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Total Quality Management

Notes management tools support the quality planning process in assisting the identification and
management of quality improvement opportunity. In terms of improvement process, Juran
proposed a six-stage methodology.

Self Assessment

Fill in the blanks:
9. Juran was a/an …………………… by profession working in the USA.
10. Juran defines quality as …………………….

11. The spiral of progress reflects the chain of …………………… relationships at various
stages of the process.
12. Juran’s …………………… improvement approach is very popular among Indian companies
as well.
13. Juran developed a …………………… to assist management in the implementation of
strategic quality planning.

2.4 Philip B. Crosby

Philip B. Crosby was a former Corporate Vice-President for Quality at ITT. He is the founder of
the Crosby Quality College where over 15,000 senior managers have attended courses and
seminars on quality. Crosby is perhaps best known for his more vocational style and popular
programs such as: zero defects (ZD), conformance to requirements and quality is free. He is also
the author of many books, amongst which “Quality is Free: The Art of Making Quality Certain” is a
universally adopted book. His one other book is: “Quality Without Tears”.

The essence of Crosby’s quality drive is prevention. He argues that quality should be “Zero
Defect (ZD)”. Acceptable Quality Levels (AQL) should be forbidden because they compromise
the commitment towards the achievement of Zero Defects. According to Crosby there are two
major problems which are the causes of poor quality in industry.
(i) Those which are due to employee’s poor awareness and knowledge, and

(ii) Others which are due to carelessness and lack of attention. The former can be easily
identified, measured, and solved but the latter need long term management effort in
changing culture and attitudes.
Crosby explains that if managements are serious about achieving ZD, they have to be serious
about prevention. He proposes some guidelines for managers which he calls the four absolutes
of quality management. He has also put forward a 14-point program for quality management.
Crosby refers to the four absolutes of quality management as: “The concept that forms the
foundation for improvement”. They must be ingrained in the mind and fabric of an organization.
These must also be implemented continually if success is to be complete and permanent.

2.4.1 Crosby’s Four Absolutes of Quality

1. Quality means conformance to requirements: The setting of requirements is management’s
responsibility as are the communication devices and their effectiveness. Crosby argues
that if management wants people to “do things right the first time”, they have to tell
everyone clearly what that is.
2. Quality comes from prevention: Vaccination is the way to prevent disease. The first absolute
was to understand the process by which various processes are involved in producing

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