D4.H

TQM = Total Quality Management

• Customer-focused: The customer ultimately determines the level of quality. No matter
• what an organization does to foster quality improvement—training
• employees, integrating quality into the design process, upgrading
• computers or software, or buying new measuring tools—the customer
• determines whether the efforts were worthwhile.
• Total employee involvement: All employees participate in working toward common goals. Total
• employee commitment can only be obtained after fear has been driven from
• the workplace, when empowerment has occurred, and management has
• provided the proper environment. Self-managed work teams are one form of empowerment.
• Process-centered: A fundamental part of TQM is a focus on process thinking. A
• process is a series of steps that take inputs from suppliers (internal
• or external) and transforms them into outputs that are delivered to
• customers (again, either internal or external). The steps required to
• carry out the process are defined, and performance measures are
• continuously monitored in order to detect unexpected variation.

TQM - Continued (2 of 4)

• Integrated system: Although an organization may consist of many different functional
• specialties often organized into vertically structured departments, it
• is the horizontal processes interconnecting these functions that are the
• focus of TQM.
• Micro-processes add up to larger processes, and all processes
• aggregate into the business processes required for defining and
• implementing strategy. Everyone must understand the vision, mission, and
• guiding principles as well as the quality policies, objectives, and
• critical processes of the organization. Business performance must be
• monitored and communicated continuously.
• An integrated business system may be modeled after the Baldrige National Quality Program criteria and/or incorporate the ISO 9000 standards.
• Every organization has a unique work culture, and it is virtually
• impossible to achieve excellence in its products and services unless a
• good quality culture has been fostered. Thus, an integrated system
• connects business improvement elements in an attempt to continually
• improve and exceed the expectations of customers, employees, and other
• stakeholders.

TQM - Continued (3 of 4)

• Strategic and systematic approach: A critical part of the management of quality is the strategic
• and systematic approach to achieving an organization’s vision, mission,
• and goals. This process, called strategic planning or strategic
• management, includes the formulation of a strategic plan that integrates
• quality as a core component.
• Continual improvement: A major thrust of TQM is continual process improvement.
• Continual improvement drives an organization to be both analytical and
• creative in finding ways to become more competitive and more effective
• at meeting stakeholder expectations.
• 7. Fact-based decision making: In order to know how well an organization is performing, data
• on performance measures are necessary. TQM requires that an organization
• continually collect and analyze data in order to improve decision
• making accuracy, achieve consensus, and allow prediction based on past
• history.

TQM - Continued (4 of 4)

• Communications: During times of organizational change, as well as part of
• day-to-day operation, effective communications plays a large part in
• maintaining morale and in motivating employees at all levels.
• Communications involve strategies, method, and timeliness.

PDCA Definition

• PDCA (plan-do-check-act, sometimes seen as plan-do-check-adjust) is a repetitive four-stage model for continuous improvement in business process management.
• The PDCA model is also known as the Deming circle/cycle/wheel,
• Shewhart cycle, control circle/cycle, or plan–do–study–act (PDSA).
• Plan: Define the problem to be addressed, collect relevant data, and ascertain the problem's root cause.
• Do: Develop and implement a solution; decide upon a measurement to gauge its effectiveness.
• Check: Confirm the results through before-and-after data comparison.
• Act: Document the results, inform
• others about process changes, and make recommendations for the problem
• to be addressed in the next PDCA cycle.