ABSTRACT
Generic management books are generated by the ton each year. Generic quality management books are generated by the hundreds. But books on managing quality that are specific to the design and construction industry are generated very rarely. A service perspective of design means that quality is a key component of all service functions, such as communication and client relationship management. This is the 'Big Q' view of quality, and it sweeps across every aspect of design practice. Design professionals, and master builders before them, have been dealing with what is now termed 'quality' for all of recorded history. Design quality is often seen as more or less synonymous with 'design excellence'. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has taken a leadership role in defining design excellence, and it is instructive to review briefly what the AIA learned in its 'Roundtable' discussions about excellence and how it is achieved.
