The strive for productivity and quality: Views of UK project managers

Simultaneous improvement in productivity and quality has long been a goal in construction. Previous research and modern management philosophy postulates a positive relationship between these goals. However, the feasibility of consistently achieving this on a construction site remains rather a contentious issue. The views of 38 UK contractors' project managers regarding this and other (related) hypotheses are presented. Comparative evaluation of factors known to impact productivity and quality is presented, embracing the contribution of different project coalition members towards these performance aspects. The views of project managers are divided, but the majority subscribe to the view generally held, that a trade-off (i.e. inverse) relationship exists. It is shown that contractors are considered to have more control over these performance aspects than other coalition members and that, partnering would appear to be widely perceived as having a significant impact on both productivity and quality.