TQM, i.e., Total Quality Management is an integrated whole. Total Quality Management is an integration/collaboration of various departments, teams within an organization to achieve a common goal of achieving quality in product, processes, and customer satisfaction. The total quality management concept reveals a plan or strategy developed to achieve specific business results and quality objectives. Total Quality Management definition can be explained as a set of strategies that are then woven together to form a complete package, which then includes the actions and resources required to reach the set objectives and goals for the organization.
How Total Quality Management (TQM) Improves Quality?
Total Quality Management benefits business processes. Total quality management techniques enable all cross-functional teams or departments within the organization to achieve its quality objective and goals. This includes everything from product planning and development, to training programs, to eliminating defects and tracking productivity to ensuring that the processes are accurate and efficient. To offer a completely qualified business solution,
- Eliminates rejections, rework, defects & waste in the manufacturing process .
- Increases adaptability as per emerging market trends (better customer satisfaction
- Enhances competitive position.
- Elevates the overall productivity.
- Boosts up the market image.
- Reduces costs and offers better cost management.
- Assists in increasing overall profitability
- Lean manufacturing
Total Quality Management is an efficacious attribute that can be used in any organization’s
environment. To understand the total quality management definition, they must establish
some goals that they would like to be achieved. To accomplish this, there must be an effective
plan in place for quality control and continuous improvement.
The principles of total quality management are subjective, and to truly know the total quality management concept; you should know that it enables an organization to:
- Increase effectiveness and quality.
- Improve productivity and reduce costs.
- Create a better working environment.
- Reduce training and development costs.
- Improve recruitment and retention.
- And most importantly, reduce waste
However, understanding how this concept works and why it is important can take a deeper look into TQM and its implementation.
Who is the Father of TQM?
Dr. W. Edwards Deming introduced the philosophy of total quality management. The work and
postulates proposed by Dr. Deming are considered the foundation of TQM and all the other
quality management systems and theories.
What are TQM tools?
The following are the tools for total quality management:
- Histogram: Prioritizes factors & identifies the areas that need attention immediately.
- Check Sheet: Captures data in a standardized way to make decisions on the basis of
facts rather than assumptions. - Cause-and-Effect Diagram: Brings out root causes, and makes it easy to identify their effects.
- Pareto Chart: Reveals relative importance of a problem’s cause out of many causes. It’s an 80:20 rule, focus on 20% problem to get an 80% outcome.
- Scatter Diagram: Establishes relationship between problem and the affecting causes.
- Control Chart: Predicts process performance, and helps in understanding production patterns. Control chart helps to understand the process behavior, whether the process is within the control limit or not.
The above-mentioned are the total quality management tools to help you maintain the effectiveness of (TQM) total quality management in your organization.
What are the Three Pillars of TQM?
- Integrity: By ensuring that all processes and activities are conducted in an ethical and systematic manner, businesses can ensure that quality remains the most important aspect of their organization. When quality is achieved, it is easier to achieve continual quality improvements and this ultimately increases the bottom line profits of the company.
- Honesty: This represents the core value of having an open mind and being able to admit when something is not the right place. TQM is all about being responsible and honest. There remain no room to compromise when it does come to honesty. That’s why, this pillar affects all others.
- Courtesy: It is the third pillar that influences the quality management because it entails valuing the opinions and perceptions of your customers. When a customer is happy or not satisfied with your services or products, it is your responsibility to listen to what they have to say, consider their feedback, and address their needs accordingly.
What are the principles of Total Quality Management (TQM)
1. Customer Focus
2. Leadership Driven (Commitment)
3. Involvement of people (teamwork)
4. Process Approach
5. System Approach to management
6. Continual Improvement
7. Data based decision making (Data Transparency)
What are the principles of TQM?
1. Customer Focus
The next aspect of TQM is customer focus. This principle aims to ensure that the customer’s ultimate satisfaction is achieved at all costs, including through positive performance feedback. In the TQM system, customers are considered to be the key drivers of organizational change. This means that the key stakeholders in an organization must be involved in all decision-making processes. This way, they can influence and shape how the company operates according to the customer’s needs.
2. Leadership Driven (Commitment)
No business initiative/project can be successful without leadership commitment and support. The success of the Total quality management (TQM) initiative is only possible with leadership support and commitment. Implementation of TQM does not come free, investment in infrastructure, resources, manufacturing process is required.
3. Involvement of people (teamwork)
Another out of the total quality management elements is teamwork & team management. This aspect states that TQM is not a system approach alone but involves applying several different strategies and techniques from different departments and units. For instance, by applying the principle of coordinating and aligning the activities of different departments and units, the end product is a well-balanced, integrated and scalable enterprise system that meets the needs and demands of customers.
4. Process Approach
The overall effectiveness of the total quality management process lies in its ability to achieve a balanced process approach. It has to cover all business activities and integrate all corporate procedures. In essence, the whole system should be a seamless one and not a system of isolated processes. The overall process has to focus on four factors: service, product, infrastructure, and financial services. By focusing on these four factors, the principles of total quality management ensure that the company functions smoothly and can meet each customer’s expectations.
5. System Approach to management
The strategic and systematic approach means that there must be a series of steps or processes that lead to implementing the total quality management elements. These steps or processes should be clearly defined, justified, and designed to lead (manage) to a successful end state. The key is to make these processes more manageable and consistent with one another and with the organizational structure and resources.
6. Continual Improvement
There is always a scope for continuous/continual improvement. Remember every manufacturing/business process is always subjected to drift (it changes over time). Continual improvement is an essential principle for the successful implementation of Total Quality management.
7. Data based decision making (Data Transparency)
One of the principles of total quality management is data-based decision making – making the data and information available to everyone for them to perform their role properly and helps to take an effective decision. This principle makes the data available to all concerned and helps them improve processes and goals by communicating and listening to their employees. The employees feel that they are well informed about what is happening at the company, and they are motivated to work for the same.
Total Quality Management: Conclusion
The importance of following the principles of total quality management goes a long way in improving the quality of services and products. Apart from reducing cost and improving productivity, the total quality management definition also aims at ensuring quality throughout the value chain – ranging from the manufacturing phase right up to the delivery stage.
An excellent deep dive into the intricacies of Total Quality Management and its transformative impact on business operations. For those interested in further enhancing their understanding, don’t miss this comprehensive guide on total quality management.