In the modern era, quality has become a basic requirement for the success and sustainability of institutions in various fields, as Total Quality Management is one of the administrative practices that aims to improve the quality of products, services and processes. This is done by promoting a culture of quality within the institution and committing to continuous improvement. Therefore, today we will discuss everything related to the concept of Total Quality Management, its stages of development, its goals, and its most important principles that enhance institutional excellence.
What is the concept of Total Quality Management?
Total Quality Management is an administrative approach based on continuous improvement and providing added value to customers. Total Quality Management (TQM) works to involve all employees of the institution, from senior management to the lowest levels of the organizational pyramid, to work together to achieve high quality in products, services and processes. It also aims to reduce errors and waste and increase customer satisfaction by building a corporate culture based on quality.
History of Total Quality Management
The roots of Total Quality Management go back to the mid-twentieth century when the focus on quality appeared in Japan after World War II. Quality experts such as Edward Deming and Joseph Juran brought their concepts of quality to Japan, and Japan soon became a pioneer in this field thanks to its commitment to continuous improvement. Later, quality management concepts moved to the West, and became part of modern management in various countries around the world.
Stages of Total Quality Development
The concept of Total Quality Management has witnessed remarkable development over the past decades, starting from focusing on the final inspection of products to a comprehensive approach covering all aspects of the organization. The stages of this development can be summarized as follows:
1) Inspection and control: It began with focusing on inspecting final products and fixing defects.
2) Statistical control: Statistical tools were used to monitor quality during the production stages.
3) Quality assurance: The scope of quality expanded to include all stages of the production process.
4) Total quality management: It focuses on continuous improvement in all departments of the organization.
5) Global standards: International standards such as ISO 9001 were adopted to unify quality concepts.
6) Continuous improvement: Methodologies such as Kaizen and Six Sigma were adopted to achieve continuous improvements.
7) Sustainable quality and digital transformation: Quality became linked to sustainability, and digital technologies were integrated to improve processes.
In this way, the concept of TQM has become more comprehensive and flexible, keeping pace with technological developments and changing customer requirements.
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Difference between Quality Management and Total Quality Management
1) Quality Management:
Focus: Focuses on inspecting final products to ensure they conform to specified standards.
Scope: Mainly depends on a specific department responsible for quality control.
Objective: Ensure that products are free of defects before they reach the customer.
Methodology: Relies on traditional methods of quality control and identifying errors after they occur.
2) Total Quality Management:
Focus: Aims to integrate quality into all processes and procedures within the organization.
Scope: Includes all departments of the organization and is based on the participation of all employees in achieving quality.
Objective: Continuous improvement of products, services and processes to meet customer needs and exceed their expectations.
Methodology: Relies on advanced concepts such as continuous improvement, innovation, and modern technologies to ensure quality at every stage.
In short, quality management is traditional and limited in scope, while total quality management is a strategic and comprehensive approach that enhances institutional excellence by involving everyone in achieving high and sustainable standards of quality.
Objectives of Total Quality Management
After discussing the concept of Total Quality Management and the difference between it and traditional quality management, we will now review the strategic objectives that Total Quality Management seeks to achieve, the most prominent of which are:
1) Improving customer satisfaction: It contributes to providing products and services that meet customer expectations, which enhances their loyalty to the brand.
2) Increasing efficiency and reducing waste: It works to improve processes and reduce errors, which reduces costs and increases productivity.
3) Enhancing competitiveness: It helps organizations improve their performance and gain a competitive advantage in the market.
4) Motivating employees and increasing their commitment: It encourages employee participation in improving performance, which enhances their sense of responsibility.
5) Enhancing internal cooperation: By involving all employees in quality improvement processes.
6) Achieving compliance with standards: It ensures that organizations adhere to international standards, which enhances their credibility and opportunities for international expansion.
7) Supporting innovation and continuous improvement: It stimulates the search for new solutions to improve processes and enhance efficiency.
8) Improving the reputation of the institution: It contributes to building a strong reputation for the institution by providing high-quality products.
9) Achieving sustainable growth: Contributes to business sustainability by focusing on quality and continuous innovation.
These objectives are a fundamental pillar for enhancing the success and sustainability of the organization.
The most important principles of Total Quality Management
1. Customer focus: Achieving customer satisfaction and meeting their needs is the basis of Total Quality Management.
2. Continuous improvement: Striving to improve processes and products on an ongoing basis.
3. Integration and collaboration: Involving all employees and departments in achieving quality goals.
4. Data-based decision-making: Relying on data and statistics to make informed decisions.
5. Effective leadership: The role of leadership in motivating the team and directing it towards achieving quality.
Stages of implementing Total Quality Management
1. Planning: Determining quality objectives and understanding customer expectations, analyzing the required resources and developing procedures to achieve the required quality.
