Total Quality Management TQM

Definition of Total Quality Management TQM

Total Quality Management is a global management approach regarding quality which focuses on meeting customer needs and organizational objectives.

Its basic idea is that the entire company (culture, organization, processes and staff day-to-day attitude) is continuously focused in the improvement of quality of goods and services.

“To reach the perfect quality by reducing all types of losses and improving company’s outputs” can be a good definition of Total Quality Management TQM

Origins of Total Quality Management TQM

The TQM concept was probably born in 1949 in Japan. Mr. Toyoda, founder of Toyota, asked on his engineer, Mr. Taiichi Ohno, to find a counter measure to the Ford method which was no more adapted to the new social and economical environment of Japan after the 2^nd world war.

Ohno then developed a method which one of the fundamental principles is to reduce losses by achieving a perfect quality.

Since the early 1980's, the method has then become more popular, especially in western countries.

Basics of Total Quality Management implementation

A simplified motto for TQM can be "Do the right things, right the first time, every time".

To implement TQM as a management philosophy for continuously improving overall business performance, any company needs to develop and implement the following concepts:

• Leadership and management commitment,
• Supplier quality management,
• Strategic planning and vision,
• Evaluation and continuous measurement (KPI),
• Process control and improvement,
• Reducing product design’s cycle and cost,
• Quality system improvement,
• Employee involvement and empowerment,
• Recognition and reward of achievements
• Training and Education,
• Focus on Customer needs.

These changes are usually done through a set of practices such as quality or management tools and techniques (Plan Do check Act, Poka Yoke, 5S, Ishikawa diagram, TOPS, Fact Based Decision Making…)

Conclusion on Total Quality Management

TQM is more of a management philosophy than a set of descriptive techniques.

Although not every company which had undertaken its implementation had obtained positive results, the Total Quality Management TQM –if well adapted to each company context- can give significant results as it encourages all functions and all employees to participate in the continuous improvement process of the company.