Proposing a framework for your TQM program

Citation

(2002), "Proposing a framework for your TQM program", Measuring Business Excellence, Vol. 6 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/mbe.2002.26706cab.004

Proposing a framework for your TQM program

For the last two decades, total quality management (TQM) has been seen as a source of competitive advantage: consequently, many organizations, across all industrial sectors, have launched (or attempted to launch) programs to implement TQM. However, the credibility of TQM has been undermined by the failure of a large proportion of those programs.

Possible causes of failure are inadequacy of quality planning and incomplete implementation programs, lack of an appropriate model, an emphasis on image and not on business results, non-alignment with strategic objectives, and a lack of continuity of the implementation program.

In order to avoid such (very costly) failures, it is helpful to use a framework that guides the implementationof a total quality management program (TQMP). The proposed framework defines the main input information, and the mechanisms to process that information, as well as addressing the content and scope of a typical TQMP.

A TQM program

Total quality can be described by its major characteristics: the fundamental principle, the results, and the tools involved. The fundamental principle is the total orientation of all activities of the organization to satisfying customers – and creating value to the various stakeholders – customers, employees, shareholders, suppliers, and community. The results are an increase in market share (by the maintenance of current customers and the acquisition of new ones), cost reductions and improvement of performance of products and services. The tools are the methodologies and techniques used within the process, such as reliability engineering, statistical process control, and Taguchi methodology.

A similar view sees TQM described by ten fundamental characteristics:

1. 1.

   quality first – total customer satisfaction;

2. 2.

   marketing – customer orientation;

3. 3.

   next process downstream is a customer;

4. 4.

   management by facts – the data-driven scientific approach;

5. 5.

   process management – preventive planning and execution;

6. 6.

   upstream control – marketing is the key to quality;

7. 7.

   attention on the vital few;

8. 8.

   preventive actions to eliminate recurring errors;

9. 9.

   employee respect – total participation; and

10. 10.

    top management commitment.

From the above descriptions, it is possible to sketch a definition of TQM. TQM aims to achieve total customer satisfaction (the creation of value to clients) by a scientific analysis of a company's business processes, based on observed and recorded data, resulting in a focus on a continual approach to correcting and preventing errors through the participation and involvement of all employees.

Thus, a TQMP becomes a logical sequence of necessary stages to implement a defined change process in the organization. A TQMP should contain the necessary actions logically arranged to introduce or to consolidate an orientation toward total customer satisfaction, management by process and continuous improvement. The program should be underpinned by an awareness of the particular critical success factors of the organization (cost, quality, delivery, flexibility, time, and innovativeness, for instance).

Input requirements of a TQMP

The major inputs to the program can be classified as:

• •

  information about the external (particularly the economic and technological) environment;

• •

  information about the internal environment (organization structure, strategies, and policies); and

• •

  information specifically relating to quality management methodologies and tools, and reference models of quality management.

The external environment

An assessment of the current and future external environment should be carried out for the time horizon relating to the TQMP. This will cover the economic and technological environment in which the company is operating, and likely developments. The economic environment includes an analysis of customers/clients (current and future), competition, supply chain, public industrial and trade policies, monetary policy, plus norms and rules/regulations/conventions of the market. The technological environment includes the rate of innovation of products/components, processes and services, in this and overlapping markets.

This diagnosis will show the opportunities and threats offered by this economic and technological future. The organization should also carry out a diagnosis of its whole supply chain, from material raw suppliers to dealers that deliver the product to customers. In particular, this should attempt to highlight any weak links in the chain.

The internal environment

An assessment of the internal environment of the organization should also be carried out to identify the current receptiveness towards TQM. If the company has made some effort toward the implementation of TQM or another quality program, it is important to determine the progress made and the "fit" between the program and the organization. The internal assessment will include a mapping of the major business processes to identify the internal components of the supply chain.

This evaluation of the organizational environment and "climate" should identify any potential barriers – and ways of removing them – to a successful implementation of TQM.

Methodologies and tools of quality management

There is quite a range of quality methodologies and tools. It is necessary to limit the actual ones used – both to aid communication and avoid confusion, and to limit the amount of training necessary for those who have to use and to interact with the tools.

Reference models

It is very important that an organization fully understands the TQM concept and approach, and a reference model for a TQMP is useful in ensuring that all share the same underlying concepts and beliefs.

An effective model should be helpful at the diagnosis stage and work through to offering support for the implementation and evaluation phases. Following such a reference model will ensure the program misses no key steps, and should allow an organization to identify "drift" from the planned approach, allowing corrective action to be taken promptly.

The total quality management program

The TQMP and its supporting documentation should be based on, and contain, the following information:

• •

  premises and basic principles;

• •

  policies (targets and means);

• •

  performance measures and check points;

• •

  subprograms;

• •

  actions, due dates, and responsibilities;

• •

  orientation regarding implementation, control evaluation.

