Evaluation Of Compliance with ISO 9001 Quality Management Principles by Construction Firms in Enugu State Nigeria

Abstract

The study aims to evaluate the compliance of construction firms in Enugu State with ISO 9001 standards, with a view to identifying opportunities for improvements that can be implemented by the firms. The study adopted a questionaire survey design aided by interviews and literature reviews. Findings of the study show that quality management policy exists in over 70% of the construction firms in the study area. However, while this percentage has quality management policies, others engage in quality management practices but do not have policy documents guiding their practices within their firm. Quality management policies of construction firms do not also completely comply with ISO standards. The “Focus on Customers” principle of quality management received the highest level of compliance while the “Continuous Improvement” principle received the lowest level of compliance with ISO 9001 standards. The study concluded by recommending that construction firms should always gain the commitment of their staff in the course of complying with ISO 9001 standards by motivating their employees with appropriate motivation schemes. It is also recommended that to sustain the level of compliance with ISO 9001 in a construction firm, the firm should further maintain a continuous improvement approach and always update its quality management policies.