Stuff, Quality, Structure makes a case for identity metaphysics. It defends categorial monism, the view that there's only one fundamental metaphysical category, which Strawson calls 'stuff'. It argues for the ultimate metaphysical identity of things that other views hold to be irreducibly distinct. It rejects separatism, which posits such irreducible metaphysical differences. The notions of object, process, property, state, and event seem to signal fundamental ontological differences, but these differences are superficial, according to identity metaphysics. The same goes for energy/force/laws of nature/causation/power: according to identity metaphysics, these are different ways of conceptualizing the same phenomenon, the best name for which is simply 'the nature of stuff'. More particularly: identity metaphysics opposes (1) object-property separatism and (2) stuff-law separatism. It then denies that (1) and (2) themselves are fundamentally different issues. Strawson also endorses 'stuff monism', the view that there is only one kind of fundamental stuff, and favours 'thing monism', the view that there is only one fundamental entity in reality. He then considers the place of the notion of structure in an account of concrete reality. Structure considered just as such is an abstract, wholly logico-mathematically characterizable phenomenon. If a structure is concretely realized it must be realized by something that isn't itself just a matter of structure. It is arguable, nevertheless, that a thing's structural nature may--and perhaps must--completely fix its non-structural nature in any world, or at least in any world to which the notion of structure is generally applicable.

This book examines the various quality management systems applied to the construction industry in Hong Kong and other parts of the world. Hong Kong's experience is particularly important because it plays a leading role in construction quality management globally. The text traces the change from quality control (QC) practice in the 1970s and 1980s, to the quality assurance (QA) concept in the 1990s, and finally to the emerging total quality management (TQM) philosophy. All the tools and techniques used in relation to construction quality management are discussed in detail in the 12 chapters.

The ISO 9000 family of quality standards has been adopted world-wide as a framework for building better relationships between suppliers and customers. Originally a manufacturing-industry concern, quality is now acknowledged to be a key issue for the construction sector whose clients increasingly demand quality certification. This book explains the concepts and practice of quality assurance and management in construction. Clearly written and well illustrated, with plenty of sample quality system documents and other pro-forma, this book will make the daunting task of developing, implementing and managing a quality system a great deal easier for contractors. This is practical guide for building and construction contractors and sub-contractors, project managers and other construction professionals. Also for undergraduate and postgraduate students of building, construction management and project management.

Most quality management programs focus on the tools that can be employed to improve quality, but the long-term results of these efforts have been mixed. The only way to ensure that quality improvement will have lasting consequences for a firm is to change the corporate culture. Having the appropriate level of technical knowledge to address quality problems is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for realizing the hoped-for improvement. Only when the entire culture of the corporation, starting with a visionary leader and senior management, is receptive to the adoption of new tools will any substantial progress be made. Fairfield-Sonn, a management consultant and professor of management, argues that success in this endeavor depends not only on mastering the components of a quality corporate culture but on understanding how to put those components together. He describes not only what must be done to establish a quality culture but how to stage a rollout of a quality program to enhance the likelihood of the effort's long-term success. Four in-depth case studies—Fidelity Investments, General Electric, Torrington Supply Company, and Connecticut Renaissance—are presented for illustration and instruction by way of example. Geared toward executives and consultants as well as those teaching courses in production and operations management, process management, total quality management, and corporate culture.

Utilize a set of practical guidelines to help your Agile organization elevate software design quality as an important business driver to achieve customer satisfaction and, ultimately, higher revenue for your company. This is the first book to focus on a holistic quality view—what it is and how it links to overall business enhancements. The real-world examples used in this book allow you to learn and apply similar strategies and guidelines to help create a quality blueprint for your organization. Five pillars of quality are defined that can be used for any industry and, once internalized, can serve as a set of tools to continuously improve and measure the key factors impacting quality. What You’ll Learn Be aware of the key elements in any transformation that involves culture Link quality and business outcomes Understand quality and its holistic definition and why continuous improvement is still a relevant approach in enhancing quality Follow guidelines with specific examples that can be applied to any product release in any type of industry to improve quality and enhance Agile processes Utilize relevant metrics to measure and continuously improve to make incremental positive changes Who This Book Is For Individuals at various levels in organizations—from Agile scrum teams, all the way up to executive leadership

The first edition published in 2010. The response was encouraging and many people appreciated a book that was dedicated to quality management in construction projects. Since it published, ISO 9000: 2008 has been revised and ISO 9000: 2015 has published. The new edition will focus on risk-based thinking which must be considered from the beginning and throughout the project life cycle. There are quality-related topics such as Customer Relationship, Supplier Management, Risk Management, Quality Audits, Tools for Construction Projects, and Quality Management that were not covered in the first edition. Furthermore, some figures and tables needed to be updated to make the book more comprehensive.

This code applies to the acceptance of construction quality of foundation engineering. The requirements for acceptance of construction quality of the technological files and the contract documents used in construction of building foundation are no lower than the provisions of this code.

This book focuses on the implementation of Quality Function Deployment (QFD) in the construction industry as a tool to help building designers arrive at optimal decisions for external envelope systems with sustainable and buildable design goals. In particular, the book integrates special features into the conventional QFD tool to enhance its performance. These features include a fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making method, fuzzy consensus scheme, and Knowledge Management System (KMS). This integration results in a more robust decision support tool, known as the Knowledge-based Decision Support System QFD (KBDSS-QFD) tool. As an example, the KBDSS-QFD tool is used for the assessment of building envelope materials and designs for high-rise residential buildings in Singapore in the early design stage. The book provides the reader with a conceptual framework for understanding the development of the KBDSS-QFD tool. The framework is presented in a generalized form in order to benefit building professionals, decision makers, analysts, academics and researchers, who can use the findings as guiding principles to achieve optimal solutions and boost efficiency.