Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Challenges faced while implementing total quality management
Challenges faced while implementing total quality management
Challenges faced while implementing total quality management
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
The quest for improvement in various areas of life such as business, social and personal became so important that researchers had to pre-occupy their times for many years in finding better ways of providing solution to issues confronting companies, institutions, families and society as a whole. The premise that we can be better and do better at how we perform task is and should be of great importance to all, because that is the only time we seek the knowledge to reach new height and produce to our full potential. The opportunities in the field of process improvement are vast and the contributors are numerous, so in looking for specific solution, one would need to first define the problem or issue that need improved then select the right methodology to resolve it. For the scope of this paper Total Quality Management, Six Sigma and ISO 9000 will be the focus of how they can be used as quality initiatives tool to obtain excellence in performance. Though all three have some similarities and differences in techniques and philosophies, nevertheless their applications have helped significantly to advance process improvement efforts across the globe.
Total Quality Management (TQM) is an approach that seeks to improve quality and performance which will meet or exceed customer expectations. This can be achieved by integrating all quality-related functions and processes throughout the company. TQM looks at the overall quality measures used by a company including managing quality design and development, quality control and maintenance, quality improvement, and quality assurance.
Six Sigma can be best described as a business improvement approach that seeks to find and eliminate causes of defects and errors in manufacturing and service proce...
... middle of paper ...
... decreasing of defects as well as the streamlining of processes.
Control
Control is known as the final step in the DMAIC methodology. It facilitates the identification and correction of variances. It accomplishes this swiftly thereby making certain these variances are denied the chance to influence the process in a negative manner and also by extension cause defects. An example of controls is pilot runs which are undertaken to ascertain whether the processes are functioning adequately.
References
Evans, J. R. (2011). Quality and performance excellence: Management, organization, and strategy
IVR - Another Type of Automated Telephone Answering: Retrieved on 3/18/2012 from http://www.specialtyansweringservice.net/automated-phone-answering-service.html
DMAIC Explained: Retrieved on 3/18/2012 from http://www.wideyegroup.com/computers-and-technology/dmaic-explained/
1) Six Sigma should not be viewed as a quality program that is commissioned to reduce defects but as a methodology that helps companies better meet the needs of their business. KM shares this goal.
Six Sigma is a set of tools, processes and techniques that aid in the improvement of any business processes. It has the ideal goal of perfecting the processes that may make it more efficient and effective. It needs to follow a disciplined and systematic approach to achieve the efficiency and effectiveness that it desires. Six Sigma relies a lot on the data available from the organization; hence, it is important that these data are properly stored and then can be accessed quickly and efficiently by the members of the group. The Six Sigma also tries to eliminate any faults in the process or system, in which it arrives with six standard deviations (hence, the term six sigma) just between the mean and the desired value. The Six sigma process can be applied in almost all processes from manufacturing to transactional. It also does not matter whether the business offers a product or a service.
EMA, Inc. (2003). Six sigma process improvements: Find and fix the problems, hold the gains. EMA, Inc. Retrieved on 17 August, 2006 from Website: http://www.ema-inc.com/PDF/MSS-401.pdf
Six Sigma is a system used both in manufacturing and service organizations to maximize business success by minimizing defects and process variability (Krajewski, 2013). While Six Sigma relies heavily on the principles of Total Quality Management (TQM), it has a different focus. It is driven by a close understanding of customer needs; the disciplined use of facts, data and statistical analysis, and diligent attention to managing, improving and reinventing business processes. Six Sigma focuses on reducing variation in processes as well as centering processes on their target measures of performance. Either flaw, too much variation or an off-target process, degrades performance of the process. Six Sigma is a rigorous approach to align processes with their target performance measures with low variability.
Consequentially, these results enable a company to better achieve their goal of providing a product to serve the customer since the necessary resources and focus are on the vital aspects to reach this goal. Moreover, these goals are achieved with less resources as a result of the improved efficiency. Ultimately, Six Sigma helps an organization “achieve superior performance in competitive priorities like quality, reliability, and speed”, all of which lead to cost reductions (Drohomeretski, Gouvea da Costa, Pinheiro de Lima, & Garbuio, 2014,
Six Sigma is addition of TQM, by which it leads process and product quality to that level where all customer requirements are meet.
