The need for quality tolerances in construction has re-emerged as a significant means of managing quality. Early uses of tolerances spawned from the need for production efficiency, but now construction businesses need to use tolerances to ensure consumer needs are being met, and to avoid disputes. This position forms an underlying premise to the current scenario in consumer perceived quality in construction, but justification comes from the broader quality movement as well. Six Sigma aims to build on past concepts by emphasising the need to achieve quality practically in the workplace. In the case of construction, this means unifying managerial, consumer and worker needs, because of their overlapping role in design and construction. In recent years consumer satisfaction has become an important issue in the construction industry and several big players in the industry has turned to Six Sigma to satisfy customer requirements. In regards to Lean Manufacturing, the main agenda of this concept is to reduce the 8 ‘deadly’ wastes but when combined with Six Sigma, the construction industry can aim to achieve ZERO wastes in the following areas:

• Reduction of the production of scrap and poor quality construction
• Reduction in waiting time including construction time
• Reduction in inventory to store large amounts of construction materials including logistics
• Reduction in unnecessary motion and transportation
• Reduction in over-production and unwanted or undesired construction
• Reduction in over-processing of construction items
• Improvements in terms of resources in the construction industry.