Back To GlossaryTotal Quality Management (TQM)
Total quality management (TQM) is the process of identifying and minimizing or eliminating production defects, optimizing supply chain management, enhancing customer experience, and ensuring that staff is properly trained. Total quality management seeks to hold all parties engaged in the manufacturing process responsible for the end product's or service's overall quality.
William Deming, a management consultant whose work had a significant influence on Japanese industry, established TQM. While TQM and the Six Sigma improvement method have a lot in common, they are not the same. TQM is concerned with ensuring that internal rules and process standards minimize mistakes, whereas Six Sigma is concerned with minimizing defects.
Total Quality Management (TQM) is a customer-focused practice that strives to enhance business operations on a continual basis. It guarantees that all associated effort (especially employee labor) is directed toward the shared aim of increasing product or service quality, as well as improving the manufacturing or service delivery process. However, fact-based decision-making is emphasized, with performance indicators used to track progress.
