background of Study

Total Quality Management (TQM) is a philosophy that involves everyone in an organization in continual efforts to improve quality and achieve customers' satisfaction. Continuous improvement is the philosophy that seeks to make never ending improvements to the process of converting inputs into outputs. The management of project adhesive known as project management according to (CIOB 2002) project management as the overall planning coordination and control of a project from inception to completion, aimed at meeting a clients requirement in order to produce a functionally and financially viable project that will be completed on time within authorized cost and to the required quality standards.

According to David (2006) a project is define as a temporary endeavour undertaken to create a unique project or services. Temporary means that every project has a definite beginning and a definite end. Unique means that the product or services is different in some distinguishing way from all similar product Or services. Dannis 2007 define project as capital investment to develop facilities to provide goods and services. From the above definitions of project, all projects require management and management has been given a number of definitions among which are: Martin defines management as “the planning, organizing, directing and controlling of activities of business enterprise”. Martin (2002) defined management as the coordination of all resources of an organization through the process of planning, organizing, budgeting and controlling in order to achieve organization objectives.

Martin (2002) defined management as the coordination of all resources of an organization through the process of planning, organizing, budgeting and controlling in order to achieve organization objectives. Adoptability is defines as the acceptance of a particular method or policy in order to achieve certain objectives (Oxford advance Dictionary, 6th edition). Adoption of project management was often more accepted, placing the project manager functional manager and project professionals in indigenous roles trying to support project needs, Lock (2007).

Construction labours tend to focus more on the number of hours worked and quantity of work done rather than the quality of work executed. Total Quality Management has the potential to improve business results, greater customer orientation and satisfaction, worker involvement and fulfillment, team working and better management of workers within companies; however, construction firms have been continually struggling with its implementation (Haupt & Whiteman, 2004).

Therefore, in Nigerian Construction Industry where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the Investigation into the Effectiveness of Total Quality Management.

---

1.3 Statement of Problems

In Nigeria, the implementation of modern project management tools methods and techniques is still not well established in public sector, this result into failure of public institutions and their contractor in performing their duties concerning the budget, specification and deadlines in project delivery and lack of financial support as barriers to successful project planning and execution in Nigeria public sector, Idoro and Ajayi (2009). The difficult nature of construction project, resulting to cost overshoot of construction materials and equipment, also affect delay in project completion makes it pertinent in adopting the application of project management.

---

1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study

The aim of the study is to investigate the Effectiveness of Total Quality Management in the Nigerian Construction Industry. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:

1. To examine the impact of Total Quality Management in the construction industry and how it can be implemented more actively.
2. To identify the current practices for Total Quality Management in building construction industries in Ado-Ekiti.
3. To identify the challenges that hinders the implementation of Total Quality Management in the construction industries in Ado-Ekiti.
4. To assess the ways construction industries in Ado-Ekiti will employ to improve it operation to achieve Total Quality Management.

---

1.5 Research Questions

The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:

• Is there any significant challenges hindering the implementation of Total Quality Management in the construction industries in Ado-Ekiti?
• What are the impact of Total Quality Management in the construction industry and how it can be implemented more actively?
• What are the current practices for Total Quality Management in building construction industries in Ado-Ekiti?
• What are the ways construction industries in Ado-Ekiti will employ to improve it operation to achieve Total Quality Management?

---

1.6 Research Hypothesis

In order to pursue the objective of this study, the following generalized statements have been designed to guide and aids in obtaining the result for the experiment to be conducted. For this work, the null hypothesis will be represented with H0 while the alternative hypothesis will be represented with hypothesis H1.

• H₀1: There is no significance difference between the mean responses of Project Manager, Quantity Surveyors and Engineers on the current practices for Total Quality Management in building construction industries in Ado-Ekiti
• H₀2: There is no significance difference between the mean responses of Project Manager, Quantity Surveyors and Engineers on the challenges that hinder the implementation of Total Quality Management in the construction industries in Ado-Ekiti.
• H₀3: There is no significance difference between the mean responses of Project Manager, Quantity Surveyors and Engineers on the ways construction industries in FCT Abuja will employ to improve it operation to achieve Total Quality Management

---

1.7 Significance of Study

The study will be of great benefit to the professional bodies such as NSE, NIA, N.I.O.B in ensuring that a project is completed on time by trained personnel, within cost and to a specified quality standards by utilizing the most optimal construction methodology and thus eliminate (or at least reduce) the occurrence of bad workmanship, rework, and collapse of buildings.

The relevant building authority will benefit immensely from this research as the findings of this study will help them to technically coordinate and organize their skills in inspecting and monitoring all construction activities with an aim to ensure compliance to building codes and standards.

The findings of this research will be of immense benefit to the relevant building authority, professional bodies such as Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA), Nigerian Institute of Builders (N.I.O.B) and others. It will also be of immense benefit to the society at large.

Finally, the findings will benefit the Student and the Society at large, in the sense that, the Student will be able to make similar research work by making reference to this research work if published and well kept for consultation. And the society will also benefit from this research by getting pleasures from uncompromised built structures by a group of trained professionals.

---

1.8 Scope of Study

The study focuses on the Investigation into the Effectiveness of Total Quality Management in the Nigerian Construction Industry using Ado-Ekiti in Ekiti State as a case study.

---

1.9 Limitations of the Study

During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:

1. Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
2. Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
3. Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
4. Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).