Impact of project quality culture on defects in infrastructure projects

A Quality Management System (QMS) compliant with the ISO 9001 requirements is a necessity for the bidders of most Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) type contracts in developing countries - to ensure quality assurance and quality control during project implementation. However, construction defects and rework continue to torment infrastructure projects despite the ISO 9001 certification of the key project players (client, consultant, and contractor). This research investigates the mismatch between an ISO-9001-certified QMS and quality-related poor performance in infrastructure projects. A single case study approach was adopted, and project documentation was scrutinised using thematic analysis. Frequency analysis was then used to identify project cultural factors contributing to poor-quality performance, which were later analysed against the ISO 9001:2015 principles of quality management using qualitative software. Recalcitrant Project Quality Culture (PQC) was found to be a key cause of the defective work. Hence, we argue that honest and cooperative implementation of a tripartite PQC would reduce the severity of defects and rework in EPC construction projects.