Table of Contents

Introduction.................................................................................................................................................2
Objectives....................................................................................................................................................2
Significance.................................................................................................................................................2
Scope...........................................................................................................................................................3
Theories Presented as the Study's Foundation.............................................................................................3
Comment on Validity of the Theories:........................................................................................................3
Evaluation of the Main Topic......................................................................................................................4
Research Design..........................................................................................................................................4
Tools Employed..........................................................................................................................................4
Variables.....................................................................................................................................................5
Sampling Methods.......................................................................................................................................5
Data Analysis Techniques...........................................................................................................................5
Main Findings.............................................................................................................................................6
Conclusions of the Article...........................................................................................................................6
Contribution of the Article..........................................................................................................................6
Strength The Article....................................................................................................................................7
Weakness of The Article.............................................................................................................................7
Matching of Citations and References.........................................................................................................8
Numbering of Citations...............................................................................................................................8

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Introduction
The article is authored by Behnam Neyestani, an academic researcher in civil engineering or
construction management affiliated with De La Salle University, Philippines. It is structured as a
standard research paper but is likely a preprint published on open-access platforms like Zenodo
and SSRN, rather than in a formal peer-reviewed journal, making traditional journal reputability
metrics inapplicable. While the article maintains good readability and academic formatting
despite minor grammatical issues, its broader impact remains uncertain due to the lack of journal
context, though its assigned DOI suggests it is a citable work within academic networks.

Objectives
The primary objective of this study is to empirically evaluate the impact of implementing a
Quality Management System (QMS), specifically based on the ISO 9001 standard, on the critical
success factors of construction projects in Metro Manila, Philippines. The research aimed to
determine the effectiveness of QMS on the traditional "iron triangle" of project management
cost, time, and quality/scope as well as on the crucial external factor of customer satisfaction.
The goal was to move beyond theoretical benefits and provide measurable evidence of how QMS
implementation influences project outcomes within a specific, real-world context.

Significance
The significance of this research is for the construction industry in developing economies. The
study addresses a critical knowledge gap by investigating the perceived disconnect between the
theoretical advantages of QMS and the practical, on-the-ground benefits, which often leads to
managerial resistance due to views of certification as a costly marketing tool rather than a value-
adding operational system. By providing empirical data from practicing managers, the research
offers valuable insights for construction companies to justify QMS investments, for top
management to understand its strategic importance, and for policymakers to promote quality
standards that can enhance industry-wide performance and competitiveness.

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Scope
And also, the scope of the study is clearly delineated, focusing exclusively on large-scale
(classified as AAA) ISO 9001-certified construction companies operating within Metro Manila.
The research concentrated on the perceptions of 37 managers regarding the effects of QMS on
four specific variables: time, cost, quality/scope, and customer satisfaction. While this focused
scope allows for a deep and specific analysis of the local context, it also inherently limits the
generalizability of the findings to smaller firms, non-certified companies, or the construction
industry in other geographical regions outside of the Philippine metropolis.

Theories Presented as the Study's Foundation

The author anchors the study primarily on two interconnected theoretical concepts:

The Iron Triangle of Project Management: This is the central theoretical model for defining
project success. The theory posits that a project's success is predominantly measured by its
performance against three core constraints: cost (completed within budget), time (completed on
schedule), and quality/scope (meeting the specified performance and feature requirements). The
author extensively cites numerous scholars (e.g., Kerzner, PMI, Juran) to establish this model as
the universally accepted benchmark for success in construction projects.

Process Approach and the PDCA Cycle (Plan-Do-Check-Act): The author presents the
process approach, underpinned by the PDCA methodology, as the operational theory of how a
Quality Management System (QMS) functions. The theory is that by systematically managing
interrelated processes as a system and applying the continuous improvement cycle of planning,
implementing, monitoring, and adjusting, an organization can achieve greater efficiency and
effectiveness. The paper details the evolution of this within ISO 9001 standards, highlighting the
incorporation of "risk-based thinking" in the 2015 version.

