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Last month’s World Quality Week (WQW) was a timely reminder to put quality at the forefront our minds and actions, and for several reasons.

There’s the cost of poor quality. The Get It Right Initiative (GIRI) estimates that the total cost of avoidable errors (defects) in the UK construction industry ranges from 10% to 25% of project cost, which equates to approximately £10-25 billion per year. That’s quite a black hole.

Then there’s the Building Safety Regulator (BSR). They are changing our approach to quality by implementing a more rigorous, accountable, and transparent regulatory system that forces all industry stakeholders to prioritise safety throughout a building’s entire lifecycle. This involves a shift from a reactive to a more proactive, strategic approach to quality, especially for higher-risk buildings (HRBs).

The theme of last month’s WQW was `Quality: think differently’, inviting organisations, teams, and individuals to reflect on and reimagine how we approach quality, challenging traditional approaches to quality management, and embracing new ways of thinking.

Hosted by the Chartered Quality Institute (CQI), WQW aims to raise awareness about quality management and recognize those who champion it.  Each year has a new theme to explore different aspects of quality, such as moving beyond basic compliance to focus on performance, the ethics of quality, and the critical role quality management and culture play in fostering innovation, and creating sustainable value for customers and wider society.

Here, Martyn Jones examines some of the takeaways from this year’s WQW.

They argue that ‘think differently’ means cultivating resilient and agile quality cultures to navigate today’s complex and ever-changing business environment.

This means that quality is not just about processes and tools – it’s about creating a culture that prioritises improvement, innovation, and excellence at every level.

Organisations, teams, and individuals all play vital roles in shaping this culture, making it essential for everyone to take an active part in upholding high standards.

Quality should not exist in isolation, but used to foster a culture of improvement for success, whether within a team, a supply chain, leading an organisation or in personal development.

And embedding a quality culture provides a competitive advantage and creates lasting value.

They identify 3 essential elements: alignment, performance, and people.

Quality should be aligned with organisational goals, identifying opportunities to achieve sustainable growth and maintain stakeholder trust. Embedding quality into strategic decision-making can help ensure long-term corporate and project success, enabling organisations and project teams to stay resilient and competitive.

Performance means achieving and maintaining high-quality standards within a proactive approach to identify and mitigate risks while driving performance improvements. Organisations should foster a culture where data-driven insights inform decision-making and empower teams act to prevent issues before they arise, ensuring continuous improvement and helping deliver greater value.

By people, they mean engaging the right people in the management and improvement of quality bearing in mind that it’s everyone’s responsibility, not just that of a dedicated team. This means empowering individuals across all functions to take ownership of quality in their everyday roles. By fostering collaboration, encouraging learning, and sharing best practices, we can create a quality-driven mindset that supports long-term success.

In-house, the CE publication, `The Enlightened Clients Journey to Project Quality and Compliance’ recognises the pivotal role played by clients in achieving quality in construction projects. It encourages clients and their advisors to take a more strategic approach to achieving quality outcomes by aligning their procurement, product design, processes, and people with their quality goals. In doing so, consistently meeting and maybe exceeding the expectations of clients, project stakeholders, communities, and the wider population.

Increasingly we are expected to see quality management as a strategy rather than treating it as a non-strategic function or a compliance activity. It means integrating quality principles into core business and project planning, building a culture to gain a sustainable competitive advantage, and restoring our reputation as an industry capable of delivering excellent products and services.