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Total quality managementWhat is total quality management?ISO 8402:1994 defines total quality management (TQM) as a management approach of an organisation centred on quality, based on the participation of all its members and aiming at long-term success. This is achieved through customer satisfaction and benefits to all members of the organisation and to society. In other words, TQM is a philosophy for managing an organisation in a way which enables it to meet stakeholder needs and expectations efficiently and effectively, without compromising ethical values. TQM is a way of thinking about goals, organisations, processes and people to ensure that the right things are done right first time. This thought process can change attitudes, behaviour and hence results for the better. What TQM is notTQM is not a system, a tool or even a process. Systems, tools and processes are employed to achieve the various principles of TQM. What does TQM cover?The total in TQM applies to the whole organisation. Therefore, unlike an ISO 9000 initiative which may be limited to the processes producing deliverable products, TQM applies to every activity in the organisation. Also, unlike ISO 9000, TQM covers the soft issues such as ethics, attitude and culture. What is the TQM philosophy?There are several ways of expressing this philosophy. There are also several gurus whose influence on management thought in this area has been considerable, for example Deming, Juran, Crosby, Feigenbaum, Ishikawa and Imai. The wisdom of these gurus has been distilled into eight principles defined in ISO 9000:2000. The principles of quality management:There are eight principles of quality management:
How does TQM differ from the EQA model?The European Quality Award model is used to assess business excellence. Business excellence is the result of adopting a TQM philosophy and realigning the organisation towards satisfying all stakeholders (customers, owners, shareholders, suppliers, employees and society). The quality award criteria offers measures of performance rather than a methodology. Why should a company adopt TQM?Adopting the TQM philosophy will:
When should a company adopt TQM?TQM can be adopted at any time after executive management has seen the error of its ways, opened its mind and embraced the philosophy. It cannot be attempted if management perceives it as a quick fix, or a tool to improve worker performance. How should a company adopt TQM?Before TQM is even contemplatedTQM will force change in culture, processes and practice. These changes will be more easily facilitated and sustained if there is a formal management system in place. Such a system will provide many of the facts on which to base change and will also enable changes to be implemented more systematically and permanently. The first stepsIn order to focus all efforts in any TQM initiative and to yield permanent benefits, a company must answer some fundamental questions:
A good way to accomplish this is to take top management off site for a day or two for a brainstorming session. Until management shares the same answers to these questions and has communicated them to the workforce there can be no guarantee that the changes made will propel the organisation in the right direction. MethodologyThere are a number of approaches to take towards adopting the TQM philosophy. The teachings of Deming, Juran, Taguchi, Ishikawa, Imai, Oakland etc can all help an organisation realign itself and embrace the TQM philosophy. However, there is no single methodology, only a bundle of tools and techniques. Examples of tools include:
Examples of techniques include:
MeasurementsAfter using the tools and techniques an organisation needs to establish the degree of improvement. Any number of techniques can be used for this including self-assessment, audits and SPC. PitfallsTQM initiatives have been prone to failure because of common mistakes. These include:
Total quality managementWhat is total quality management?ISO 8402:1994 defines total quality management (TQM) as a management approach of an organisation centred on quality, based on the participation of all its members and aiming at long-term success. This is achieved through customer satisfaction and benefits to all members of the organisation and to society. In other words, TQM is a philosophy for managing an organisation in a way which enables it to meet stakeholder needs and expectations efficiently and effectively, without compromising ethical values. TQM is a way of thinking about goals, organisations, processes and people to ensure that the right things are done right first time. This thought process can change attitudes, behaviour and hence results for the better. What TQM is notTQM is not a system, a tool or even a process. Systems, tools and processes are employed to achieve the various principles of TQM. What does TQM cover?The total in TQM applies to the whole organisation. Therefore, unlike an ISO 9000 initiative which may be limited to the processes producing deliverable products, TQM applies to every activity in the organisation. Also, unlike ISO 9000, TQM covers the soft issues such as ethics, attitude and culture. What is the TQM philosophy?There are several ways of expressing this philosophy. There are also several gurus whose influence on management thought in this area has been considerable, for example Deming, Juran, Crosby, Feigenbaum, Ishikawa and Imai. The wisdom of these gurus has been distilled into eight principles defined in ISO 9000:2000. The principles of quality management:There are eight principles of quality management:
How does TQM differ from the EQA model?The European Quality Award model is used to assess business excellence. Business excellence is the result of adopting a TQM philosophy and realigning the organisation towards satisfying all stakeholders (customers, owners, shareholders, suppliers, employees and society). The quality award criteria offers measures of performance rather than a methodology. Why should a company adopt TQM?Adopting the TQM philosophy will:
When should a company adopt TQM?TQM can be adopted at any time after executive management has seen the error of its ways, opened its mind and embraced the philosophy. It cannot be attempted if management perceives it as a quick fix, or a tool to improve worker performance. How should a company adopt TQM?Before TQM is even contemplatedTQM will force change in culture, processes and practice. These changes will be more easily facilitated and sustained if there is a formal management system in place. Such a system will provide many of the facts on which to base change and will also enable changes to be implemented more systematically and permanently. The first stepsIn order to focus all efforts in any TQM initiative and to yield permanent benefits, a company must answer some fundamental questions:
A good way to accomplish this is to take top management off site for a day or two for a brainstorming session. Until management shares the same answers to these questions and has communicated them to the workforce there can be no guarantee that the changes made will propel the organisation in the right direction. MethodologyThere are a number of approaches to take towards adopting the TQM philosophy. The teachings of Deming, Juran, Taguchi, Ishikawa, Imai, Oakland etc can all help an organisation realign itself and embrace the TQM philosophy. However, there is no single methodology, only a bundle of tools and techniques. Examples of tools include:
Examples of techniques include:
MeasurementsAfter using the tools and techniques an organisation needs to establish the degree of improvement. Any number of techniques can be used for this including self-assessment, audits and SPC. PitfallsTQM initiatives have been prone to failure because of common mistakes. These include:
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