The construction sector in Sweden has for some
time suffered from poor performance and a lack of control
in various steps of the process. Due to the sector’s problems
with numerous faults and the increased costs for buildings,
the Swedish government initiated the Building Commission,
whose assignment was to focus on where the problems were
and how to increase the effectiveness instead of the costs.
They found, amongst other things, problems with cost and
faults related to the construction. Risks and other
uncertainties can cause losses that lead to increased costs,
time delays and lack of quality during the progression of the
projects and at their end. Quality and uncertainties appear in
various shapes. In projects the objectives are most often
related to time, cost, quality and function and client
satisfaction. In organizations, depending on the risk
management focus, different relations between the
objectives and the definition of quality exist. The quality
definition is therefore highly dependent on the choice of
applied management focus in the organization. In the
construction industry the management focus on site is
closest related describe as project quality management and
safety quality management. At other levels, apart from the
project site, the focus is somewhat different. Quality
management is generally a part of other management
systems such as risk, environmental or work environmental
management systems. Some core values are common in
many environmental management systems viz. the
commitment of all employees, customer focus, management
commitment, focus on process, continuous improvementand fact-based decisions. These core values are closely
connected and could easily be found in the theoretical
framework of quality management. The current focus on
quality management should be regarded as a complement
and a development of the already implemented management
systems used by companies. Either way, quality
management is a crucial part of the total project
management system regardless of the focus on time, quality,
environment or work environment.