Total quality management
Total quality management (TQM) embeds quality improvement throughout the whole organisation rather than limiting it to end-of-line inspection. The goal is to prevent defects rather than detect them, involving every function and supplier.
FrameworkTQM
See it move
Total quality management rests on four pillars rather than one inspection department: customer focus, where quality is defined by what customers value; continuous improvement, the kaizen habit of always finding another gain; employee involvement, since front-line staff spot waste first; and supplier quality, treated as part of the same system.
Check yourself
A medical device manufacturer adopts TQM. Two years later, annual prevention spending has risen by €120,000. Internal failure costs (rework and scrap) have fallen by €350,000 per year and external failure costs (warranty claims and product recalls) have fallen by €180,000 per year. What is the net annual financial impact of the TQM initiative?