QUALITY CONTROL PRACTICES AND PERFORMANCE OF CATHOLIC DIOCESAN HOSPITALITY PROJECTS IN SOUTHERN PROVINCE, RWANDA

Abstract

The adoption of quality management practices (QMPs) helped many organizations improve their performance. However, little research exists regarding their effectiveness in Catholic Diocesan Hospitality Projects (CDHPs) in Rwanda, and the lack of evidence contributes to poor service quality, inefficiencies in operations, and challenges in satisfying their customers. The purpose of this research was to examine the influence of quality control practices on the performance of CDHPs in the Southern Province, Rwanda. Specifically, the study focused on how operational procedures namely customer complaint management, feedback integration, and inspection routines influence the performance of CDHPs in the southern province of Rwanda. The theory of the Juran Trilogy served as the study's foundation, and a convergent parallel mixed-methods research design was employed. The study targeted the population of 240 staff working in the five hotels established by diocesan and religious congregations, with 150 selected to participate using purposive sampling methods. The instruments used to collect data were questionnaires and interviews. The analyses of data adopted Descriptive statistics (means, standard deviations) and correlation analysis using SPSS version 21 for quantitative data, while themes were appropriate for qualitative data. The findings showed quality control practices to be moderately implemented (Mean = 3.36) and generally contribute positively to the performance of CDHPs. The efforts were made in the feedback and customer complaint management integration, while the weaknesses were in the systematic inspections and documentation. The research findings conclude that the efficiency in operation, service quality, and satisfaction of the guests is enhanced by the effective implementation of quality control practices, whereas gaps in inspection and documentation hinder the overall performance of CDHPs. To improve project performance, the research recommends strengthening documentation procedures and inspection methodologies.