Companies are always looking for a way to increase profits and the welfare of the business. One of the ways that has proven very successful in the country of Japan and is starting to gain more recognition in the United States is the philosophy of Total Quality Management. Total Quality Management is an idea that is used in many corporations today. More companies are adopting this idea daily. Presented in this paper is the definition and principle of Total Quality Management, an introduction and brief history of W. Edwards Deming (known as the father of quality control in Japan), and the elements necessary to implement Total Quality Management .
Total Quality Management is a management philosophy that seeks to integrate all organizational functions (marketing, finance, design, engineering, and production, customer service, etc.) to focus on meeting customer needs and organizational objectives. It maintains that organizations must strive to continuously improve these processes by incorporating the knowledge and experiences of workers. The simple objective of Total Quality Management is “Do the right things, right the first time, every time.” Although originally applied to manufacturing operations, and for a number of years only used in that area, Total Quality Management is now becoming recognized as a generic management tool, just as applicable in service and public sector organizations. There are a number of evolutionary strands, with different sectors creating their own versions from the common ancestor.
The key principles of Total Quality Management are as following:
• Management Commitment
1. Plan (drive, direct)
2. Do (deploy ...