Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management

Purpose – To provide a decision support tool for long-term management of subcontractor supply chain for achieving better quality in construction.

Design/methodology/approach – Defects on three construction projects are investigated through direct observation, document analysis, and interviews. A method to analyse and present defects information as an aid to decision making in relation to subcontractor supply chain management is proposed, and its application is illustrated by using the information obtained from the study.

Findings – The importance of managing the subcontractor supply chain to reduce the incidence of defects is established. The nature and extent of the defects, along with what caused them, are discussed. Method for conversion of raw data into a decision support tool is presented.

Research limitations/implications – The data collection method was limited in that it was not based on continuous full-time observation. Such presence by independent observers for full duration of the project would provide more accurate information.

Practical implications – A useful tool for the construction industry in view of the fact that most of the construction work is now done by subcontractors and the head contractors primarily act as project managers.

Originality/value – The concept of using Pareto analysis/histogram for managing quality has been around for a considerable period of time. This paper converts it into a more efficient and useful decision support tool.