Quality Improvement in Construction Activity (Case Study Approach) using Vandermonde and Spline Interpolation Techniques

There are two variables that are considered vital elements in any construction activities;
cost and quality. Many misinterpret quality of products or services as what you see from
the result of the project and how the product/ service being delivered to the client. In
reality, the scope of quality involves the whole business model. In quality improvement
effort, new methods are adopted namely Vandermonde and spline interpolation.
Somehow these two methods are still new in construction industry as there is no
established fmdings had been made. This study is continuity from Izzat (20 II) whereby
similar approach using Vandermonde and spline was adopted but with small-size case
study and from that, some weakness had been identified particularly for Vandermonde
interpolation. It is unable to portray clear break-even points in total cost's curve
compared to spline interpolation because the data available was insufficient. Thus, the
objective of this study is to show how Vandermonde and spline interpolation techniques
can be effective quality management tools by using larger-scale case study compared to
the previous one. Interpolations for curves are generated using MATLAB application.
Both interpolation methods are expected to show better correlation between prevention,
appraisal and failure costs and at the same time produce the optimal point of the total
cost. The results show that spline can produce smoother and better-fitted curves
compared to Vandermonde hence able to provide reliable break-even points. From the
points obtained, the company can optimize investment and at the same time produce
high quality products. By implementing this new quality mode~ the company also can
monitor the curve's pattern of the project they are conducting and take immediate action
whenever they notice the increasing pattern of failure cost.