Total Quality Management: Principles and Practices

Total Quality Management (TQM) originated post-World War II, with influences from statisticians like Deming and Juran. TQM's evolution emphasizes continuous improvement, customer satisfaction, and integrating quality into the corporate culture, not just production.

TQM rests on a philosophy that blends ethical integrity, trust, and teamwork. It fosters an environment where every employee is committed to maintaining high standards, and where suppliers and customers are considered integral to the quality process.

TQM utilizes seven basic tools for problem-solving: flowcharts, check sheets, Pareto charts, cause-and-effect diagrams, histograms, control charts, and scatter diagrams. These tools help in analyzing data, spotting trends, and identifying the root causes of quality issues.

The four pillars of TQM are Customer Focus, Total Employee Involvement, Process Approach, and Continuous Improvement. Together, they create a strong foundation for a company-wide commitment to quality.

TQM isn't just for manufacturing; it's crucial in service industries too. Service-oriented TQM focuses on responsiveness, service quality, and creating a feedback loop with customers to continuously improve service delivery.

Companies like Toyota and Motorola have successfully implemented TQM, reducing defects, improving customer satisfaction, and saving billions. Motorola's Six Sigma program, inspired by TQM principles, became a benchmark for quality improvement.

Globalization has spread TQM principles worldwide, leading to international quality standards like ISO 9000. These standards help organizations universally define and measure quality, fostering global competition and cooperation.