The impact of COPQ in Project Management - MSc Dissertation

The impact of Cost of Poor Quality on Project Management By Daniel Jacobs

This project evaluates current literature on project management philosophy, in particular the Iron Triangle that is commonly used to describe the relationship of the three restrictive forces in project management, namely Resources, Schedule and Scope. Current literature has a rich source of information on quality approaches that are used in intensively competitive industries (particularly automotive manufacturing) where commercial need has driven innovation of quality approaches to develop leading quality philosophies such as TPS (Toyota Production System), lean, six sigma and so forth. These methods and philosophies enable companies to develop highly competitive delivery strategies that enable them to deliver high value with maximum efficiency and a minimum of waste. The same appreciation for the value of quality has yet to percolate to the construction industry. The perception appears to exist within the construction industry that increases in quality would result in additional expense and schedule impacts and not that increases in quality (meaning an investment in the wider tools and benefits of quality management) would introduce significant opportunities for benefits realisation for large project stakeholders. This dissertation evaluates the current standing of quality within the construction industry and proposes means by which the success of project management might be enhanced by the adoption of more rigorous quality methods.

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