Why Quality Matter in 21st Century
Why total quality matters in the 21st century
Quality can be defined in many ways depending on product or services it refers to. As stated by Russell and Taylor III, (2010) The American Society for Quality (ASQ) defines quality as "a subjective term for which each person has his or her own definition. In technical usage, quality can have two meanings: (1) The characteristics of a product or service that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs and (2) A product or service free of deficiencies."
"The consumer is the most important part of the production line. Quality should be aimed at the needs of the consumer, present and future." From this perspective, product and service quality is determined by what the customer wants and is willing to pay for. Since customers have different product needs, they will have different quality expectations, (Russell and Taylor III, 2010, chapter 2).
The concept of Total Quality Management (TQM) is based on a number of ideas, expressed by (Omachuno & Ross, 2004, p.5). “ It means thinking about quality in terms of all functions of the enterprise, a start-to-finish process that integrates interrelated functions at all levels. It is a systems approach that considers every interaction between the various elements of the organization. The keyword to TQM is continuous improvement.
Following an international conference in May 1990, the conference Board summarized the key issues and terminology to TQM:
• The cost of quality as the measure of non-quality and a measure of how the quality process is progressing
• A cultural change that appreciates the primary need to meet customer requirements, implements a management philosophy that acknowledges this emphasis, encourages employee involvement, and embraces the ethic of continuous improvement.
• Enabling mechanisms of change, including training, education, communication, recognition, and management behaviour, teamwork, and customer satisfaction
Quality can be defined in many ways depending on product or services it refers to. As stated by Russell and Taylor III, (2010) The American Society for Quality (ASQ) defines quality as "a subjective term for which each person has his or her own definition. In technical usage, quality can have two meanings: (1) The characteristics of a product or service that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs and (2) A product or service free of deficiencies."
"The consumer is the most important part of the production line. Quality should be aimed at the needs of the consumer, present and future." From this perspective, product and service quality is determined by what the customer wants and is willing to pay for. Since customers have different product needs, they will have different quality expectations, (Russell and Taylor III, 2010, chapter 2).
The concept of Total Quality Management (TQM) is based on a number of ideas, expressed by (Omachuno & Ross, 2004, p.5). “ It means thinking about quality in terms of all functions of the enterprise, a start-to-finish process that integrates interrelated functions at all levels. It is a systems approach that considers every interaction between the various elements of the organization. The keyword to TQM is continuous improvement.
Following an international conference in May 1990, the conference Board summarized the key issues and terminology to TQM:
• The cost of quality as the measure of non-quality and a measure of how the quality process is progressing
• A cultural change that appreciates the primary need to meet customer requirements, implements a management philosophy that acknowledges this emphasis, encourages employee involvement, and embraces the ethic of continuous improvement.
• Enabling mechanisms of change, including training, education, communication, recognition, and management behaviour, teamwork, and customer satisfaction
References: Roberta S. Russell, Bernard W. & Taylor III, 2011, Operations Management: Creating Value Along the Supply Chain, 7th Edition, John Wiley & Sons Vincent K. Omachonu, Joel E.Ross, 2004. Principles of Total Quality (3rd edition), CRC press Stephen George & Arnold Weimerskirch, 1998, Total Quality Management: Strategies and Techniques Proven At Today’s Most Successful Companies. (2nd edition). John Wiley & Sons Inc. James R. Evans, 2008, Quality & Performance Excellence (6th edition), South Western Cengage Learning Donna C.S. Summers, 2005, Quality Management: Creating and Sustaining Organizational Effectiveness. Pearson Education, Inc. Author, A. A., Author, B. B. & Author, C. C. (year of publication). Title of book: Subtitle. (Edition [if not first]). Place of publication: Publisher.