Assessment of the role of the client's representative for quality improvement

Several international studies have perceived the UK construction industry as less productive than those of the other progressive nations. Moreover, many UK construction clients have expressed dissatisfaction regarding the delivery of the completed projects, the quality of service and the predictability of cost. In order to address these problems, client-led innovation in construction projects has been emphasized by Sir Michael Latham's report Constructing the Team . The quality of the service that the client receives depends partly on the client's own involvement in the project. This will require the client to take a positive approach to promoting continuous improvement to all work situations. The traditional role of the client's representative varies from one of simply designing to the full monitoring of the project. It may also include project management activities such as planning, scheduling, coordinating and motivating. In total quality management (TQM) the administrative tasks of the client's representative include many aspects already addressed under traditional arrangements. However, current literature suggests that confusion exists over the involvement and participation of the client's representative when TQM is adopted in construction projects. To address this problem, research was conducted to identify the critical tasks for the client's representative to achieve total quality in construction. The findings also developed relevant best practices to be performed by the client's representative. This paper concentrates on the tasks of the client's representative, and assesses their importance in terms of improving quality in construction.