Evaluating the quality of construction projects in Egypt and identifying the factors that influence deviation

ABSTRACT

The research aims to assess the quality of construction and construction projects in Egypt (Damanhour City) to monitor and follow up on the reality of the implementation of engineering projects and determine their percentage compared to the methods and international standards adopted for that and then identify the reasons and factors affecting the quality of project implementation. To achieve this, we evaluated the quality and identified the problems related to it in a sample of construction projects implemented in the year 2021, and this was done by measuring the percentage of conformity to quality requirements using checklists according to the standards of the quality management program BIM 360 field, and the conformity rate was 88% and indicates the existence of a real problem according to international standards, so problems and deviations related to quality were identified and the reasons leading to the occurrence of these problems were identified, which were classified into three factors, namely laws, regulations and compliance It has technical factors and administrative factors, which constitute the basis that must be based on it and try to improve the quality of projects, and summarized the research to the need to work by the concerned authorities to reformulate laws related to engineering work and develop them with the identification of systems and procedures to improve technical and administrative factors in engineering projects.

KEYWORDS:

• Engineering project management
• quality deviation
• checklists
• construction project
• quality problems
• Egypt

Introduction

The construction industry has been criticized over the past years as a result of low performance and productivity compared to other industries, and locally, many researches [1], and [2] have indicated a noticeable deviation of projects in Egypt from their main objectives of cost, duration and quality. It will not be appropriate in light of the increasing global competition, especially in the next stage of project redevelopment, which requires increased production with relatively short periods and cost constraints, the traditional management method has continued, which has generated a significant decrease from the plans set and a decline in the quality of projects. Faster construction, and advanced technology the most important of these practices were Total Quality Management (TQM), on-demand manufacturing, re-engineering [3], and increasingly quality management was applied by construction companies as an initiative to solve quality problems and meet the needs of the end customer. It was considered [4], that construction contracting companies for construction and construction are in dire need of applying quality management as a result of the lack of standards and the participation of many parties, as the applications of quality management systems were considered successful management strategies in many industries. It is necessary to establish and develop more effective methodologies to be applied in order to meet customer requirements and comply with standard conditions and specifications. Achieving safety requirements while maintaining coordination and integration with the basic project determinants (time, cost, comprehensive quality, reducing the risk of delay, project success factors and good project study) [5].

Reference study

Previous studies have identified many quality problems, as it was mentioned [5], that construction and construction projects suffer from many problems related to quality such as customer dissatisfaction, neglect of quality, safety and cleanliness of the work site, unclear drawings, non-application of requirements and inaccurate specifications, lack of conformity of codes and standards, low quality of materials, lack of documentation, and absence of the supervisory role. Quality is defined as meeting the requirements of the customer from the first time and each time [6], as [7], defined by reducing re-work and defects and testing the impact of total quality management on customer satisfaction and proving that its application is closely related to increasing customer satisfaction and many studies indicate the importance and impact of the application of quality management, as mentioned [8], in a survey participated by more than 100 companies in the United States of America that important economic benefits [9], can be obtained through the application of TQM, it has also been concluded [10], that the application of TQM accelerates the implementation of projects while increasing profitability. He stressed that the application of quality management systems improves the relationship between the owner and the construction company and accelerates the achievement of the objectives of the project. When searching [7,11–13], for quality improvement methods, we found that measuring and improving customer satisfaction is one of the most important indicators used to improve quality [13], and the importance of customer satisfaction and its use to evaluate and improve quality from the customer’s point of view has been confirmed by many researchers, as identifying and improving outputs is done by focusing on owner satisfaction and contributes to improving quality in construction companies and in improving performance indicators and increasing the chances of success within a highly competitive market environment. Customer satisfaction is one of the main objectives of TQM issues and one of the main measures of success. Research [14], has stated that achieving an acceptable level of quality in construction projects has become a problem, as it was mentioned that every year a lot of effort, money and resources are wasted due to the lack or inadequacy of quality management procedures, as identified through a reference study [15], of previous research an obstacle to the application of quality management, including lack of senior management support, the difficulty of setting standard procedures where the product differs. Each time a different project is implemented, and a lack of qualified workers to apply quality management and others. He also identified quality obstacles through interviews with contractors, where he mentioned eight reasons and ranked them according to importance, where the first obstacle was the lack of trained labor and the adoption of the minimum price method in the selection of the contractor and the lack of cooperative work in a team in the project. It is due to the absence of motivation, where the defects were classified due to negligence or lack of interest, 41% were due to the absence of information, knowledge and experience, while the remaining 9% were due to pressure and existing risks, while the indirect reasons were time and cost constraints and organizational reasons related to the organization of the work mechanism and the roles of shareholders. Some researchers studied on the other hand the impact of the lack of a quality management system on increasing the cost of the project or resulting from the lack of quality application, represented by the cost of rework, which may sometimes rise to 25% of the value of implementation contract, and 15% of the total project cost [16,17], and specified that the reasons for the return increase the cost of the project from 2% to 30%, in addition to the percentage of delay in the project from 10% to 78%, and this is the cause of dissatisfaction for both the owner and the contractor, and he also studied the reasons leading to the re-work, which had an important impact on the cost of the project, namely: poor and insufficient supervision, poor implementation, inappropriate selection of the general contractor, incorrect acceptance of the works.

