The Impact of Quality Assurance, Quality Control, and Total Quality Management on Cost Efficiency and Rework Reduction in the Construction Projects
Received: 31 January 2026 | Revised: 19 February 2026, 10 March 2026, and 13 March 2026 | Accepted: 15 March 2026 | Online: 14 April 2026
Corresponding author: Murat Ozcelik
Abstract
Despite research on quality management, construction rework imposes substantial cost burdens on building projects. Previous studies have focused on conceptual frameworks without quantifying their real financial implications. Hence, this study examines how Quality Assurance (QA), Quality Control (QC), and Total Quality Management (TQM) interact to influence project economics, using 180 nonconformance reports from high-rise residential projects conducted between 2019 and 2024 to establish an empirical relationship between quality system maturity and the Cost Of Poor Quality (COPQ). Two analytical tools were developed: the Quality Cost Impact Metric (QCIM) and Quality Maturity Index 2.0 (QMI 2.0). These metrics quantify financial exposure through a prevention–appraisal–failure framework, providing construction managers with a decision-support approach grounded in actual project data. The results revealed distinct failure patterns across construction phases. Structural defects occurred infrequently, but generated severe financial consequences. In contrast, architectural works exhibited persistent, moderate-cost failures that gradually eroded profitability. Increasing the quality maturity was associated with nonlinear reductions in rework-related costs, with preventive strategies yielding greater cost reductions than reactive correction measures in the projects examined. These findings provide an empirically grounded framework for early-stage risk assessment and resource allocation in complex construction environments.
Keywords:
quality management, TQM, QA/QC, COPQ, rework, cost efficiencyDownloads
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