All organisations compete on three main factors: quality, delivery and price. There can be few senior managers in the west who remain to be convinced that quality is the most important of these.

Total Quality Management (TQM) is based on the principle of continuous improvement.  There are many approaches to implementing continuous improvement, each with their individual features.  The approach pioneered by Oakland and adopted by the DTI views TQM as far wider in its application than just assuring product or service quality.

TQM is a way of managing people and business process to ensure complete customer satisfaction at every stage, resulting in organisations doing things right first time.

A simple model for TQM is complete when the 'soft outcomes': Culture, Communication and Commitment, are integrated into the four P's framework to move organisations forward successfully.

Approach

The task of implementing TQM can be daunting.  The following is a list of our points that leaders should consider:

1. The organisation needs a long-term commitment to continuous improvement.
2. Adopt the philosophy of zero errors/defects to change the culture to 'right first time'.
3. Train people to understand the customer-supplier relationships.
4. Do not buy products or services on price alone - look at the total cost.
5. Recognise that improvement of the systems must be managed.
6. Adopt modern methods of supervising and training - eliminate fear.
7. Eliminate barriers between departments by managing the process - improve communication and  teamwork.
8. Eliminate goals without methods, standards based only on numbers, barriers to pride of workmanship, and fiction - get facts by studying processes.
9. Constantly educate and retrain - develop experts in the organisation.
10. Develop a systematic approach to manage the implementation of TQM.