Influence Of Total Quality Management Strategies On The Construction Of Power Line Projects By Rural Electrification Authority Kenya

Abstract

Organizations are the world over trying to come up with ways to satisfy their customer‘s needs and expectations. The adoption of a Total Quality Management System and its subsequent certification is a voluntary and consensus based process supported by an organization’s own strategy, motivations, policy and goals. The Rural Electrification Authority is of particular interest for this study because electrical infrastructure is fundamental ingredients to socio economic growth. Executing such quality system during rural electrification and making better public management decision is crucial for everyone. Rural Electrification Authority has been implementing various quality management systems during construction of power lines, in order to enhance the quality of electrical infrastructure in their rural electrification projects. This study seeks to establish the influence of total quality management practices on the construction of power line projects by Rural Electrification Authority Kenya. The objectives of the study were to determine the influence of top management commitment, customer focus, and continuous improvements on the construction of power line projects by rural electrification authority Kenya. The study was conducted using a descriptive survey research design. This study was conducted using a descriptive survey research design. The target population in this study was 40 respondents which comprised of the project team and stakeholders of Rural Electrification Authority during the power line construction process. Due to the small population size, the study carried out total enumeration of all the respondents. The researcher used questionnaire to collect primary data. Descriptive statistic was used in data analysis. A regression model was applied to determine the relative importance of each of the variables with respect to construction of power line projects. The contribution of key management is very important for the project because they work hard to ensure the projects are done and are of great quality. Customer focus was found to significantly influence the construction of power line projects by Rural Electrification Authority Kenya. The study established that continuous improvement influences the construction of power line projects by rural electrification authority Kenya. The study also found that employee empowerment is statistically significant to construction of power line projects by rural electrification authority Kenya. The study recommends that the management of Rural Electrification Authority Kenya should establish a team from inside or outside the company for training. The study recommends that the management of Rural Electrification Authority Kenya should ensure continuous check on customers’ requirements to find areas in which improvements can be made so as to ensure total quality is achieved. The study further recommends that the management should warrant that the whole organization, and not just frontline service staff, puts its customers first; this will ensure that they meet customer expectations thus achieving quality