TQM

• What is Total Quality Management (TQM)?

  • TQM is an integrated system applied throughout the organisation, which helps to design quality products / services to customers.
  • TQM enables businesses to continuously improve on the delivery of products / services in order to satisfy the needs of customers.
• (TQM) Continuous skills development / Education and training:

  • The commitment of the business to participate in the continuous skills development of all the employees at all levels within the business.
  • The correct training programmes must be provided to train the employees for the correct application of the various TQM processes
• (TQM) Total client / customer satisfaction:

  • The ability of the business to achieve total client satisfaction.
  • The business must strive to provide quality products / services to exceed customer expectations.
• (TQM) Continuous Improvement to processes and systems:

  • The ability of the business to achieve continuous improvement to processes and systems.
  • The business cannot become complacent with current practices and must constantly apply means to improve existing processes and systems.
• (TQM) Adequate financing and capacity:

  • The ability of the business to acquire adequate financing and capacity for all operational requirements in the pursuit of implementing TQM effectively.
• (TQM) Monitoring and evaluating quality processes:

  • The business needs to monitor and evaluate quality processes to determine the strengths and reduce weaknesses in achieving TQM.
  • This is an important aspect within TQM as it allows the business to enhance existing practices and improve the degree to which the business exceeds.
• Continuous skills development advantages:

  • Ability to afford skilled employees.
  • May be able to hire qualified trainers to train employees on a regular basis.
  • Large businesses have a human resources department dedicated to skills training and development.
• Continuous skills development disadvantages:

  • Trained employees may leave for better jobs after they gained more skills.
  • De-motivates employees, if they do not receive recognition for training.
  • Poor communication systems in large businesses may prevent effective training from taking place.
• Total client/customer satisfaction advantages:

  • Continuously promote a positive customer image.
  • May lead to higher customer retention/loyalty and business may be able to charge higher prices.
  • Large businesses may be able to gain access to the global market.
  • May lead to increased competitiveness / profitability.
• Total Client/customer satisfaction disadvantages:

  • not all employees may be committed to total customer satisfaction.
  • Employees who seldom come into contact with customers often do not have a clear idea of what will satisfy their needs.
• Continuous improvement to processes and systems advantages:

  • Large businesses have more resources to check on quality performance in each department.
  • Enough capital resources are available for new equipment required for processes and systems.
  • large businesses have a person dedicated to the improvement of processes and systems.
• Continuous improvement to processes and systems disadvantages:

  • Large scale manufacturing can complicate quality control.
  • Not all negative feedback from employees and customers is going to be accurate, which may result in unnecessary changes to processes and systems.
• Adequate financing and capacity advantages:

  • Large businesses have sufficient financing to test everything before implementing.
  • They can afford to have systems in place to prevent errors in processes
• Adequate financing and capacity disadvantages:

  • If the demand for a business product increases, orders begin coming in faster than expected, the business lacks the capital to fund the production of the stock to fill the orders.
• Monitoring and evaluating quality processes advantages:

  • Prevents product defects and minimises wastage / customer complaints.
  • Strategies are revises in order to improve the quality of the product and services.
  • May be equipped to get things done right the first time.
  • Improve performance and maintain high quality standards.
• Monitoring and evaluating quality processes disadvantages:

  • Large businesses are often divides, and the departments work in compartments, it is difficult the get everyone to communicate.
  • It is not viable to check quality of all products.
• The impact of TQM if poorly implemented:

  • Setting unrealistic deadlines that may not be achieved.
  • Employees may not be adequately trained resulting in poor quality products.
  • Decline in productivity, because of stoppages.
  • Investors might withdraw investments, if there is a deadline in profits.
  • Decline in sales as more goods are returned by unhappy customers.
• Ways TQM can reduce the cost of quality:

  • Introduce quality circles to discuss ways of improving the quality of work/workmanship.
  • Train employees of all levels, so that everyone understands their roles in quality management.
  • Develop work systems that empower employees to find new ways of improving quality.
  • work closely to suppliers to improve the quality of raw materials/inputs.
  • Improve communication about quality challenges so that everyone can learn from experience.