9

Quality Management in Construction:

A Complement to Lean Construction

This chapter addresses several topics that relate to the improvement of quality in construc-
tion, learning from projects and using the lessons learned to improve. The assurance of
quality throughout the life of a project by means of the commissioning function is also
included here. The topics discussed complement the adoption and deployment of lean con-
struction. Built-in quality is a component of lean construction. While lean practices enable
project teams to work cost effectively and with efficient hand offs from one discipline to
another, quality assurance and commissioning are initiatives that ensure that completed
facilities perform as expected and without deficiencies. The adoption of total quality man-
agement or other quality management systems prepares an organization for subsequent
adoption of lean construction. Many of the tools and techniques that are applied to Total
Quality Management and Six Sigma are used by practitioners of lean construction.