The fundamental objective of the Six Sigma methodology is the implementation of a measurement-based strategy that focuses on process improvement and variation reduction through the application of Six Sigma improvement projects. One of the ways that this is done through the DMAIC process (define, measure, analyze, improve, control) which is an improvement system for existing processes falling below specification and looking for improvement. Compared to the DMADV process (define, measure, analyze, design, verify), DMAIC uses the existing process as the baseline for a desired incremental improvement plan for the organization. Furthermore, to provide a better understanding of the Six Sigma DMAIC process, one must have a better understanding of each of the steps required to execute the plan and achieve the desired outcome for the organization (Fursule, Bansod, & Fursule. 2012).
The Six Sigma approach was designed by Motorola in 1986. The primary objective of the concept was to develop a tool for tallying the process defects and, as the result, improving business operations. The foundations of the approach are the customer needs, statistical analysis of data and facts, and timely execution. The method promises numerous benefits such as increasing performance and profitability of an organization, improving product or service quality and employee morale, decreasing costs, the growth of market share, the higher level of satisfying customer needs, etc. (Meredith & Shafer, 2013). The primary advantage
Six Sigma Process Improvement is a rigorous approach to improving business processes by addressing the underlying causes of variation that lead to poor performance as experienced by the ‘customer’, who is the recipient of the outputs. The early exponents were Motorola and GE in the 1980s. Since then, many organisations ranging from manufacturing to service in all sectors, have successfully deployed Six Sigma to deliver measurable cost, quality and time based improvements.
Six sigma (quality control standard), was developed by Motorola in 1986. It is a set of techniques and tools for process improvement and it is a strategy that entrepreneurs can use, either in recession or not, in order to have a successful business. It is a methodology for eliminating defects in any process (Linderman, 2003). In the business world, organizations have to compete between each other and by achieving lower rates of defects it is a way to achieve a competitive advantage. Six sigma, helps to increase customer satisfaction and build loyalties. By achieving customer satisfaction, it ensures a flow of cash even when there is a cyclical downturn in industry (Kwak and Anbari, 2006).
Total quality management is a management system of organization that involves all employees in continual improvement and is oriented on customers. This approach was developed by such quality leaders as Philip B. Crosby, W. Edwards Deming, Armand V. Feigenbaum, Kaoru Ishikawa, and Joseph M. Juran. TQM uses next principles (Westcott 2013):
Motorola has implemented a six-sigma program for them to improve quality. This helped them with the numerous complaints that were received by field sales engineers because of quality defects. In 1986, the six-sigma methodology was used to address quality concerns. This led Motorola to set the goal no more than 3.4 defects per million opportunities. Using Six Sigma, the processes were documented, and measure and analysis systems were installed to continuously improve the process. “The six sigma evolved from its roots as a measure of quality to an overall business improvement methodology and to what it is today at Motorola- the next generation Six Sigma is an overarching high performance system that executes business strategy” (McCarty, 2004). Tom McCarty, senior management has created a balanced scorecard of strategic goals to identify the improvement points that will have the most effect on the organization’s bottom line. Second, customer focus teams are formed and empowered to take action. Third, the team uses an action-learning framework to build their capability and execute the project. Finally, all projects are carefully reviewed in the context of process metrics and business outcome goals (McCarty, 2004).
Total quality management is a management philosophy aimed at continuous growth in quality improvement of products, processes and services to achieve and surpass quality standards. It consists of strategic planning, organizing and implementing each process activity and of removing all the wasted effort and energy that is routinely spent. It is a methodology of strategic overview of quality and focus on prevention not detection of problems.
TQM is a system of continuous improvement of work processes to enhance the organization’s ability to deliver high-quality products or services in a cost-effective manner [2]. The focus of TQM is to improve customer satisfaction and reduce waste [3]. Customers include ...
TQM is essential to be used by all the companies especially the manufacturing companies who have the responsibility to ensure about the quality of the product. TQM is being viewed as the boon and it is an approach for improving the quality and customer satisfaction in the long run and also reduces the amount of waste (www.businessknowledgesource.com). There are various components which have to be addressed in implementing the TQM they are Ethics, integrity, training, trust, teamwork, communication and recognition (www.businessknowledgesource.com).