Construction Quality

Work Study (Part One)

Dr. Chandana Siriwardana

 Contents
• Inherent deficiencies in Construction
• Why focus on quality
• Evolution of quality management
• Basics of following tools
– Kaizen
– 5S
– JIT
– Jidoka
– Kanban
– Lean
– Six Sigma
– ISO standards

Disclaimer: Some of the material of these slides were taken from other standard text books and
pictures were mainly downloaded from internet solely for educational purposes
Manufacturing vs. Construction
Formwork – Suspended Slab
Out of Sight, 1.00%
Personal, 3.21%
Travel,
Waiting, 5.61% 5.97%

Tools/Equipment,
5.29%
Direct Work, 29.11%

Material
Handling/Searching,
10.03%

Prep Work, 39.79%

Direct Work 29.11%

Supportive
Work 55.11%
Waiting 5.61%
Personal 3.21%
Travel 5.97%
Concrete - Suspended Slab
Out of Sight, 0.76%
Travel, 1.93%

Personal, 12.60%

Direct Work, 30.32%

Waiting, 49.58%
Prep Work, 3.29%
Material
Handling/Searching,
0.10%
Tools/Equipment,
1.42%

Direct Work 30.32%

Supportive
Work 4.81%
Waiting 49.58%
Personal 12.60%
Travel 1.93%
 Safety
• Accidents Waste Time – When there is an accident in a facility, it is typically necessary to halt work
while it is investigated. Depending on the severity of the accident, this can cause a work stoppage
for hours or even days. Obviously this is very inefficient. Improving safety will reduce the number of
accidents, which will then improve productivity.

• Injuries Slow Work – When someone is injured at work, they will likely have to take some time off
to recover. It may be necessary to bring someone new into the facility, which will cost time and
money. In addition, any workers' compensation that needs to be paid out could be considered
wasted money also. Even once the employee returns, he or she may never be as efficient again due
to the lasting effects of the injury.

• Safety Improves Organization – Many safety improvements can help a facility stay more organized,
which improves efficiency. For example, if floor marking tape is used to divide up aisles into driving
and walking paths, everyone will know where they need to be. This may allow people to travel
faster, which in turn improves productivity.

• Employee Confidence – Employees who work in a hazardous environment are more likely to do
things slowly to help protect themselves. When employees feel confident that the facility is a safe
place to work, they can move at a faster pace and get the work done properly and in a timely
manner.

• Inspections – If a work facility is found to be unsafe by an authority, that facility is much more likely
to have repeat inspections from the agency in the future. These inspections, while important, do
cause lapses in productivity. If safety can be improved, it is more likely to receive positive results
from any inspections that do occur.
 Work Study
Construction Safety
Work Method Study
Measurement

Time Study Activity Analysis Motion Study

• Safe Working Environment • Standard Times for Construction Activities

• Enhanced worker satisfaction
• Better working conditions which will lead to
better performance
• Enhanced Image of the Company
• Cost of Safety (Short Term)
• Standard Methods
• Better site layouts
• Inefficiencies and their root causes identified
• Enhanced worker satisfaction
• Better working conditions which will lead to
better performance
• Enhanced Image of the Company

• Cost of Conducting these studies (Short Term)

 Work Study

Construction Safety
Work Method Study
Measurement

Time Study Activity Analysis Motion Study

Higher Productivity
Better Standards
Better Working Environment
Motivated Workforce
Good Reputation

Profitability
 Work Study

Construction Safety
Work Method Study
Measurement

Time Study Activity Analysis Motion Study

Quality Management Higher Profitability

Better Standards
Better Working Environment
Motivated Workforce
Good Reputation

Profitability (Long Term)

 Quality Management

“good, fast, cheap – choose two”

* Two different school of thoughts – Time, Cost, Quality or Time, Cost, Scope
New Paradigm
 Quality

• Requirements
• Characteristics
Quality Management
 What?

Definition:
“The degree to which an inherent set of
characteristics fulfills requirements.” ISO 9000
 Key Benefits

• Increased customer value

• Increased customer satisfaction
• Improved customer loyalty
• Enhanced repeat business
• Enhanced reputation of the organization
• Expanded customer base
• Increased revenue and market share
Structural Masonry Finishing
Background
 Japanese Economic Miracle

August 1945

“The Japanese economic miracle” is known as Japan's record period of economic growth
between the post-World War II era to the end of the Cold War. During the economic boom, Japan
rapidly became the world's second largest economy (after the United States).

By the 1990s, Japan's demographics began stagnating and the workforce was no longer
expanding as it did in the previous decades, despite per-worker productivity remaining high.
 Monozukuri (Manufacturing) Spirit
• Mono means “thing” and Zukuri (tsukuri) means
“making” in indigenous Japanese language.
• It describes sincere attitude towards production with
pride, skill and dedication. It is a way of pursuing
innovation and perfection, often disregarding profit or
balance sheet.
• Many of Japan’s excellent manufacturing firms were
found by engineers who were full of monozukuri
spirit.
William Edwards Deming

American engineer, statistician, professor, author, lecturer, and

management consultant
PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle
Cost decrease –
Less rework
Fewer accidents
Mistakes
Delays
Better use of
equipments and
materials

Better quality and lower price

Quality & Productivity (Kaizen) Movement
5S
 Quality Control

“ Quality Control” consists

of developing, designing,
producing, marketing and
servicing products and
services with optimum cost
effectiveness and
usefulness which customers
will purchase with
satisfaction”
- Dr. Kaoru Ishikawa
 Toyota Production System

• Maximising production efficiency through the

elimination of waste

• The way we make vehicles is defined by the

Toyota Production System (TPS)

• It is an original manufacturing philosophy that

aims to eliminate waste and achieve the best
possible efficiency – what is often called a “lean”
or “just-in-time” system.
 TPS

• TPS is based on two concepts: jidoka and just-in-time. Jidoka,

a Japanese term that can be translated as “automation with a
human touch” is a method for quickly identifying and
correcting any issues that could lead to faulty production.

