8 Total Quality Management principles to improve processesReading time: about 9 min Show
During the global recession of the late ’70s and early ’80s, the United States (and the rest of the world) faced stiff competition from Japan. The Japanese had captured the world automotive and electronics markets because they found a way to produce high-quality goods at lower prices. And as a result, corporations in the U.S. looked more closely at the quality of Japanese goods and services, trying to find ways to improve production and recapture market share. Their solution was Total Quality Management. If your organization has just decided to incorporate TQM, or if you want to see whether this process improvement methodology can help you improve production, this blog post will cover Total Quality Management principles and techniques you can start using now. According to the definitive text, Total Quality: A User’s Guide for Implementation, Total Quality Management (TQM) is a management technique based on the idea that all “employees continuously improve their ability to provide on-demand products and services that customers will find of particular value.” The concept of Total Quality Management can be found right in its name: The word “total” implies that all employees in the organization, from development to production to fulfillment, are obligated to improve operations. And “management” insinuates that this methodology should be a focused effort. Leadership should provide funding, training, staffing, and clearly defined goals to actively manage product and service quality on an ongoing basis. 8 principles of Total Quality ManagementAs with most management methods and techniques, implementation and success will vary from one company to another. While there is not a single agreed upon approach, the most common TQM definition includes the following eight principles. 1. Customer focusThe first of the Total Quality Management principles puts the focus back on the people buying your product or service. Your customers determine the quality of your product. If your product fulfills a need and lasts as long or longer than expected, customers know that they have spent their money on a quality product. When you understand what your customer wants or needs, you have a better chance of figuring out how to get the right materials, people, and processes in place to meet and exceed their expectations. To implement this TQM principle:
The benefits of being customer-focused include:
into your process improvement strategy. Read now 2. Total employee commitmentYou can’t increase productivity, processes, or sales without the total commitment of all employees. They need to understand the vision and goals that have been communicated. They must be sufficiently trained and given the proper resources to complete tasks in order to be committed to reaching goals on time. To implement this TQM principle:
The key benefits of total employee commitment include:
3. Process approachAdhering to processes is critical in quality management. Processes ensure that the proper steps are taken at the right time to ensure consistency and speed up production. To implement this TQM principle:
Benefits of a process approach include:
4. Integrated systemTypically a business has many different departments, each with their own specific functions and purposes. These departments and functions should be interconnected with horizontal processes that should be the focus of Total Quality Management. But sometimes these departments and functions operate in isolated silos. In an integrated system, everybody in every department should have a thorough understanding of policies, standards, objectives, and processes. Integrated systems help the company to look for continual improvement in order to achieve an edge over the competition. To implement this TQM principle:
Benefits include:
5. Strategic and systematic approachThe International Organization for Standardization (ISO) describes this principle as: “Identifying, understanding and managing interrelated processes as a system contributes to the organization’s effectiveness and efficiency in achieving its objectives.” Multiple processes within a development or production cycle are managed as a system of processes in an effort to increase efficiency. To implement this TQM principle:
Benefits include:
6. Continual improvementOptimal efficiency and complete customer satisfaction doesn’t happen in a day—your business should continually find ways to improve processes and adapt your products and services as customer needs shift. As previously stated, the other Total Quality Management principles should help your business keep an eye toward continual improvement. To implement this TQM principle:
Benefits include:
7. Fact-based decision-makingAnalysis and data gathering lead to better decisions based on the available information. Making informed decisions leads to a better understanding of customers and your market. To implement this TQM principle:
Benefits include:
8. CommunicationsEverybody in your organization needs to be aware of plans, strategies, and methods that will be used to achieve goals. There is a greater risk of failure if you don’t have a good communication plan. To implement this TQM principle:
Benefits include:
Successful implementation of these Total Quality Management concepts will not come overnight. Because TQM often represents a large cultural shift, you may want to implement these changes in phases to lessen the impact. High performance is a journey, not a destination. Learn more about how your team can continuously adapt to drive better results. Read more Which of the following are Group building training methods?The main forms of group building methods are action learning, team training and adventure learning. The methods are effective in developing team work skills. These include risk taking, conflict management, problem solving and self awareness.
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Which of the following training methods focuses on individual as well as team learning?Group building methods focus on individual as well as team learning. Behavior modeling should be the basis for developing case studies. _____ learning focuses on well-defined competencies typically trained via lecture and online methods.
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