Quality  

in business, engineering and manufacturing has a pragmatic interpretation as

the non-inferiority or superiority of something. Quality is a perceptual, conditional and somewhat
subjective attribute and may be understood differently by different people. Consumers may focus on
the specification quality of a product/service,

There are two common quality-related functions within a business. One is quality assurance which is
the prevention of defects, such as by the deployment of a quality management system and preventative
activities like failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA). The other is quality control which is
the detection of defects, most commonly associated with testing which takes place within a quality
management system typically referred to as verification and validation.w it compares to competitors in the
marketplace.

TQM- Since the late 1980s, firms around the world have launched Total Quality
Management (TQM) programs in an attempt to retain or regain competitiveness in order to
achieve customer satisfaction in the face of increasing competition from around the world in this era of
globalization. TQM is an integrative philosophy of management for continuously improving the quality of
products and processes

Total Quality Management is having to do with company wide quality control.

To maintain good and effective control in HR,i think the HR manager needs to know the principles
management concepts, local labor law and its strategies.

Should understand about corporate social responsbilities vis-a-vis the employees. 

Good flow of communication to be pratice all along among the staff and smployees- HR staff need to
be trained to keep a friendly environment to employees specially at times of recruitment process-
Need to pay concern about clarity/ commitment and execution of their task.

Of course , this commitment should start right from the top management level for the interest of
effective execution accordingly.

Actually,in this competitive markert environment, total quailty management is of vital use to bring
success to the business.

TQM is considered as the foundation of managing all operations in the process. 

Good managing with right direction will lead the way to pefection and climbing ladder of success.

In a company HR dept is really an important area- Need to interact with new employees ,to discuss
any problem related to work- Need to maintain a well balanced environment between workers and
management-Will there be something of uncertainty , it will surely lead to confusion and might
jeopardize the whole process etc.. 
To keep an effecive work flow with good work co-operation, i think TQM is the only approach to
implement.

Excellence can be acheived- TQM functions on the premise that the quality of

the products and processes is the responsibility of everyone who is involved with the creation or
consumption of the products or services offered by the organization. In other words, TQM capitalizes on
the involvement of management, workforce, suppliers, and even customers, in order to meet or exceed
customer expectations.

The Six Sigma process improvement originated in 1986 from Motorola’s drive towards reducing defects
by minimizing variation in processesthrough metrics measurement.  Applications of the Six Sigma project
execution methodology have since expanded to include practices common in Total Quality Management
and Supply Chain Management, such as increasing customer satisfaction, and developing closer supplier
relationships. 

The main difference between TQM and Six Sigma (a newer concept) is the approach. TQM tries to
improve quality by ensuring conformance to internal requirements, while Six Sigma focuses on improving
quality by reducing the number of defects and impurities.

TQC and TQM

Total Quality Control (TQC) is not a new concept, nor was it invented by the Japanese. The
orginal book entitled 'Total Quality Control' was written by Armand Feigenbaum, in 1951,
where he noted the universal importance of quality to customers:
"Quality is the basic customer decision factor for an explosively growing number of
products and services today--whether the buyer is a housewife, an industrial
corporation, a government agency, a department store chain or a military defense
program.
TQM was well accepted and became a very popular worldwide fad. However, as with most
fads, the basics were sound but the implementation in the majority of companies was
fundamentally flawed. So, for many firms, the round of blaming took its usual course, with
most fingers pointed on the fad and any handy consultants or internal people who had
nailed their colors too high on the mast.
This, of course, is excellent news for companies who are serious about quality. Whilst the
benefits of a temporary quality focus fade into the cost-cutting dust, the real players will
reap the real rewards. 
TQC also stands for Time, Quality and Cost, three items that often traded off against one
another, although with suitable attention to quality, time and cost may both be reduced.

