Construction project performance in Zambia: A case study of public high schools

The study considers construction project performance in Zambia, through a case study of public high schools, constructed between the years 2006 to 2016. The quality of the built infrastructure has been in question for years, where resources spent do not match up with the life span. The cycle of replacing rapidly deteriorating infrastructure for the country is not sustainable. The study aimed at establishing a framework to improve quality management of school infrastructure projects. In its objectives, it investigated the relationships between certified quality management systems and performance levels in project environments: the state of building elements in constructed schools by looking at defects, the overall project performance, by assessing quality management systems of stakeholders, and the role each played towards quality achievement. Data was collected through: (i) the questionnaire, where 33 of the target 50 school administrators participated, (ii) observation, where 33 of the target 50 schools were observed, and (iii) structured interviews with key stakeholders, involving 3 client institutions, 2 consulting architects, and 5 contractor representatives. Triangulation of data collected from end-users and through observation confirmed the presence of defects in the ‘sub-surface’, ‘construction’, and ‘materials’ deficiency categories. Other findings included incomplete quality management systems in some construction firms, fragmented application of quality management at project level by key stakeholders, and a lack of or weak application of existing regulation. In its contribution to knowledge, the study has proposed a remedial framework which addresses noted gaps by recommending a ‘review process’ of stakeholder QM input in the high school projects. Information obtained should be used to fill up gaps in stakeholder participation in project life cycle QM. It should equally be used to set up a National QM data base aimed at enhancing efforts to define, plan and implement QM in project life cycles.