Total Quality Management (TQM)

TQM stands for Total Quality Management which defines managing the whole organization and supply chain to achieve customer satisfaction, for both internal and external customers. It aims to excel in every aspect of its operations and deliver exactly what customers want. It is part of the continuous improvement process of the value stream, quality culture and should be part of company culture and involve every employee from Executive to shop floor staff. TQM gained great traction during the 1980's when the quality of American manufactured products were substandard across many industries compared to Japanese made products.

TQM aims for quality at the source of production and places the onus on individuals for their own work and within the production process. It aims to reduce quality defects by statistical quality control, internal quality audits, teamwork, quality standards, collaboration with suppliers and consumers to clearly understand what is required of the final product. Total quality management is a path which takes planning, meticulous data collection, process checks, analysis, resources and commitment from everyone in the company to achieve the ultimate goal, satisfying and exceeding customer's needs.