Total Quality Management

Introduction

To understand Total Quality Management (TQM) movement fully, the philosophical concepts of the masters who have shaped the evolution of TQM in management discipline must be looked into. TQM stands on tools and techniques which are considered as quality philosophies by quality Guru's in different times and situation. There are many individuals have made substantial contribution to the theory and practices of quality management but the 'Mahagurus' of quality evolution in the world are:

1. Edwards Deming

2. Joseph M. Juran

3. Philip Crosby.

Edwards Deming's 14 Points

Edwards Deming is a statistician who went to Japan to help with the census after World War II. Deming also taught statistical process control to leaders of prominent Japanese businesses. His message was this: By improving quality, companies will decrease expenses as well as increase productivity and market share. Below is the main contribution of Edward Deming:

1. 14 points for quality management

2. 7 deadly sins and diseases

3. The theory of variance

4. PDCA cycle.

This essay focus on the Deming's 14 points which introduced by Edward Deming that have essence on management philosophy which emphasizes the role of top management in overseeing all other quality implementations in the company. The 14 points for quality management are as follows:

1) Creating a Constancy of Purpose - Organizations must have established and focused goals to satisfy the customer. Business decisions should be based on the long-term focus of the organization instead of short-term performance measures.

2) Adopting the New Philosophy - Becoming a quality-driven organization requires everyone, starting with top management, to fully embrace a new way of thinking that involves seeking the greater good for everyone involved and implementing continuous improvement.

3) Ceasing Dependence on Mass Inspection - Quality should be designed into products and processes. Inspection adds nothing to the value of a product and consumes valuable resources. With a good process, statistical sampling using control charts will signal when a process is out of control.

4) Ending Price Tag Awards - The contracted price for a material or service tells only part of the story of its actual cost. Good single supplier relationships with built in trust will result in lower variation and a lower overall total cost of use.

5) Improve the Process Constantly - To remain competitive, a company must always seek to better its products, from design through production and customer support.

6) Institute Training and Retraining - Education and training for employees are an investment. All employees should understand concepts of probability and variation because everyone is an important link in producing quality. Training also fosters better relationships and more trust between managers and employees.

7) Institute Leadership - Managers are ultimately responsible for production of quality. They must see employees as assets and be facilitators to allow everyone the resources they need to do their jobs correctly. Managers must respond quickly to special variation in processes.

8) Drive Out Fear - Open dialogue and two-way communication between managers and employees is essential to successful operation of a business. Fear causes grave inefficiencies in production and delayed action when processes go out of control. In service industries, customers must be free from fear of operational error.

9) Break Down Department Barriers - Organizations are systems in which competition causes serious inefficiency. All members of an organization should realize that they share the common purpose of the organizational mission and values. Teams of people from different departments should cooperate to ensure goals are met.

10) Eliminate Slogans and Targets - Slogans and sayings are hollow and do not provide the means to achieve quality. The focus should be on understanding the system and its inherent variation, not on catch phrases.

11) Eliminate Numerical Quotas - Much like slogans, targets are useless without a means for achieving them. With a stable process, quotas are useless because the system should deliver consistent results. If the process is not stable, quotas are useless because there is no defined method to achieve them and results cannot be predicted.

12) Remove Barriers to Pride - Workers inherently want to do a good job and have a right to be proud of their work. Performance reviews and merit systems cause competition and focus on short-term results. This is counterproductive to the long-term organizational focus that Deming's teachings are based on.

13) Education and Retraining - Education allows employees to understand their jobs better, to understand process variation, and to become better at problem solving. Even in areas not directly job-related, education generally improves worker morale.

14) Involve Everyone in Transformation - The responsibility for implementing a new system of quality rests with top management. They must commit