It was a phrase stemming from a statement: “fitness for use” coined by Quality guru Joseph Juran when determining a definition of quality. “Fit for purpose” also appears in the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (2.10, along with “reasonable skill and care”. However when we look deeper into Juran’s definition of “fitness for use” he also identifies that quality can be “conformance to requirements”.
So what are these requirements and how do these requirements evolve into a product?
It requires (forgive the pun) that the client or end user knows what they want, and once these requirements are identified this is translated into a specification, clear, detailed and without ambiguity – and this is often where the difficulty lies. Frequently the client does not know exactly what they want or are unable to communicate this effectively and so the “specification is subjective and open to interpretation”, and this is where disputes can occur. This not only occurs on small projects. The client only sees the final product once complete and it may not be what they had in mind.
Let me quote an article from the Association of Project Management (APM) with the title: ‘Understanding requirements, the basis of delivering quality’ (APM 2021). “Requirements drive the process, the specifications result from it”, so if a customer specifies a solution that is not fit for purpose the liability lies with them, not the supplier.
There are many examples where products have been built to specification and yet are not fit for purpose – The Millenium Bridge In London being a classic example. It complied with the specification and was wonderfully aesthetic but was not fit for use. As soon as it was walked on it swayed laterally even though bridges resonating due to natural frequency was well known by then; in fact as far back as 1873 the Albert Bridge in London carried a warning notice The Millenium Bridge was closed after one day and for a further two years while work was done to reduce the swaying.
So clients, make sure you express your requirements clearly and without ambiguity or you remain liable for the fact that the product is not fit for purpose. Builders and Construction Companies if you are involved in dispute then please get in touch for assistance with any claims.
