TQM is considered a customer-centered process that focuses on constantly improving the management of business operations. It strives to ensure that all associated employees work to achieve the common objectives of improving the quality of products or services, as well as improving established procedures for production. This management approach is used to simplify supply chain management, as well as to detect, reduce or eliminate errors. TQM requires organizations to focus on continuous improvement, or Kaizen.
TQM focuses on continuous internal improvement and long-term process improvement, thus improving the quality of the products or services produced. Total quality management (TQM) is a management approach that seeks to achieve long-term success by providing unparalleled satisfaction to customers through the consistent provision of quality IT services. With TQM, all members of the company must focus on improving quality with the common goal of increasing customer loyalty and satisfaction. Take the time to understand the basics of TQM and choose an implementation strategy that works for your company.
While it involves the entire company, TQM is a management style established, coordinated and led by company leaders. Another example of TQM occurred at Tata Steel, a steel company based in India and a subsidiary of the Tata Group. Deming, a physicist and statistician, was key to the development of TQM and is often referred to as the “father of quality management”. In the late 70s and early 80s, countries around the world became aware of the predecessor of total quality management (TQM).
All departments that contribute to the creation of a product or service, including design, engineering, and marketing teams, participate in TQM. The following graphic is a common example of a quality management flowchart that managers use to decide the course of action and understand business performance in relation to customer needs. ASQ has compiled a series of total quality management case studies to illustrate the impact that a TQM system can have on your organization. TQM is essential for increasing customer satisfaction because business processes are specifically developed to provide higher quality products as a first priority.
TQM and Governance: The Importance of Leadership and Personal Transformation (PDF, exclusive for ASQ members). The implementation of TQM is something that must be applied to the current structure of the organization; there is no step-by-step guide that tells you how to do it for your company. TQM prescribes a series of ways for organizations to achieve this objective, and the path to successful continuous improvement focuses on the use of strategy, data, and effective communication to instill quality discipline in the organization's culture and processes. Total quality management (TQM) is a management strategy that emphasizes the continuous effort of the entire organization to maintain quality customer service and satisfaction.
TQM's focus on quality helps organizations identify employee skill deficiencies, along with the training, education, or mentoring needed to address those needs.