Development of a Progress Management System Integrated with the Quality Inspection Process: Case of a nuclear power plant construction project in Korea

Abstract

In this paper, the authors present the concept of a progress management system that synchronizes the quality inspection process with integrated cost-schedule information in construction projects. In general, construction progress has been measured using subjective judgments by field managers or extensively processed cost data. A practical progress management system should be able to maintain and provide objective and reliable progress data on time without extra data processing. The quality inspection process can produce appropriate data for this purpose. However, in conventional construction management practices, progress measurement and quality inspection have been separated. In order to design and implement a system that synchronizes them, the available information that can be provided from current processes were identified and connected using the following steps: 1) analyzing the quality inspection process, 2) identifying the means for measuring progress, 3) determining identical elements in various schedules, and 4) linking quality inspection lots to the means for measuring progress. An on-line system was developed and applied to a nuclear power plant construction project in Korea. The results from operating it show that the conflicts in progress determination between clients and contractors were reduced, and the costs and time for administrative tasks involving the processing of progress management and quality inspection data were saved.