Influence of Total Quality Management Principles on the Success of Construction Projects Performance in Mombasa County

Abstract

The construction industry is one of the most important wheels for the development of infrastructure and economy of a Nation and in realization of the Agenda 4. Four Agenda: It is a four-point agenda by President Uhuru Kenyatta, outlining what he will be focusing on in his last presidential term to improve the living standards of Kenyans, grow the economy and leave a lasting legacy. It is therefore important that adequate measures are put in place to ensure quality in the sector. Total Quality Management (TQM) is considered as one of the most important approaches to achieve quality in construction Industry in not only Kenya but the world over. This study investigated the influence of total quality management principles in context of project performance in the construction industry in Mombasa County. The study was guided by four specific objectives: to establish influence of strategic planning on success of project performance in the construction industry; to examine influence of process approach to management on success of project performance in the construction industry; to determine influence of customer satisfaction on success of project performance in the construction industry; to assess influence of supplier relationship on success of project performance in the construction industry. The study was premised on Demings and Shewhart cycle theories on total quality management. The target population for the study is 60 active contractors firms as registered by the National Construction Association (NCA) in Mombasa County. The sample size was established at 5 contracting firms. The study adopted random sampling procedure. A structured and semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data for the study. Data analysis techniques used were central tendency (mean, standard deviations, percentages), correlation and chi-square analysis using SPSS. The data was presented in tables and researcher’s interpretation. The findings showed that supplier relationships significantly influence the success of project performance, Strategic planning management was the most practiced TQM principle and procedural barriers are an impediment to TQM practices in the construction industry in Mombasa County. The study concludes that supplier relationships have a positive impact on TQM practices in the Mombasa County construction industry. The study recommends that customer focus management should be the focus of suppliers in practicing total quality management in their work. Through collaborating and cooperating with the client during the construction process means that suppliers can be able to meet the client quality requirements thus achieving total quality management.

Keywords: Total quality control, statistical quality control, quality management, total quality management, construction industry, strategic planning, process approach, customer focus, supplier relationship