2. Organizing and designing: Determining the organizational structure and roles, and designing processes to ensure efficiency and reduce waste.
3. Implementing: Actually applying processes and training employees on the required quality standards.
4. Monitoring and measurement: Following up on performance using quality measurement tools to detect any defects and evaluate performance.
5. Continuous improvement: Reviewing measurement results and developing processes continuously using tools such as Kaizen and Six Sigma.
6. Feedback and evaluation: Collecting feedback from customers and employees to improve performance and achieve goals.
7. Strategic review: Periodic review of strategies to ensure adaptation to changes and continuous quality improvement.
Obstacles facing the implementation of Total Quality Management
1. Resistance to change: Employees and managers face difficulty adapting to new changes in work methods, which hinders the implementation of the Total Quality System.
2. Lack of training and skills: Total Quality Management requires specialized skills, and in the absence of appropriate training, it may be difficult to implement the system effectively.
3. Limited funding and resources: Implementing TQM may require significant financial and human resource investments, which is a barrier in companies with limited budgets.
4. Lack of senior leadership support: In the absence of support and guidance from senior management, it becomes difficult to implement TQM standards effectively.
5. Lack of communication: Poor coordination between different departments may lead to a lack of good understanding of quality needs and requirements, which hinders their integrated implementation.
6. Focus on short-term results: Some organizations may prefer to focus on achieving immediate results rather than adopting a TQM strategy that requires long-term time and effort.
7. Inadequate technological resources: Lack of technological systems or modern measurement tools may hinder quality control and accurate data analysis.
8. Lack of a quality culture: If a quality culture is absent in the organization, it will be difficult to convince everyone of the importance of implementing TQM.
Types of TQM
1) Traditional Quality Management (TQM): Focuses on continuous improvement in all aspects of work with the participation of all employees.
2) Standards-based quality management (ISO): It relies on the commitment of organizations to international standards such as ISO 9001 to ensure quality.
3) Customer-oriented quality management: It focuses on meeting customer needs and enhancing their satisfaction.
4) Performance-based quality management: It relies on measuring and analyzing performance using key performance indicators (KPIs).
5) Adaptive quality management: It is flexible in adapting to rapid changes in the market and technology.
6) Participatory quality management: It encourages employee participation in improving processes and making decisions.
7) Quality management in education: It focuses on improving the quality of education with the participation of students and teachers.
Total Quality Management Application Areas
Total Quality Management can be applied in various fields, as follows:
1) Industrial sector: Improving production and reducing waste.
2) Service sector: Improving the quality of services to customers.
3) Education sector: Raising the quality of education and teaching methods.
4) Government sector: Improving administrative performance and public services.
5) Commercial sector: Improving quality management in stores and companies.
6) Healthcare sector: Improving the quality of healthcare for patients.
7) Financial sector: Improving financial services to customers.
8) Technology sector: Improving the quality of technological products.
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Total Quality Management Tools
1. Pareto chart: Used to analyze the causes that most affect the results.
2. Process maps: Help understand and analyze the flow of processes.
3. Cause and root cause analysis: Helps identify the causes of problems and avoid their recurrence.
4. Scatter plots: Analyzing the relationship between variables to identify the influencing factors.
TQM Evaluation Methods
1. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Measure performance using specific indicators to measure improvement in quality and efficiency.
2. Internal Audit: Conduct periodic assessments of internal processes and systems to ensure compliance with quality standards.
3. Customer Satisfaction Surveys: Collect customer opinions on the quality of products and services to determine the level of satisfaction and required improvements.
4. Gap Analysis: Compare actual performance with target standards to identify gaps and work to close them.
5. Statistical Analysis: Use statistical data to identify trends and analyze errors and problems to improve quality.
6. Self-Assessment: Conduct a self-review by work teams to assess the extent to which quality objectives are achieved.
7. Leadership Reviews: Follow up on senior leadership’s commitment to quality principles and make decisions that support continuous improvement.
8. Feedback System: Use feedback from all stakeholders (employees and customers) to improve processes and performance quality.
The role of the Total Safety Quality Center in quality management in companies
The Total Safety Quality Center for Training contributes to supporting companies by providing training courses and integrated consulting services in business management for organizations of all types and sizes. Our team of specialized consultants includes expertise in the fields of quality, health and safety, environment, and food safety, in addition to training, auditing, and related management consulting services, which are designed to meet the needs of all industrial and commercial sectors.
The most important courses of the Total Safety Quality Center
• Occupational Safety and Health Course according to American OSHA standards
• ISO 22000 Food Safety Management Course
• ISO 9001 Quality Management Course
• ISO 14001 Environmental Management Course
• ISO 45001 Occupational Health and Safety Management Course