Total Quality Management Principles and Definition

TQM is a continuous process of improvement for individuals, groups of people and whole organizations.
  • ‘Concentration of focus on continuous improvement’ is the main difference of TQM from other management processes.
  • TQM is not a quick management fix rather the way things are done within the organizations lifetime.
  • To improve the process, therefore people must know –
  • what to do,
  • how to do,
  • right methods to do it, and
  • Be able to measure-
  • the improvement of the process &
  • the current level of the achievement.

TQM encompasses a set of
  • - four principles and
  • - eight core concepts
1. Delight the customer
Focus on external customers-
What would delight them?
I.e.; real needs of product & service, agree requirements and fulfill them.
Being in touch with this changes and always satisfying the customer are an integral part of the TQM.

2. Management by fact
Knowing the current quality standards of the product & service.
To measure the improvement you must know the base you are starting from.
Giving that information to everyone so that decisions are based upon fact which is an essential aspect of continuous improvement.

3. People-based Management
If people understand- what & how to do it and obtain feedback on their performance-
they encouraged to take responsibility for the quality of their own work.
The people feel more involved-
the commitment will be greater to their customer satisfaction.
The role of people is extremely important in the continuous improvement of quality within an organization.

4. Continuous improvement
TQM is not a short-term activity that will finish when a set target has been achieved.
It is not a program or project.
It recognizes that, much we may improve, our competitors will continue to improve and our customers will expect more from us.
Here, continuous improvement is an incremental change.

Definition & Goal of TQM (In short)
  • TQM is a systematic methodology for continuously improving organizational performance through involvement of all members.
  • The goal of TQM is to provide higher quality of services in order to delight clients.

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