Best Practices for Implementing Total Quality Management Philosophies
Abstract
This paper explores the “best practices” of identifying and implementing quality philosophies within an organization. Identifying and documenting best practices serves as a learning tool for those who wish to implement and sustain value added quality processes to their organization in an efficient and effective manner, while also avoiding the pitfalls of processes that simply do not work. While this paper will specifically focus on the best practices of Total Quality Management (TQM); it is important to note that these best practices are virtually the same for all other quality philosophies including ISO 9000 and Six Sigma.
Introduction While there are countless definitions of Total Quality Management (TQM), they are all based on the same set of guiding principles; a management philosophy of embedding quality processes into the fabric of the company to ensure customer satisfaction at the lowest possible price by continuously implementing process improvements. In short, TQM is a proactive customer focused approach that depends on the experience, knowledge, and commitment of all members within an organization to strategically implement and improve processes. TQM is a combination of quality and management tools whose main objective is to increase business and reduce losses. The goal of TQM is to do things right the first time every time, thus eliminating defects, waste, and re-work. A key concept of TQM involves not only continuously improving current results, but improving capabilities of people, processes, technology, and machines to produce better results in the future. Although the birth of TQM was in manufacturing operations, it is now widely used in call centers, service industries, education, government, and even NASA space and science programs. TQM was first introduced in the United States during the 1950’s with the work of W. Edward Deming, whose management philosophy emphasized quality, innovation, employee empowerment, and feedback and
This paper explores the “best practices” of identifying and implementing quality philosophies within an organization. Identifying and documenting best practices serves as a learning tool for those who wish to implement and sustain value added quality processes to their organization in an efficient and effective manner, while also avoiding the pitfalls of processes that simply do not work. While this paper will specifically focus on the best practices of Total Quality Management (TQM); it is important to note that these best practices are virtually the same for all other quality philosophies including ISO 9000 and Six Sigma.
Introduction While there are countless definitions of Total Quality Management (TQM), they are all based on the same set of guiding principles; a management philosophy of embedding quality processes into the fabric of the company to ensure customer satisfaction at the lowest possible price by continuously implementing process improvements. In short, TQM is a proactive customer focused approach that depends on the experience, knowledge, and commitment of all members within an organization to strategically implement and improve processes. TQM is a combination of quality and management tools whose main objective is to increase business and reduce losses. The goal of TQM is to do things right the first time every time, thus eliminating defects, waste, and re-work. A key concept of TQM involves not only continuously improving current results, but improving capabilities of people, processes, technology, and machines to produce better results in the future. Although the birth of TQM was in manufacturing operations, it is now widely used in call centers, service industries, education, government, and even NASA space and science programs. TQM was first introduced in the United States during the 1950’s with the work of W. Edward Deming, whose management philosophy emphasized quality, innovation, employee empowerment, and feedback and
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