Essay on Total Quality Management TQM

Total Quality Management system and the Enrichment of

Customer requirements.
PHD Candidate Architect / Ayman Ahmed Hassan 1, MBA, B.Sc. A., A.I.A, I.S.O, PE SEC.

Description of Total Quality Management Model (TQM):

Total Quality Management (TQM) is a way of managing people and business processes to
ensure complete customer satisfaction at every stage, internally and externally. Total
Quality Management, combined with effective leadership, results in an organization doing
the right things right, first time.
The core of Total Quality Management is the customer-supplier interfaces, both externally
and internally, and at each interface lie a number of processes. This core must be
surrounded by commitment to quality, communication of the quality message, and
recognition of the need to change the culture of the organization to create total quality.
These are the foundations of Total Quality Management, and they are supported by the key
management functions of people, processes and systems in the organization.
(www.gov.uk/bis)(Accessed Nov. 2015).
The practice of customer focus has been implemented by various organizations under the
umbrella of Total Quality Management (TQM). In accordance with the philosophy of quality
management, which emphasizes upon the importance of development launched by and for
customers themselves (Sousa, 2003), the practice of customer focus is frequently
considered to be an integral feature of Total Quality Management. (Yaacob, 2014).

Figure 1 - Total Quality Management Model – Customer / Supply Focus.

1 Architect / Ayman Ahmed Hassan. PHD Candidate, MBA, B. Arch, A.I.A (Int'l), I.S.O., PE SEC Architect Engineer. Architect / Ayman A. Hassan is a PHD
candidate in UTM, Senior Architectural Consultant, Member of Several Scientific Committees Focusing on Design of Facilities and Sustainable Development.
Architect / Ayman is experienced presenter and public speaker in various educational and training events in Middle East and North Africa. Architect / Ayman
is also a publisher in several scientific magazines. Architect Ayman is The Head of Architecture / Projects Design Manager at Abdul Rahman Al Naim
Consultant Engineers (ACE) with responsibility of Design Management, Founder of Designs Decode Magazine, Founder of the Egyptian Green Movement –
non profit organization, interested in introducing the Green concept to the society, Member of the scientific committee of IEREK (Research and Knowledge
Enrichment), Lecturer at Saudi Umran Society – Saudi Health Care division, Member of the Local Expert Panel for Accessing Sustainability. KFUPM,
Member of The American Institute of Architects, AIA (International Associate), Member of The Saudi Council of Engineers, SCE, Member of The Egyptian
syndicate of Engineers, Egypt, 2001, ISO Internal Auditor certificate of achievement, Bureau VERITAS, Saudi Arabia, 2008.

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Total Quality Management (TQM) is a comprehensive and structured approach to
organizational management that seeks to improve the quality of products and services
through ongoing refinements in response to continuous feedback. TQM requirements may
be defined separately for a particular organization or may be in adherence to established
standards, such as the International Organization for Standardization's ISO
9000 series. (http://searchcio.techtarget.com/definition/Total-Quality-Management)
(Accessed Nov. 2015).
Total quality management (TQM) consists of organization-wide efforts to install and make
permanent a climate in which an organization continuously improves its ability to deliver
high-quality products and services to customers. While there is no widely agreed-upon
approach, TQM efforts typically draw heavily on the previously developed tools and
techniques of quality control. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_quality_management)
(Accessed Nov. 2015).
Customer relationship management (CRM) is an approach to managing a company’s
interaction with current and future customers. It often involves using technology to
organize, automate, and synchronize sales, marketing, customer service, and technical
support. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Customer_relationship_management) (Accessed
Nov. 2015).

Systems (Planning):
System (Planning) is a process an organization uses to prioritize and focus the efforts of the
company as well as the implementation of a plan. A company uses strategic planning to
predict and anticipate changes in the business environment and position the company to
respond.(http://smallbusiness.chron.com/total-quality-management-strategic-planning-
13300.html) (Accessed Nov. 2015).

Performance (Customer / Suppliers):

There exists in each department a series of customers / suppliers interfaces. These are “the
quality chains”, and they can be broken at any point by one person or one piece of
equipment not meeting the requirements of the customer, internal or external. The failure
usually finds its way to the interface between the organization and its external customer, or
in the worst case, to the external customer.
Failure to meet the requirements in any part of a quality chain has a way of multiplying, and
failure in one part of the system creates problems elsewhere, leading to yet more failure
and problems, and so the situation is exacerbated. The ability to meet customers’ (external
and internal) requirements is vital. (www.gov.uk/bis)(Accessed Nov. 2015).

