On the quality of construction engineering design projects : criteria and impacting factors

Utilizes approaches from systems analysis, quality management and previous empirical results to formulate the framework for the study. Took selected engineering consulting firms in Taiwan as research subjects for the empirical portion of the studies. The scope is restricted to the design phase of the construction project. Synthesizes an AHP architecture from the system concept and total management philosophy and provides an in‐depth understanding of the criteria of quality and impacting factors to form the basis on which to enhance and control quality. Combines expert opinions from project owners, engineering executives and project managers. Integrates these diversified, intangible quality perceptions into a concrete representation. Among the eight quality criteria, conformity to codes and standards, constructability and conformance to owners’ requirements are ranked high on the list, although the ranking may be somewhat influenced by the expertise of those included in the survey. Analyses the relative importance of impacting factors among the respondents and concludes by suggesting potential uses for the AHP architecture and indicates areas for future research.