Abstract:
International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has developed series of standards and
guidelines popularly known as ISO 9000 to enable any organization to develop Quality
Management System for that particular organization. Application of this system as a
management technique enables to reduce the undisciplined use of resources of human and
machine power, material and time. Quality Management as a managerial tool is being applied
in many manufacturing organizations today in Sri Lanka. In the construction industry public
as well as the private sector, requirement of application of the ISO 9000 quality management
has not been fully identified so far and the Department of Irrigation is not an exception in this
regard. To study in detail the present quality practices prevailing in the divisional level of the
Irrigation Department, with reference to the most appropriate clauses of ISO 9001 standards,
a questionnaire surveywas carried out.
The basic requirement of the ISO 9000 quality management system is the development of a
set of documents namely Quality Manual, Quality Procedures and Work Instructions and
Project Quality Plans for any new project. Implementation of the documented system with
necessary modifications when required is simply the application of ISO 9000 series. lt is
evident from this survey, the practices in related to quality within the Department of
Irrigation far behind the ISO 9000 system
Awarding contracts to the lower grade contractors of lesser technical knowledge and
experience is very common in all the divisions. Obtaining quality works relevant to the ISO
9000 requirements from such groups seems to be very difficult. Selection of contractors
especially with quality management capabilities is an urgent need to maintain the quality
standards of the construction works related to irrigation system development.
This study revealed that the development of a quality system in accordance with ISO 9000
standards and implementation is a need for the Irrigation Department for further improvement
of quality all the activities. Development of a Quality Policy and commitment of the entire
staff of the Irrigation Department from the senior management to the field level in this
respect would facilitateto achieve the objectives.
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