Friday, April 6, 2018

Quality, TQM, Important Principles of Total Quality Management (TQM)

Description of quality, Total Quality Management (TQM), Important Principles of Total Quality Management

 Quality
Quality is defined as the standard; let’s say standard of something measured against other things of similar kinds. It could be termed as the degree of excellence of something. It is a sense of appreciation that a product or service is better than others. One can perceive quality by elements like performance, conformance, reliability, durability, serviceability, aesthetics and perceptions.

Performance of a product is perceived by operating characteristics and reliability is defined as consistent performance within a specified standard. Conformance is the degree to which designs and characteristics meet specific standards. In the same way durability defines the life-time of a product. Furthermore serviceability defines speed and ease of repair and aesthetics defines the looks, taste, feel, sound, smell of product. Finally one perceives perception by brand name or reputation.

Total Quality Management (TQM)
Total quality management defines the long term success through customer satisfaction. According to Wikipedia, total quality management consists of organization-wide efforts to install and make permanent a climate in which an organization continuously improves its ability to deliver high-quality products and services to customers. It is an approach where an organization manages to improve their internal processes and increase customer satisfaction.

Essential elements/principles of (TQM) Total Quality Management

1) Customer focused
Customer can determine the quality of any products by analyzing it’s elements. So during manufacturing of products, organizations should maintain everything required for quality of products. One can determine the level of quality no matter what an organization does to foster quality improvement. Improvements in quality should improve customer satisfaction. Hence total quality management should be customer focused.

2) Executive management
Top management should act as the main driver for TQM and create an environment that ensures its success or ensures quality in products.

3) Magnificent ethics and integrity
Ethics is an individual’s understanding of what is good and bat at the workplace. Admirable ethics must be maintained at the workplace, so that desirable products can be produced. Integrity refers to honesty, values, and an individual’s sincerity at workplace and hence should be maintained properly in the organization. TQM does not work in an environment where employees criticize and backstab each other.

4) Methodology and tools
This principle defines the strategic management which includes the formation of a strategic plan that integrates quality as a core component. Appropriate use of methodology and tools ensures the determination of quality in products. Non-conformance incidents can be identified, measured and responded consistently through proper implementation rules and right tools. Hence appropriate methods and tools are must essential principles for total quality management.

5) Employee training
Employees need to be trained on total quality management. They should be trained on the methods and concepts of quality. Employees also need to be trained on decisional skills, technical skills, interpersonal skills, skills to work as a team member and so on. Training helps employees to implement total quality management effectively. Hence training is also an indispensable principle of total quality management.

6) Process centered
A process is a series of steps that take inputs from suppliers and transforms them into outputs which are then delivered to the customers. These steps required to carry out the process are defined, and performance measures are continuously monitored in order to detect unexpected variation.

7) Continuous improvement
Total quality management is the part of continual process improvement. This principle helps to find out the weak point in the product and then managed to improve as soon as possible and in an effective manner.

8) Communications
Communications helps to cope with the change in day-to-day operation or organizational operation, and improves final product.

No comments:

Post a Comment