You’ve probably heard of the four stages of a business life cycle: startup, growth, maturity, and...
What is Total Quality Management (TQM)?
Total Quality Management (TQM) is a comprehensive management method through which organizations can boost their quality and productivity. The analysis stage of the quality control process is highly rigorous and cuts across the whole organization and includes clients and suppliers. There is no part of a business where TQM can’t be implemented. TQM’s tools are so comprehensive that it easily works in all aspects of your organization, from sales and marketing to legal and administration. Quality management will improve your finances as well as your research and development department.
TQM Tools
TQM is so effective because of its comprehensive approach to management, using a variety of tools. Some of the most popular tools include:
- Bench-marking
- Plan-do-check-act (PDCA) cycle
- Product design control
- Failure analysis
- Process management
- Statistical process control
Quality control benefits operations, as well as employee and customer satisfaction
As you can imagine, TQM has a deep impact on how a business operates. Here are some of the many benefits of applying TQM to your business:
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Operation cost reduction
TQM helps you significantly cut the cost of operations by reducing waste. It also cuts down on defects. So not only does implementing TQM help save money, but it also reduces the time and personnel needed to correct these errors, translating to increased overall profitability.
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Communication quality
For your organization to keep running profitably and growing, a comprehensive system of communication is required. TQM helps you improve the interactions between employees and departments, improving morale and productivity. Consequently, the quality of work in your business improves.
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Customer satisfaction
Remember TQM covers your customers. When you combine better products and services with better customer relationships, your customers are happier with your service. This translates into more sales and referrals from satisfied customers. With customer complaints reduced, you can also cut back on the customer service department.
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Dynamic and continuous improvement
Since TQM continuously reviews company activities and monitors progress, more actions can be taken to improve the business. This helps prevent stagnancy and complacency. As product and service quality keeps improving, you can easily outperform your competitors.
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Efficiency and productivity
TQM helps you maximize the use of company resources. Engaged employees combined with powerful technology results in an increase in efficiency and productivity. Redundancy is reduced and work duplication is eradicated when TQM is applied to your organization.
The role of TQM in today’s business has never been more important. With all the resources available to businesses today, most companies aren’t maximizing their potential. By controlling the quality of all systems, people, and processes, organizations can now easily improve the bottom line and boost customer satisfaction.
Need support with Total Quality Control? Our Fractional COOs are equipped with the expertise to implement TQC. Get started with Focused Energy.