Structural equation model to investigate the factors influencing quality performance in Indian construction projects

Abstract

Indian construction industry has seen remarkable growth and it is an integral part of the economy with massive foreign investments which demands quality construction. The pressure to reduce time and cost of construction increases the risk on the part of stakeholders with respect to quality and safety of the construction. The problem is serious and dangerous in developing countries like India which requires focus and attention for sustained growth in construction sector. This research reports on the adoption and development of structural equation model to study the fundamental relationship between five enablers of European Foundation for quality management (EFQM) framework to improve the quality performance in Indian construction projects. Data collected from clients, contractors and consultants of Indian construction industry through questionnaire survey was used to analyze the conceptual framework using smart PLS software. The conceptual model in this research includes eight hypotheses and T-statistics values is used for checking the significance of the hypothesis. The findings of the study revealed that leadership factor has strongest total effect on people factor (Path coefficient = 0.77) and process factor has strongest effect in achieving the goals of quality performance improvement in construction projects (Path coefficient = 0.7). The results indicate that Indian construction organizations must give top priority to leadership and process related problems in various phases of the project to result in continuous improvement in quality performance.