Defects at handover act as a dampener on many otherwise successful projects, from the most humble jobs up to prestige developments. There is also the waste, cost and disruption which arise from defects which disrupt the construction process. Defects lead to disappointment, arguments, disruption, waste of money, energy, time and loss of reputation and sometimes to litigation. The aim of the CIRIA project ‘Towards Zero Defects’ was to discuss how we can improve this situation.
A team of industry practitioners held a series of workshops at CIRIA, working on a toolkit to provide guidance on this knotty subject. The CIRIA team initially focused upon the defects themselves. Categories of defects were identified and the reasons for them explored. At subsequent workshops the team considered what had been learnt within their own organisations and their own projects.
From all this work messages were agreed for industry and for participants in construction projects. The thoughts presented are there to be used to promote thought and activity to suit the many diverse situations within which we in our industry operate.