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EXTENSIONS AND ALTERNATIVES TO INSPECTION 36 held computers are used in the field to facilitate access to design data and previous inspection information. Development of expert systems software will supplement the inspector's judgment in quality control. Already in use are electronic surveying and leveling devices that have improved dramatically the dimensional accuracy of construction. These devices are also yielding benefits in faster construction because less time is required to tailor components on site to fit idiosyncratic results of preceding stages of construction. Such resultsâimproved accuracy and construction timeâassure true and unambiguous improvements in construction quality. QUALITY MEASUREMENT SYSTEMS The Construction Industry Institute has developed a Quality Performance Management System (QPMS), which classifies and tracks the costs of quality during the design and construction of projects.31 This management tool is designed to determine what quality management activities and deviation categories are involved in a project and to ascertain when (i.e., during which project phases) the quality management activities and deviation costs occur. The manager is helped to discover why the deviations occur and to learn how the rework relates to the quality management. The tool thus can provide cost-of- quality information to establish baselines and identify opportunities for improvement, without providing either too much or too little detail. Appendix E summarizes principal elements of the Quality Performance Management System. 31 The Quality Management Task Force, February, 1990. The Quality Performance Management System: A Blueprint for Implementation, Publication 10-3, The Construction Industry Institute, The University of Texas at Austin.
