Quality‐Measurement Matrix

Abstract

This paper reports on a portion of a study conducted by the Quality Performance Measurements Task Force of the Construction Industry Institute, Austin, Tex., on quality measurements for engineer‐procure‐construct (EPC) projects. A literature search and a survey of 34 large companies (owners and contractors) resulted in more than 600 specific quality‐measurement examples. A quality‐measurements database was developed that included 62 industry “best practices.” A model, called the quality‐measurement matrix, was developed to catalog examples in the database by the project phases of preplanning, design, procurement, construction, start‐up, operation, and final disposition as well as the total‐quality‐management elements: customer focus, leadership, delivery, and employee empowerment. For each example in the database, the matrix shows the location and type of measurement, along with a brief description of how the measurement is used. These best practices can be used by project teams in defining, or refining, their current measurement needs and developing quality measurements for their own EPC projects. An example of the use of the quality‐measurement matrix is provided.