Common TQM implementation problems

Organization can encounter a number of difficulties in implementing TQM.
Some common road blocks are:
• Lack of management commitment. When management talks TQM, but its actions fails to support the
effort, it will ultimately fail to meet expectations. The result is cynicism and mistrust−and difficulty
launching another attempt. For implementation to succeed, management must clearly and frequently
communicate the reason for adopting TQM, as if it is another fad.
• Changing organizational culture. Changing an organization’s culture is extremely difficult and time-
consuming. Fear of change must be addressed, past labor-management conflicts must be resolved, and
the organization’s focus must change from maintaining the status quo. Most employees will need to be
convinced of the benefits that TQM program will provide to buy in to the changes. This often means that
employees need to change behaviors or perform tasks in a different way than before TQM. If motivation is
lacking, frustration and stress are likely. And trust is a must.
• Preparation. Before implementing TQM, management should strive for an organization wide
commitment, clearly communicate the organization’s vision, mission, and goals, and foster open
communication about the organization’s changed focus.
• Use of data. TQM relies on data-based decision making. To succeed in building and sustaining a TQM
environment, data must be accurate, timely and reliable. The measurement process used must be valid
and consistent, and data access should be efficient. Decision makers must be trained in data
analysis and interpretation.
Other problems, many of which fall under the four previous categories, include, but are not limited to:
• Lack of strategic direction
• Lack of shared vision, mission, or guiding principles
• Lack of cooperation and teamwork among different workgroups
• Focus on short-term profits rather than on long term goals
• Failure to understand what team work entails
• Failure to focus on customers’ need and expectations
• Lack of mutual trust and respect among level of employees
• Insufficient resources or lack of sustained commitment of those resources
• Lack of continual and effective training and education
• Management’s failure to recognize and / or reward achievements
TQM, as a term, is not used as widely in the United States as it once was. Most of the concepts,
principles, and methodology have been subsumed under the term quality management.

Benifits of TQM
The major thrust of Total Quality Management (TQM) is to achieve productivity and process efficiency by identifying
and eliminating problems in work processes and systems. TQM addresses key problem areas such as mistakes in
work processes, redundant processes, unnecessary tasks, and duplicate efforts. TQM interventions also help with
predicting and pre-empting such mistakes and unproductive activities.

Improving process efficiency brings about many benefits to the organizations in terms of costs and time.

The major benefits of TQM in terms of cost savings include:

 elimination of non-confirmation and repetitive work

 elimination of waste costs and reject products
 elimination of repairs and reworks
 reduced warranty and customer support costs
 process efficiency leading to improved profit per product or service
 fiscal discipline through elimination of unnecessary steps and wasteful expenditure

TQM frees up management time from redressing problems and directs management time and effort to:
  increase production
 extend the range of products
 improve existing products

A major long-term benefit of Total Quality Management relates to customer satisfaction. TQM aims at improving
quality, and identifies the best measure of quality as matching customer expectations in terms of service, product,
and experience. TQM interventions quantify problems and aim to achieve the best state defined in terms of such
customer expectations.

Some examples of the application of Total Quality Management to improve customer satisfaction include:

 Reduction of waiting time by changing the method of appointment scheduling or client handling
 Making changes to the delivery process so that the product reaches the customer faster
 Better quality products requiring no repairs improving customer loyalty

Total Quality Management’s focus on teamwork leads to the formation of cross-departmental teams and cross-
functional knowledge sharing. Such interventions lead to many benefits such as:

 Improvement in communication skills of individual employees and overall organizational communication

 Knowledge sharing, resulting in deepening and broadening of knowledge and skill-set of team members,
and the making of a Learning Organization
 Flexibility for the organization in deploying personnel, contributing to rightsizing, and ensuring cost
competitiveness.

Another benefit of Total Quality Management is that TQM promotes the concept of internal customer/supplier
satisfaction. For instance, the HR department considers employees as internal customers and processes their
queries or requests within the specified time limit. The lab technician in a hospital processes the clinical tests required
by the doctor, an internal customer in a timely and efficient manner, according to the laid down customer satisfaction
norms.

Guruj’s of TQM

This approach is found in the teachings of such quality leaders as W. Edwards Deming, Kaoru

Ishikawa, Joseph M. Juran, and many others.

1- Dr. W. Edwards Deming.

Deming was a protégé of Dr. Walter Shewhart; he also spent one year studying under Sir Ronald

Fisher.

2-Kaoru Ishikawa

Ishikawa is a pioneer in quality control activities in Japan. 

3-Joseph Moses Juran.

Juran was born in 1904 in Romania. Since 1924, Juran has pursued a varied career in management as

an engineer, executive, government administrator, university professor, labor arbitrator, corporate

director, and consultant