Research importance and objectives

The research aims to measure quality and customer satisfaction and identify quality problems in construction projects in Damanhour city, Egypt by direct measurement of them in a sample of projects, which helps to download and identify the main causes and factors leading to these problems and thus develop an accurate classification of the causes and factors causing low quality and takes into account the specificity of the implementation of projects in Egypt. This download constitutes an important framework for improving the construction environment of projects in Egypt because it forms a basis that contributes to the development of comprehensive and effective solutions to improve quality in Implementation of projects.

Research methodology and tools used

To evaluate the quality of projects, two indicators were adopted, namely customer satisfaction and the percentage of errors in the implementation of works (Figure 1). The questionnaire developed before to measure external customer satisfaction, where several factors are investigated and the influencing elements are identified, as knowing and measuring these elements helps in identifying problems related to the customer and thus defects related to business and methods of implementation. The questionnaire includes 6 main axes comprising 25 sub-items as follows: 1. The level of achievement of the main objectives of the project, 2. Quality assurance and receipt, 3. Individuals, 4. Cooperation, 5. Technical evaluation of contractors’ performance at the project site, 6. Transparency and commitment to the ethics of practicing the profession and 7. Supply, supply and general undertakings. To measure internal customer satisfaction, the questionnaire developed by [20] was used, which included five items as follows: 1. Ethics of practicing the profession, 2. Workplace, 3. Communication and information, 4. Availability of suitable tools and 5. Delivery.

Figure 1. Chart illustrate methodology of research.

As for measuring problems related to quality, it was done by determining the conformity ratio, which is the percentage of work done correctly from the first time, and to determine it, quality controls were carried out that match the specifications, through the adoption of checklists for the items of the work carried out, because measuring errors related to quality without the presence of checklists or verification that include the required standards for the implementation of the work will not provide a record of the work that was carried out well or about errors, and errors may be forgotten so that we do not have an accurate record of the problems encountered in the implementation of the project, where checklists were used that include the standards for the implementation of the work in terms of quality assurance, which includes the standards that must be achieved before starting the implementation of the work and quality control standards that include the standards that must be achieved during the implementation of the work to follow up its implementation because it is not only important to control the quality of resources such as workers, mechanisms and materials, but it is essential to apply quality standards for operations. The methodology for implementing the various works included in the project, and using the lists can monitor the quality of building and construction of the project in terms of conformity to the specifications of various items of work, record keeping, material tests and calibration of mechanisms, as the low quality becomes clear after it becomes a reality, but it is not always clear before it occurs, so the checklists for quality assurance and control help in quality assurance and early knowledge of problems that allow preventing their occurrence or fixing them with the least losses. Quality inspection lists were used according to the auto disk 360 field program to manage the quality of project implementation, as the program includes 400 quality checklists covering various items of work, and the checklists were selected for the items of work that were under implementation during the conduct of the research, which will be presented below during the discussion of the results. Damanhour City by the National Service Projects Organization for General Contracting, which is the case of the study in the research, where questionnaires were distributed to measure the satisfaction of the external client by the supervisory body in the four projects, and he is the consultant because he is the representative of the owner and he is authorized to accept and receive the works and therefore he is the one who judges the quality of the project as a whole because any defect in the implementation of the work will affect the quality of the work related to it and we filled out the special form by the project manager and the implementation engineers in the four projects those responsible for the workshops on site, as for measuring the percentage of errors in the work carried out, it was done by interviewing the project manager and following up and monitoring the implementation of these works on site.

Results and discussion

Quality will be measured using checklists: Checklists were used for operations according to the four areas as defined in the Autodesk 360 field:- Quality assurance checklists- Quality control checklists- Safety menus- Checklists Table 1 shows the proposed lists for quality assurance, safety and business inspection, which are inspection lists for the items of work carried out in the sample of projects during the study period 2021, the table also includes problems related to quality and their ratio to the standards required to be achieved within the examination lists did not mention the recurring problems were mentioned in the project only. Supervision, which leads to the occurrence of rework, which causes delays and increased costs in construction and building projects may delay the receipt of the project permanently for years, which is a common situation in many projects that have been implemented in recent years in the city of Damanhur, we find that there is a real problem of quality and this problem causes re-work, which leads to delays, increased cost and low quality, which was confirmed by the research that we referred to during the presentation of the research problem, and we also note that the majority of projects face a real problem for quality and only one project achieved an acceptable ratio. An example of the checklist is shown in Table 2.

