Total Quality Management (TQM) is a customer-centered process that focuses on constantly improving the management of business operations. It is based on the belief that an organization can generate long-term growth and success if all its members, from low-level workers to high-ranking executives, are continuously focused on improving quality. TQM encourages collaboration between departments and employees, reduces variability in processes, increases customer loyalty, and holds all parties involved in production accountable for quality results. TQM is considered to be a comprehensive approach to quality improvement that involves all members of an organization. It strives to ensure that all associated employees work together to achieve the common objectives of improving the quality of products or services, as well as of improving established procedures for production.
The guiding principles of TQM include a focus on teamwork, increased communication and coordination between disparate groups, and the exchange of knowledge. This leads to the creation of cross-functional teams and deeper institutional knowledge, providing companies with more flexibility when it comes to deploying staff. By focusing on using high-quality information to improve processes, TQM can help organizations achieve effectiveness and reduce losses and expenses. This translates into lower prices for customers, creating customer loyalty and allowing them to continue their business. Variations in processes can negatively alter the desired results, so TQM leads to better products manufactured at a lower cost. Total quality management has been implemented in manufacturing, education, government administration and services.
It can be used by any type of organization to adapt to constant changes, improve its effectiveness and increase competitiveness. However, one of the main disadvantages of TQM is the need for a company-wide commitment to quality improvement and the difficulty of achieving this commitment. Although TQM is still influential, other management techniques such as Six Sigma and lean manufacturing have replaced it in many companies. These techniques use templates and checklists to manage recurring tasks and integrate them with thousands of applications through Zapier, webhooks or API integration to automate workflows. In conclusion, Total Quality Management (TQM) is an effective way for businesses to improve their operations by focusing on customer satisfaction and continuous improvement. It encourages collaboration between departments and employees, reduces variability in processes, increases customer loyalty, and holds all parties involved in production accountable for quality results.