TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT:

Definition of Total Quality

Total Quality (TQ) consists of continuous improvement activities involving everyone in the organization—managers and workers—in a totally integrated effort toward improving performance at every level. This improved performance is directed toward satisfying such cross-functional goals as quality, cost, schedule, missing, need, and suitability. TQ integrates fundamental management techniques, existing improvement efforts, and technical tools under a disciplined approach focused on continuous process improvement. The activities are ultimately focused on increasing customer/user satisfaction.

Although quality and quality management does not have a formal definition, most agree that it is an integration of all functions of a business to achieve a high quality of products through continuous improvement efforts of all employees. Quality revolves around the concept of meeting or exceeding customer expectations applied to the product and service. Achieving high quality is an ever-changing, or continuous, the process therefore quality management emphasizes the ideas of working constantly toward improved quality. It involves every aspect of the company: processes, environment, and people. The whole workforce from the CEO to the line worker must be involved in a shared commitment to improving quality.

Therefore, in brief, quality and total quality management (TQM) in particular can be defined as directing (managing) the whole (total) production process to produce an excellent (quality) product or service.

It differs from other management techniques in the attitude of management toward the product and toward the worker. Older management methods focused on the volume of production and the cost of the product. Quality was controlled by using a detection method (post-production inspection), problems were solved by management, and management's role was defined as planning, assigning work, controlling the production. Quality management, in contrast, is focused on the customer and meeting the customer's needs. Quality is controlled by prevention, i.e., quality is built in at every stage. Teams solve problems and everyone is responsible for the quality of the product. Management's role is to delegate, coach, facilitate, and mentor. The major quality management principles are quality, teamwork, and proactive management philosophies for process improvement.