Total Quality Management Overview

In the production process, workers only focus on a specific part and lose sight of their contribution to the final product's quality.

A statistical method used to control product variables, marking the beginning of statistical quality control (SQC) and statistical process control (SPC).

A way to check product quality using statistics, instead of inspecting every single product (100%).

The core principles of quality management that aim to achieve excellence in all aspects of a company's operations.

The essential functionality that the product is designed to deliver.

Extra features that enhance or simplify product usage, beyond its basic functionality.

The time period a product functions reliably without problems.

The product's ability to meet established quality standards.

A structured process designed to ensure that customer needs are met by the final product.

The methodology used to measure how effectively an organization uses its resources to prevent, assess, and repair quality issues.

The total cost associated with preventing, detecting, and fixing quality issues.

A specific metric used to analyze quality costs by relating them to a relevant base, providing context for understanding the magnitude.

Using total labor (direct, indirect) as a reference point to analyze quality costs.

Using operational expenditures as a reference point to analyze quality costs.

Using sales revenue as a reference point to analyze quality costs.

Using the number of units produced as a reference point to analyze quality costs.

Costs associated with preventing defects before they occur. Examples include employee training, supplier certification, and preventive maintenance.

Costs associated with assessing and analyzing product quality during and after production. Examples include inspections, testing, and audits.

Costs associated with defects found within an organization, before the product reaches the customer. Examples include rework, scrap, and downtime.

Costs associated with defects found after the product has been shipped to the customer. Examples include warranty repairs, product returns, and customer complaints.

The ratio of total cost of quality to a specific base, like production costs or sales revenue. Used to track quality cost trends over time.

The belief that proactively preventing defects is more cost-effective than dealing with the consequences of defective products.

The idea that minimizing all types of quality costs (prevention, appraisal, internal failure, and external failure) helps achieve optimal business performance.

The Cost-of-Quality Trend Analysis chart displays prevention, appraisal, and failure costs over time, allowing you to identify trends and areas for improvement.

A bar graph used to visualize the frequency or cost of different causes of quality issues, highlighting the most significant problems for focused improvement.

A technique for analyzing quality costs by comparing the cost levels in the present with past periods, identifying trends over time.

The first principle of Total Quality Management (TQM): emphasizing that quality is a responsibility at all levels, not just for specialists.

A management approach where senior leaders regularly walk around the workplace, interacting with employees, observing operations, and addressing issues firsthand.

Senior managers play a vital role in ensuring a successful TQM implementation by setting the vision, providing resources, and fostering a culture of quality.

The organization analyzes its current state, including its culture, customer satisfaction, and quality management systems.

Top management identifies and communicates fundamental principles and values that guide TQM implementation.

The organization maps out critical processes that directly impact customer needs and satisfaction.

The organization sets up teams specifically tasked with improving processes and achieving quality goals.

A steering committee is responsible for maintaining momentum and guiding the TQM implementation process.

Managers actively participate in TQM, using techniques like hoshin planning, coaching, and training.

A TQM strategy using specific TQM practices, like quality circles or statistical process control, to improve individual processes or departments.

A TQM strategy where a company implements ideas from prominent quality experts, like Deming or Crosby.

A TQM strategy that involves studying successful organizations and implementing their methods, tailored to a company's specific needs.

A TQM strategy where companies learn from Deming Prize-winning Japanese companies to create a long-term quality improvement plan.

A structured process of consistently evaluating progress and adjusting a plan to maintain or improve quality.

A standardized method for monitoring and improving processes by understanding the causes of variation in process output.

A method for designing and improving products by considering customer needs and preferences from the initial planning stage.