Selection and ranking of improvement approaches in construction companies: SMARTS method

There are various ways, related to quality methods, tools and standards, to improve production processes. The aim of this paper is to present a multicriteria decision model for selecting and ranking these alternatives taking into account Quality, Environment and Sustainability, and Safety. The paper proposes a multicriteria decision model based in SMARTS (Simple Multi-attribute Rating Technique) method. A study case in the context of construction companies illustrates the use of the model. The definition of the criteria and their evaluation was conducted based on interviews with experts in construction companies. One of the differentials of this model is the structure designed for a quality program planning decision making. Also, it lays on its use of an alternative set of fragmented improvements. These alternatives were combined together with some restrictions so that they became a new global set of alternatives (macro alternatives).