• Just-in-time is about refining and co-ordinating each

production process so that it only produces what is required
by the next process in the sequence.

• By applying these concepts, we are able to produce vehicles

quickly and efficiently, everyone meeting our high quality
standards and our customers’ individual requirements.
Production leveling, also known as production smoothing or – by its Japanese original term
– heijunka (平準化), is a technique for reducing the mura (unevenness) which in turn
reduces muda (waste).
 Jidoka

• Automation with a human touch

• “Jidoka” is a way of spotting problems and taking prompt
action to correct faults at any stage in the production
process.
• Machinery will automatically detect an issue and safely
stop so that an inspection and any necessary adjustments
can be made.
• Information is shared with others on the “andon” display
board and operators can continue working on other
machines.
• In this way the system helps prevent problems from
happening again while maintaining quality and high
productivity.
Andon
 Just In Time
• Just-in-time - making only what is needed, when it is
needed, at every stage of production.
• That means there is no waste, consistent quality and an
even production flow.
• It requires the production line to be stocked with all
the right parts, in the right sequence at the moment
production begins.
• As parts are used up, new stock is delivered at the right
time, in the right quantity so there is no interruption or
slow-down in the production process.
• The kanban system is central to the just-in-time
process, providing an automatic, real-time method to
replenish parts at the line side and keep minimal stock.
• Delays
• Issues with Suppliers
• Disasters or natural causes
Six Sigma
Half of the tolerance
DMAIC – Improving Existing Process
DMADV – Designing New Process
Lean Manufacturing
Barriers to implementing lean construction
Enablers to Implementing Lean Construction
Lean Manufacturing
Use Prefabricated partitions Modular house construction
• Controlled situation
• High quality
• In-situ – difficult to control
• Pre-cast slabs , walls easy to control
the quality
International Standards Organizations

• International Organization for Standardization (ISO)

• International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)
• American Society for Quality (ASQ)
• American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
• American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)
• Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE)
• European Committee for Standardization (CEN)
• European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC)
• American Society for Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning
• Engineers (ASHRAE)
• National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
• British Standards Institution (BSI)
• American Society of Civil Engineeris (ASCE)
International Standard Organization ISO
• ISO world's largest developer of
International Standards
• ISO is derived from the Greek isos, meaning
• equal.
• ISO is an independent, non-governmental
international organization with a
membership of 162 Countries, one member
per country.
• HQ based in Geneva, Switzerland
• ISO standards are developed by technical
committees, (or subcommittees) comprising
experts from the industrial, technical and
business sectors
• Publication as an International Standard
requires approval by at least 75 % of the
national bodies casting a vote.
ISO Standards
 ISO Standards

• There are almost 42 standards

• ISO 31000 (Risk Management)
• ISO 14000 (Environmental Management)
• ISO 9000 (Quality Management)
• ISO 25010 (System And Software Management)
• ISO 45001 – (Occupational Health and Safety -
Organizations that are certified to BS OHSAS 18001
can migrate to ISO 45001 by March 2021 if they
want to retain a recognized certification)
• ISO 25010 (System And Software Management)
ISO 10006:2017 Quality management — Guidelines
for quality management in projects

ISO 10006 (BS EN 10006) gives guidelines for the

application of quality management in projects. It
covers
• Quality management systems in projects (Clause 4)
• Management responsibility in projects (Clause 5)
• Resource management in projects (Clause 6)
• Product / service realization in projects (Clause 7)
• Measurement, analysis and improvement in projects
(Clause 8)
“ISO 9000 defines the quality management approaches applicable across
all industries.

Standards continue to play a crucial role in construction work. For the

quality profession, they are a tool for both measurement and
improvement,
while providing confidence to the market.

Experts say production line manufacturing is different; quality control is

easier in a factory environment thanon a job site. Whilst that argument
may be true, amodern economy demands efficiency, certainty, safety,
and embedded quality; delivered in a fast changing complex
environment. The construction industry can no longer hide behind the
complexity of the industry as an excuse for low quality standards.

Blaming someone else is not acceptable; everyone must deliver good

quality products and services.”
-
ISO 9001 Quality Management Principles
P-D-C-A Cycle
Testing of Materials

“The Certification Mark on a commodity or

product signifies that the commodity or
product is consistently manufactured in
accordance with the relevant Sri Lanka
Standard Specification and with the assurance
of optimal quality. Compliance with the
requirements of the specification is assured
through regular monitoring of the quality
assurance system through quality audits
carried out by qualified Auditors of the
Institution and product testing.”
Cost of Quality