Our role here at Clarity is to equip your teams with all of the knowledge required to embed a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence throughout your business. One of the Lean management principles at the heart of this process is Total Quality Management, or TQM.
In this blog we’re explaining what TQM is, how to implement it, and how it will benefit your operations in a multitude of ways.
Total Quality Management focuses on improving all aspects of quality and customer satisfaction. It involves removing delays, errors and constraints that are preventing your teams from being able to deliver a consistently fast response, impeccable service and products of the highest calibre.
In order to apply TQM across your premises, it must begin with top management and work its way down by diffusing responsibility to all employees. Multiple quality tools are used during the application of TQM, such as:
A core element of TQM is Total Quality Control, or TQC, which is also sometimes referred to as Company Wide Quality Control (CWQC). This is a set of organised Kaizen activities carried out by all management and workers, focusing on improving performance at every level through totally integrated effort. Numerous cross-functional goals are given extreme attention, such as:
There are eight core principles of Total Quality Management. By following them to the letter and giving each one equal focus, you can effectively implement TQM and never stray from its objectives:
As outlined above, the benefits of Total Quality Management are wide-ranging and significant. Customer satisfaction, employee engagement, reliable processes, integrated workflow, strategic management, continuous improvement, fact-based decisions and clear communication will each benefit your teams enormously, as well as minimise costs and waste whilst maximising sales and customer loyalty. However, we believe that we should share both the pros and cons when explaining a Lean methodology, so here’s something to consider: TQM requires unwavering commitment on a company-wide level.
This may not sound like a disadvantage per se, but it’s of the utmost importance that you take into account what it means. The system requires structured research on an ongoing basis, purchasing the right types of visual management assets, involving all workers in the process and giving them a platform to voice their ideas and concerns, being prepared to rectify even the smallest of inefficiencies, and understanding that the perfect system can never be sustained without applying change wherever and whenever required.
The commitment is enormous and does require investment in terms of time and money, though rest assured that the return is far greater and can enable a business to overcome even the most stubborn and seemingly ingrained obstacles standing in the way of achieving operational excellence.
The Lean and visual management advisors here at Clarity are ready to help you understand and implement Total Quality Management as part of your Lean journey. For more information about how we can help and to book an initial consultation, get in touch with our team on +44 (0)1482 296451 or fill in our contact form.
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