FTCR Quantitative Indicator for Measuring Highway Design Quality

Abstract

Engineering design quality is very important for construction projects. Although many quality or performance management methods have been proposed, a simple quantitative indicator is lacking. This research proposes the First Time Correctness Ratio (FTCR) indicator to quantify the percentage of work correctly done the first time. A checklist consisting of major design activities was developed first by reference to design management theory, quality control process of a case consulting firm, and interviews with designers and owners. Then the ways of using the checklist to evaluate design quality and calculating the FTCR scores were discussed for different levels and time phases of a project. Finally four engineering design case projects were used to test the checklist applicability and derive FTCR scores. The results show that the FTCR method is a simple indicator to distinguish performances. In addition, the FTCR approach provides benefits for engineering design organizations to meet the ISO requirements.