ABSTRACT
Quality management is a major management function within the built environment industry. The term 'quality' is often used to describe prestige products such as expensive jewellery and cars. Quality control introduces inspection to stages in providing services, ensuring that they are undertaken to specified requirements. The main quality control technique is that of inspection and statistical quality control techniques to ensure that the services delivered and the materials used are within the tolerances specified. A quality management system is a set of interrelated or interacting elements that companies and other organisations use to direct, manage and control how quality policies are implemented and quality objectives are achieved. The standard is based on a number of quality management principles including a strong customer focus, the motivation and implication of top management, the process approach and continual improvement. Quality policy statements should be used to generate quality objectives and should serve as a general framework for action.
