Evaluating the Effectiveness of Quality Control Measures in Project Management: A Study of Construction Companies in Lusaka

Abstract

Quality control measures implemented in project management functions of construction companies function as essential elements which support project achievement, client fulfillment, and business endurance. Effective quality control mechanisms help identify and fix errors in advance as well as uphold industry standards and regulations to deliver project outputs that fulfill requirements and client needs. Operationally strong quality control systems decrease the expenses associated with costly project rework and project delays and resource wastage to enhance both budgetary efficiency and schedule performance. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate how well quality control methods perform in construction project oversight at Lusaka-based companies. The investigation employed a cross-section survey allowing the use of quantitative statistical analysis. Primary data was gathered from 50 construction companies using a structured questionnaire consisting of closed-ended questions. Chi-square analysis revealed relationships between different groups of variables while binomial and multinomial statistical methods measured binary and multidimensional success rates.  The findings demonstrated that quality control was assessed to be effective by 56.4% of participants but delayed projects for 43.6% due to quality issues which proved crucial for project time management. The research data showed that quality control effectiveness creates a statistically significant link with project delays (Chi-Square p < 0.05). The study revealed poor quality audit practices among participants. Quality control measures led to decreased rework according to 81.8% and 78.2% expressed high satisfaction with project quality when quality control measures are implemented. A majority of 63.6% of respondents implemented technology-based quality control solutions which shortened project while reducing project expenses and delivering improved project quality. A solid positive relationship appeared between how well technology supports quality control and general quality control practices (Pearson coefficient = 0.893). Quality control measures improve the efficiency of construction projects, but they should be further improved as many projects still get delayed as a result of quality issues. However, regular audits could be improved, and also management support could be better. Therefore, to have better quality control in the organizations, investment should be made in employee training, adoption of the latest technologies, frequent audits, enough resource allocation, bottlenecks and delays, updates on quality processes, leadership commitment, and employee involvement in order to address these areas.