Table 1. Checklists and quality percentage in the sample of studied projects.

Project	Checklist name	Quality issues	Quality ratio
A	-Building Works Inspection List -List of assurance and quality control of the building’s work -Safety list for pouring foundations -Warranty list, seizure and inspection Wood Intensity Quality -Warranty list, seizure and inspection Quality Rebar -List of control and inspection of the quality of the distribution of Hordi - List of guarantee, control and inspection of the quality of pouring foundations and structure	Machines are used for non-purpose purposes assigned to it Safety inspectors do not visit the site. Computational design, reinforcement and reinforcement of casting formwork, high scaffolding and temporary excavation structures are not done. Employees are not subject to periodic medical examinations. No safety guidelines. No protective clothing, personal protective equipment or means of protection are provided. No alternative emergency plans available. Safety measures are not taken during the installation of wooden rigs and pouring of foundations. The change is made in the plan or special conditions affecting the casting of foundations.	95%
B	-List of assurance and quality control of sanitary and sanitation works -Sanitary Works Inspection List -List of assurance and quality control of electrical works Lists of guarantee, control and inspection of paint works -Tile quality assurance and quality control lists -Lists of guarantee and quality control of marble flooring -Ceramics quality assurance and control lists -Checklists of assurance and quality control of doors	Not ensuring that PVC plastic pipes penetrating the external wall ran are placed inside a steel pipe and insulated to prevent water from entering the building. Not making sure to install pipes with a specific distance of 10 times the diameter of the pipe. Uncertainty of network ventilation system. Uncertainty that groundwater is not submerged. Not making sure that the plans are prepared and handed over to the irrigation consultation at the end of each work.	88%
C	- Lists of control and inspection of the building’s works - Safety list for cladding works - Lists of guarantee, control and inspection of paint works - Warranty, seizure and inspection lists Ceramics Quality Assurance and Control List -Lists of ensuring and controlling the quality of doors and carpentry work Safety list for cladding works	Not making sure that the doors are stored and handled appropriately so that they are arranged horizontally and insulated and not exposed to weather factors Failure to check the doors Varieties, veneers, number of supports, gaskets, (Failure to prepare a report on every accident or incident in the workplace Uncertainty of the time between the addition of water to the mortar and the final application process Not making sure that works are protected before painting (tiles, doors, windows, electrical works).Uncertainty of the quality of wood used in all types of wood work	81%
D	-Lists of control and inspection of the building’s works- Safety list for cladding works - Lists of guarantee, control and inspection of paint works - Warranty, seizure and inspection lists Ceramics Quality Assurance and Control List -Lists of ensuring and controlling the quality of doors and carpentry work Safety list for cladding works - Quality control list of false ceiling - Aluminum quality assurance and control lists - Lists of assurance and quality control of doors and carpentry works - Safety list for cladding works - List of assurance and quality control of ceramics - Lists of guarantee and quality control of marble flooring	Failure to check the protection of tiles from external factors Uncertainty about the isolation of the doors and the insulation of their base and top after installation Not checking the presence of lining for the false ceiling Do not check for sound dampers when needed No more than 1.5 mm blank between aluminum and mounting surface Failure to install steam arresters on aluminum windows Not making sure that the doors are stored and handled appropriately so that they are arranged horizontally and isolatedly and not exposed to weather factors Failure to check the doors of varieties, -veneers, number of supports, gaskets, Failure to prepare a report on every accident or incident in the workplace.	89%

Table 2. Checklist to ensure the quality of health works table of quality control list of sanitary and sanitation works.

Name and item number

Evaluation Yes/No

1- Ensure that the pipe connections are suitable so that they are free of leakage 2 - Cleaning the end of plastic pipes from oily materials and dust before applying the adhesive during the bonding process 3. Ensure pressure test two hours after fastening 4. Ensure the diameters of the pipes 5- Ensure that the plastic pipes (PVC) penetrating the external walls are placed within a steel pipe and make sure that these openings are isolated from the inside with two pieces of rubber to prevent water from entering the building 6- Ensure the places of drainage of groundwater away from sweet water 7- Ensure that sweet water pipes are far from electrical installations, gas pipes and saltwater 8. Ensure the tendencies of underground drainage pipes and apply these tendencies accurately 9. Ensure that the ground pipes are well supported at joints, bends and connection points by providing them with supports and supports 10- Drainage pipes are installed in straight lines for the fluidity of water drainage and so that their heads are always directed to the top direction, provided that the pipes are well based on a healthy layer at the bottom of the trenches or concrete mattress and be according to the approved levels 11. Ensure that groundwater is not flooded for the main drilling during rainy seasons

Identify the factors affecting the quality of projects

To determine the criteria that should be used to improve the quality of project construction, the previous factors that were identified were uploaded.