Comment on Validity of the Theories:

The theories underpinning this study are exceptionally valid and appropriate. The "Iron Triangle"
(cost, time, quality) provides a timeless, concrete, and highly relevant framework for the
construction industry, offering measurable criteria that are universally recognized by managers

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and clients. Furthermore, the "Process Approach" and its PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle are
not just abstract concepts but are the foundational, prescribed methodology of ISO 9001 itself.
This makes it the most valid lens for this study, as it directly reflects the operational reality of
how certified companies are supposed to implement their Quality Management Systems to
achieve consistent results.

Evaluation of the Main Topic

The study's core strength lies in its highly relevant and focused investigation into the practical
effectiveness of QMS on the critical success factors of construction projects, specifically within
large, certified firms in Metro Manila. It successfully addresses a significant "knowing-doing
gap" in the industry by moving beyond theoretical benefits to measure tangible impacts on cost,
time, quality, and customer satisfaction. While this precise focus makes the research robust and
its conclusions actionable for similar large firms, it also creates an inherent limitation, as the
findings cannot be generalized to represent the challenges or benefits for small and medium-
sized enterprises or for companies in different regions.

Research Design
The study employed a descriptive research design. This design is appropriate for the study's
objective, which is to evaluate and describe the effectiveness of QMS implementation based on
the perceptions and experiences of managers. A descriptive design is non-experimental; it does
not manipulate variables but instead describes the characteristics of a population or phenomenon.
In this case, the phenomenon is the perceived impact of QMS on project factors. This design is
well-suited for capturing the current state of affairs in the specific context of Metro Manila's
construction industry.

Tools Employed
The primary tool for data collection was a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire was
divided into two main parts:

Part I: Collected demographic information about the respondents (e.g., gender, age, years of
QMS experience, level of QMS knowledge).
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Part II: Contained closed-ended questions designed to evaluate the effectiveness of QMS on the
four critical factors (time, cost, quality/scope, customer satisfaction). The questions used a five-
point Likert scale (from 1 = Strongly Disagree to 5 = Strongly Agree), which is a standard and
reliable tool for measuring attitudes and perceptions in survey research.

Variables
The variables in this study are clearly defined:

Independent Variable: The implementation of a Quality Management System (QMS / ISO

9001).

Dependent Variables: The four critical success factors of construction projects, which are:

1. Time: Measured by factors like reduction in delays, improved project delivery time, and
reliable scheduling.
2. Cost: Measured by factors like reduced expenses from errors, optimized performance,
and lower production costs.
3. Quality/Scope: Measured by factors like quality awareness, defect rates, non-
conformities, and compliance with specifications.
4. Customer Satisfaction: Measured by factors like reduced complaints, improved customer
loyalty, reputation, and business benefits (ROI, NPV).

Sampling Methods
While the study's use of purposive sampling to target managers from ISO-certified companies
was a logical strength ensuring respondents had relevant QMS experience its heavy reliance on
convenience sampling and a very small sample size (n=37) are significant limitations. This
approach makes the findings highly specific to the particular group of accessible managers
within large Metro Manila firms, severely limiting the generalizability of the results and
preventing them from being confidently projected to the wider construction industry in the
Philippines or beyond.

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Data Analysis Techniques
The study utilized SPSS Version 17 to analyze the collected data through descriptive statistics,
employing frequency counts and percentages to summarize respondent demographics, and
calculating mean scores, modes, and rankings to evaluate the perceived effectiveness of QMS on
various project factors. While these techniques effectively summarized the managers' consensus
ranking customer satisfaction highest and quality/scope lowest the sole reliance on descriptive
statistics is a significant limitation. This approach only identifies trends within the specific
sample of 37 respondents and cannot determine if the findings are statistically significant,
generalize to a broader population, or uncover deeper relationships between variables that more
advanced inferential tests could have revealed.