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 Customers (internal and external) Suppliers (internal and external)
Questions Questions
1 Who are our customers? Who are our internal suppliers?
2 What are their true needs and expectations? What are my true needs and expectations?
3 How do, or can, we find out what these are? How do we communicate our needs and
expectations to our suppliers?
4 How can we measure my ability to meet their Do our suppliers have the capability to measure
needs and expectations? and meet these needs and expectations?
5 Do we have the capability to meet their needs and How do we inform them of changes in our needs
expectations? and expectations?
6 What must we do to improve this capability?
7 Do we continually meet their needs and
expectations?
8 What prevents this from happening when the
capability exists?
9 How do we monitor changes in their needs and
expectations?
Figure 2 / Table – Customer / Supply (internal and external) Questions.

Process:
Everything we do is a Process, which is the transformation of a set of inputs, which can
include action, methods and operations, into the desired outputs, which satisfy the
customers’ needs and expectations.
In each area or function within an organization there will be many processes taking place,
and each can be analyzed by an examination of the inputs and outputs to determine the
action necessary to improve quality.
In every organization there are some large processes, which are groups of smaller
processes, called key or core business processes. These must be carried out well if an
organization is to achieve its mission and objectives. (www.gov.uk/bis)(Accessed Nov.
2015).

People:
The only point at which true responsibility for performance and quality can lie is with the
People who actually do the job or carry out the process, each of which has one or several
suppliers and customers.
An efficient and effective way to tackle process or quality improvement is through
teamwork. However, people will not engage in improvement activities without commitment
and recognition from the organization’s leaders, a climate for improvement and a strategy
that is implemented thoughtfully and effectively. (www.gov.uk/bis)(Accessed Nov. 2015).

Culture (Change of Culture):

Change management is an approach to transitioning individuals, teams, and organizations to
a desired future state. In a project management context, change management may refer to
the change control process wherein changes to the scope of a project are formally
introduced and approve. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Change_management) ( Accessed
Nov. 2015).
The failure to address the culture of an organization is frequently the reason for many
management Initiatives either having limited success or failing altogether. Understanding

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the culture of an organization, and using that knowledge to successfully map the steps
needed to accomplish a successful change, is an important part of the quality equation.
The culture in any organization is formed by the beliefs, behaviors, norms, dominant values,
and rules. A culture change, example, from one of acceptance of a certain level of errors or
defects to one of right first time, every time, needs two key elements:
• Commitment from the leaders
• Involvement of all of the organization’s people
There is widespread recognition that major change initiatives will not be successful without
a culture of good teamwork and cooperation at all levels in an organization, as discussed in
the section on People. (www.gov.uk/bis)(Accessed Nov. 2015),

Communication:
Communication of the quality message, and recognition of the need to change the culture
of the organization to create total quality. These are the foundations of TQM, and they are
supported by the key management functions of people, processes and systems in the
organization.
This area discusses each of these elements that, together, can make a total quality
organization. Other sections explain people, processes and systems in greater detail, all
having the essential themes of commitment, culture and communication running through
them. (www.gov.uk/bis)(Accessed Nov. 2015).

Commitment:
Commitment ensures that the leaders adopt a strategic overview of quality and focus on
prevention not detection of problems. Whilst it must involve everyone, to be successful, it
must start at the top with the leaders of the organization.
All senior managers must demonstrate their seriousness and commitment to quality, and
middle managers must, as well as demonstrating their commitment, ensure they
communicate the principles, strategies and benefits to the people for whom they have
responsibility. Only then will the right attitudes spread throughout the organization.
(www.gov.uk/bis)(Accessed Nov. 2015).

Conclusion:
An appropriate Quality Management System (TQM) will help an organisation not only
achieve the objectives set out in its policy and strategy, but also, and equally importantly,
sustain and build upon them. It is imperative that the leaders take responsibility for the
adoption and documentation of an appropriate management system in their organisation if
they are serious about the quality process implementation. The benefits of having such a
system, how to set one up and successfully implement it.
Once the strategic direction for the organisation’s quality journey has been set, it needs
performance measures to monitor and control the process, and to ensure the desired level
of performance is being achieved and sustained. They can be established at all levels in the
organisation, ideally being cascaded down and most effectively undertaken as team
activities and this is discussed in the section on performance.
An efficient and effective way to tackle process or quality improvement is through
teamwork. However, people will not engage in improvement activities without commitment
and recognition from the organisation’s leaders, a climate for improvement and a strategy
that is implemented thoughtfully and effectively. The section on People expands on these

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issues, covering roles within teams, team selection and development and models for
successful teamwork.

References:
• Sousa, R. (2003). Linking quality management to manufacturing strategy: an
empirical investigation of customer focus practices. Journal of Operations
Management, 21(1), 1-18.
• Yaacob, Z. (2014). The direct and indirect effects on performance on public firms.
• www.gov.uk/bis (Accessed Nov. 2015).
• http://searchcio.techtarget.com/definition/Total-Quality-Management (Accessed
Nov. 2015).
• http://smallbusiness.chron.com/total-quality-management-strategic-planning-
13300.html (Accessed Nov. 2015).
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_quality_management (Accessed Nov. 2015).
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Customer_relationship_management (Accessed Nov.
2015).
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Change_management ( Accessed Nov. 2015).