ABSTRACT
Quality is a universal phenomenon, which has been a matter of great concern throughout the recorded history of human kind. It was always the determination of builders and makers of the products to ensure that their products meet the customer’s desire. Those were the days where products were of “customized nature”. With the advent of globalization and competitive market, the emphasis on quality management has increased. Quality has become the most important single factor for the survival and success of the companies. Quality has different meanings for different people. The quality has historical importance background that has moved in different forms, periodical changes, cultural changes such as inspection, statistical quality control, quality assurance, and quality engineering to total quality management (TQM). Quality in construction projects is different to that of manufacturing. Quality in construction projects is not only the quality of products and equipment used in the construction. Construction projects involve many participants including owners, designers, contractors, and many other professionals from construction-related industries. Construction projects being unique and nonrepetitive in nature need specified attention to maintain the quality. This chapter discusses quality history, definition of quality, and movement of quality in different forms such as inspection, quality control, quality assurance, quality management, and TQM. It also discusses life cycle phases of project, definition of quality in construction projects, and concept of TQM in construction projects. It also discusses sections/clauses of ISO 9001:2015 and quality management system documentation.