The premises and basic principles provide the philosophical basis of the total quality management process and allow decisions and daily actions to be taken in a consistent manner – since they are all informed by the same basic, underpinning assumptions and values.

The main program can (and probably should) be divided into subprograms that are an optimized set of actions relating to a specific timeframe, organizational grouping or sub-objective. For example, a subprogram could relate to the implementation of a particular certification system, the establishment of statistical quality control, review of the product development process, certification of suppliers, etc.

Performance measures should be chosen so that the organization knows that progress is being made against targets and check points (or milestones) should be established in accordance with the complexity (level of difficulty) and length of the particular subprogram. This allows a program to be implemented following the simple plan, do, check, action (PDCA) method. It is obvious that the program must include an assessment of, and provision of, the necessary financial, material, and human resources from investment in equipment to the hiring and training of additional employees. This is important because an organization normally only gets one chance to implement TQM – if it fails for lack of resources, it has failed completely, possibly for all time.

The scope of a total quality management program

Before discussing how the required information defined above should be processed in the design of a TQMP, it is worth considering the scope of such a program. The scope can be considered to cover three main areas, or modules, of the program, namely:

1. 1.

   the quality system;

2. 2.

   the process of continuous improvement; and

3. 3.

   the development of the staff involved.

Although it is possible to schedule these modules separately within the entire program (concentrating on one of these at any one time), it is important to see them as a whole – there is a complex set of inter-relationships between these modules.

The quality system module

This part of the program aims to formalize the procedures and activities concerned with ensuring the quality of work/product – to establish and maintain the performance standards planned, to decrease of variability of quality of processes and products or services. The specific targets will depend on the norms operating within the industry, and the place aimed for within the overall market (high price, high quality, for example).

A quality system is a fundamental underpinning of TQM since it is difficult to retain the gains made within a TQMP if it does not have formalized procedures for onward measurement and control of quality.

The continuous improvement module

The formalization of the quality system is not enough to maintain or increase competitiveness. It is necessary to continue to make improvements – on an ongoing basis. This module is aimed at introducing mechanisms and processes that constantly require the seeking of breakthrough changes or incremental improvements in performance.

The quality system module establishes a minimum standard performance; the continuous improvement module develops the capability to make further, regular, long-term progress. An ideal continuous improvement process would encourage every employee to propose improvements and to take part in implementing or helping the implementation of these.

All organizations, however small and automated, depend on human beings to maintain or to improve their procedures – and their quality. Organizations do not think, manufacture, decide, nor take advantage; people do it all. Therefore, to change, an organization needs the development of the people who interact and work in it. Continuous improvement of quality must be a fundamental component of the culture of the organization. The continuous improvement module may thus have far-reaching consequences including, for example, organizational structural change designed to increase the responsibility, autonomy and participation of employees across and at all levels of the organization – resulting in, for example, multifunctional teams building on each other's knowledge and expertise.

Mobilization, communication and training of human resources module

The success of the program, in the final analysis, depends largely on the quality of the staff working on it – and the degree to which they have been fully prepared for their role within the program. This module of the program aims to raise awareness, to motivate, train and qualify/accredit the staff involved and to provide formal processes of communication on the development of, progress of, and results of the TQMP. This communication must be two-way – also carrying the flow of suggestions and proactive improvement actions from members of the organization. It may also include adaptations to the reward system for those contributing suggestions and improvement actions.

This module must make a major contribution to any desired cultural change – to underpin the other modules – through the development of work groups/teams, the implementation of suggestion schemes for all employees, quality circles, empowerment programs, etc.

The TQMP may have a different emphasis on different modules at different times but over the long-term (and a TQMP must operate over the long-term) all three modules must play their part in consolidating the TQM philosophy.

Conclusions

The proposed framework for establishing and implementing a TQMP works:

• •

  with a multi-disciplinary team;

• •

  from a diagnosis of the external and internal environments;

• •

  through a consideration of appropriate methodologies and tools;

• •

  via a set of defined sub-programs and action plans;

• •

  underpinned by an agreed reference model of quality management, and defined and agreed standards of performance, represented by formal procedures;

• •

  in a culture of continuous improvement;

• •

  toward an agreed and shared set of outcomes, consistent with the organization's long-term strategy.

Such a program should be flexible enough to adapt to changes in the environment and to the gradual changes in the corporate culture that arise from the program itself.

Finally, it is worth highlighting that a TQMP has a beginning, and a middle, but not necessarily an end. A particular manifestation of the program will end with its schedule but it should be overtaken by the next wave of enthusiasm and activity, itself based on a new cycle of gathering information, setting targets, etc.

Each phase is both an end and a beginning

This is a shortened version of "Total quality management programs: a framework proposal."

Martins, R.A. and de Toledo, J.C. (2000), "Total quality management programs: a framework proposal", Work Study, Vol. 49 No. 4, pp. 145-51, ISSN 0043-8022.