CRITICAL FACTORS AND DECISION VARIABLES AFFECTING QUALITY ASSURANCE AND RELIABILITY MANAGEMENT IN ROAD CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS IN NIGERIA.

This study identified and analyzed quality assurance and reliability management (QARM) factors so as to provide ideas and techniques for ensuring that completed road projects perform their intended functions under stated operating conditions for a given period of time in Nigeria. The study adopted field survey and exploratory research designs with judgmental and quota sampling methods. Results of previous researches were used to identify the 25 main and 124 sub factors of QARM which were used to develop the questionnaire, modeled in Likert five point scale and a three weighted scoring model in the scales of 1,5 and 10 respectively. The method of data analysis was multivariate factor analysis. The results of the analyses indicated and isolated ten critical factors that are of decisive importance for the success of QARM in road construction projects. We concluded that ten most important factors determine the success rate of road construction and other construction projects in the South East Geopolitical Zone of Nigeria. This implies that these factors have greater impacts on quality assurance and reliability (QAR) in road construction projects.