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Unit 1: Total Quality Management: An Introduction

way, but worked well when the volume of production was reasonably low. However, as Notes
organizations became larger, the need for more effective operations became apparent.
In 1911, Frederick W. Taylor helped to satisfy this need. He published ‘The Principles of
Scientific Management’ which provided a framework for the effective use of people in
industrial organizations.
Inspection still has an important role in modern quality practices. However, it is no
longer seen as the answer to all quality problems. Rather, it is one tool within a wider
array.
2. Statistical Quality Control: Statistical Quality Control focuses on product and the detection
and control of quality problems. It involves testing samples and statistically infers
compliance of all products. It is carried out at stages through the production process; and
it relies on trained production personnel and quality control professionals.

Did u know? The first to apply the newly discovered statistical methods to the problem of
quality control was Walter A. Shewhart of the Bell Telephone Laboratories. He issued a
memorandum on May 16, 1924 that featured a sketch of a modern control chart.
Shewart’s work was later developed by Deming, Dodge and Roming. However,
manufacturing companies did not fully utilize these techniques until the late 1940s.
3. Quality in Japan: In the 1940s, Japanese products were perceived as cheap, shoddy
imitations. Japanese industrial leaders recognized this problem and aimed to produce
innovative high quality products. They invited a few quality gurus, such as Deming,
Juran, and Feigenbaum to learn how to achieve this aim.
In the 1950s, quality control and management developed quickly and became a main
theme of Japanese management.
A by-product of quality circles was employee motivation. Workers felt that they were
involved and heard. Another by-product was the idea of improving not only quality of
the products, but also every aspect of organizational issues. This probably was the start of
the idea, total quality.
4. Total Quality: The term ‘total quality’ was used for the first time in a paper by Feigenbaum
at the first international conference on quality control in Tokyo in 1969. The term referred
to wider issues within an organization.
Ishikawa also discussed ‘total quality control’ in Japan, which is different from the western
idea of total quality. According to his explanation, it means ‘company-wide quality control’
that involves all employees, from top management to the workers, in quality control.
5. Total Quality Management: In the 1980s to the 1990s, a new phase of quality control and
management began. This became known as Total Quality Management (TQM). Having
observed Japan’s success of employing quality issues, western companies started to
introduce their own quality initiatives.
A typical definition of TQM includes phrases such as: customer focus, the involvement of
all employees, continuous improvement and the integration of quality management into
the total organization.
6. Quality Awards and Excellence Models: In 1988 a major step forward in quality management
was made with the development of the Malcolm Baldrige Award in the United States. The
model, on which the award was based, represented the first clearly defined and
internationally recognized TQM model. It was developed by the United States government
to encourage companies to adopt the model and improve their competitiveness.

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