Total Quality Management (TQM)

Description Total Quality Management (TQM) is a systematic approach to quality improvement that marries product and service specifications to customer performance. TQM then aims to produce these specifications with zero defects. This creates a virtuous cycle of continuous improvement that boosts production, customer satisfaction and profits.Methodology In order to succeed, TQM programs require managers to: Assess customer requirements.
Understand present and future customer needs;
Design products and services that cost-effectively meet or exceed those needs. Deliver quality.
Identify the key problem areas in the process and work on them until they approach zero-defect levels;
Train employees to use the new processes;
Develop effective measures of product and service quality;
Create incentives linked to quality goals;
Promote a zero-defect philosophy across all activities;
Encourage management to lead by example;
Develop feedback mechanisms to ensure continuous improvement. Common Uses TQM improves profitability by focusing on quality improvement and addressing associated challenges within an organization. TQM can be used to:
Increase productivity;
Lower scrap and rework costs;
Improve product reliability;
Decrease time-to-market cycles;
Decrease customer service problems;
Increase competitive advantage.