Main Findings
This study of construction managers in Manila found that implementing a Quality Management
System (QMS) delivers its most significant impact by dramatically boosting customer
satisfaction, leading to fewer complaints, greater loyalty, and increased business benefits like
ROI. It also proved highly effective at reducing costs by catching defects early and optimizing
resources, and at saving time by improving communication and supply chain management.
Interestingly, the direct impact on measurable quality metrics was the smallest, suggesting that to
unlock its full potential, companies must move beyond pursuing the QMS as a mere certification
for marketing and instead fully embrace its quality-focused processes

Conclusions of the Article

The article's conclusions are strongly and directly aligned with its stated topic of evaluating the
impact of QMS implementation on the main factors of construction projects. The topic explicitly
sets out to measure effectiveness on cost, time, quality/scope, and customer satisfaction, and the
conclusion directly answers this by providing a clear ranking based on the findings: customer
satisfaction was the most significantly impacted, followed by cost, then time, with quality/scope
being the least affected. The conclusion effectively synthesizes the data analysis to confirm that a
QMS does indeed impact these core factors, but not uniformly, thereby fulfilling the specific aim
stated at the outset and providing a nuanced answer to the primary research question.

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Contribution of the Article
This study serves as a practical, real-world case study from the Philippine construction sector,
demonstrating that the impact of a Quality Management System (QMS) is not uniform. Its key
contribution is the nuanced finding that ISO 9001 implementation most strongly boosts customer
satisfaction and cost control, while its direct effect on measurable quality outcomes is more
limited. For students, this article is a valuable bridge between theory and practice, illustrating the
real-world application of the "iron triangle," the common pitfall of pursuing certification over
genuine quality culture, and how to measure the effectiveness of such management systems in a
complex industry.

Strength The Article

One of the main strengths of the article is its comprehensive literature review, which integrates
perspectives from international standards (ISO 9000 family), prior studies, and project
management theories. This creates a strong theoretical foundation and shows how QMS connects
to key success factors in construction projects such as cost, time, scope, and customer
satisfaction. Another strength lies in the practical research design: the author collected primary
data from managers of ISO 9001-certified construction firms in Metro Manila, ensuring the
findings are grounded in real-world practice. The use of descriptive statistics provides clear,
accessible results, showing the hierarchy of QMS impacts, with customer satisfaction ranked
highest. This combination of theory and empirical data strengthens the credibility of the study
and makes its conclusions relevant for both academics and practitioners.

Weakness of The Article

Based on a review of the article, the study concludes that implementing a QMS like ISO 9001
most significantly boosts customer satisfaction, followed by cost reduction and time efficiency in
construction projects, though its direct impact on quality/scope is weaker. However, these
findings are constrained by a small sample size of 37 managers, reliance on self-reported
perceptions, and a narrow focus on Metro Manila, limiting their generalizability. The research
underscores that the true value of a QMS is realized not through mere certification, but through

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its committed integration as a strategic management tool, and calls for more extensive and
methodologically robust studies to validate and build upon these insights.

Matching of Citations and References

The citations generally match the references and follow a consistent author-date style.

 The article uses in-text citations like (Neyestani and Juanzon, 2016), (Kerzner, 2010),
(Ali and Rahmat, 2010), (Madsen, 2013), and many others throughout the sections.

 In the reference list, most of these cited works are present, e.g.:

 Kerzner (2010) – Project Management: A Systems Approach

 Ali and Rahmat (2010) – The performance measurement of construction projects

managed by ISO-certified contractors in Malaysia

 Madsen (2013) – blog on iron triangle

 Neyestani & Juanzon (2016) – several works on QMS and TQM.

Numbering of Citations
 The article uses the author-date system (APA/Harvard style) rather than numbered
citations.

 This is consistent throughout; there are no instances of numerical citation styles (like [1],
[2]) mixed in.

 In that sense, the “numbering” is not an issue because this article did not adopt a
numerical style it uses names and years consistently.