Above from the quality inspection list, where quality problems were identified in many researches from the point of view of workers in projects, but there were few attempts to identify these problems from the point of view of the owner and the reality of practice and monitoring the implementation of various works in projects, so we have in the research identified the reasons leading to the occurrence of these problems and identify the factors causing these deviations, where three factors were reached as follow:

Laws and regulations and compliance with them

Many factors have been identified that affect the quality of project implementation, the most important of which is the poor level of achievement of objectives The main project is due to multiple reasons, including the weak motivation of contractors, weak control and performance evaluation and linking it to wages, classification and the method of selecting the contractor that depends on the lowest price, as well as noncompliance with financial payments on time and the provision of the necessary materials and equipment, which was an obstacle to both external and internal customers due to laws and financial procedures related to financial payments and supply. It was also noted that the contractor’s poor compliance with building laws and regulations in terms of computational design, reinforcement and reinforcement of casting blocks, high scaffolding and temporary excavation structures was also noted. It was also noted that the laws related to safety procedures are weak in projects that are not subject to external inspection and relate only to procedures for the contractor, whose weak commitment to these procedures was observed as a result of weak control.

Technical factors

The technical factors included many reasons that varied between three types, namely the lack of experience of the contractor, such as the inappropriateness of the technical evaluation of the contractor’s performance at the project site as determined by external customers, and the second reason for the technical quality problems is the lack of efficiency of the contractor, as many related problems were identified, including the uncertainty of the time between adding water to the mortar and the final application process, and the third reason for the technical quality problems was the weakness of the specifications, where many were found Quality problems due to lack of specification such as the lack of empty more than 1.5 mm between the aluminum and the mounting surface.

Administrative factors

There have been many problems that have been found due to administrative factors and their causes have multiplied, which were represented in the weakness or absence of systems. To follow up the implementation of the work, where it was noted here that there is no cooperation for the external owner by the work team, which is due to the weak control over the performance of the contractor’s team, as well as poor communication due to the weak partnership between the parties to the project team, also found problems related to delivery and fulfillment of requests, which reflect the weakness of project management tools and coordination between them, as well as weakness in personnel management, where workers are not subject to periodic examinations, and the absence of safety systems was noted, as many problems were found Related to it. It was also noted that quality systems were not applied and there were no quality procedures, as there were also a set of problems related to that as mentioned in Table 2, such as not ensuring the protection of works before painting.

Conclusions and recommendations

Purpose Identify the factors affecting the quality of project implementation In this research, quality was evaluated and problems related to it were identified in a sample of construction projects implemented in the year 2021, using special questionnaires for the supervisory body as a representative of the owner and engineers working for the contractor, where the total customer satisfaction rate was 60%, which needs improvement, as we found that the overall evaluation of internal and external customer satisfaction achieved close values, as external customer satisfaction recorded 59% and internal 61%, and thus customer satisfaction meets expectations to some extent, there is a lot of room for improvement, and the conformity ratio to quality requirements was also measured using checklists according to BIM 360 field standards, and the conformity rate was 88%, which indicates a real problem according to international standards, so it set a 95% conformity rate in order to be acceptable. During the evaluation, the problems and declines related to quality in each of the tools used were identified, and then the reasons leading to the occurrence of these problems were loaded, which were classified into three factors, namely laws and regulations and compliance with them, which included a set of reasons, including poor motivation, control, the method of choosing the contractor, the inappropriateness of laws in terms of the powers granted to the project manager, the weakness of binding laws and laws also related to financial management and supplies, and poor follow-up compliance with laws. The other influential factors were technical factors, which included three main reasons, including the weakness of experience and efficiency of the contractor and the weakness of the technical specifications of the project and also identified administrative factors as factors causing quality problems and included many reasons, the most important of which is the absence of systems such as quality systems, safety, project management and poor supervision. From the above, it was found that the implementation of projects in the current methods generates multiple deviations and problems that affect the quality, cost and duration of projects and any improvement in these factors partially affects the improvement of quality, as some skills, competencies and individual experiences were found during the completion of the research, but they give simple effects because they are individual attempts that collide with other factors that we classified previously, which weakens their impact and does not make them rise to the level of ambition. Therefore, we recommend the result of the research the need to based on the three factors specified in the research when developing any framework or any attempt to improve the quality of projects, and the need to work by the concerned authorities to reformulate and develop laws related to engineering works, especially about the subject of performance evaluation and adoption in incentives, accounting and classification of contractors and about the laws of financial management and procurement, follow-up compliance with the laws related to the practice of the profession by contractors and the development of procedures for improving the technical and administrative factors for the implementation of projects And follow up on compliance with them.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.