Total Quality Management (TQM)

A core definition of total quality management (TQM) describes a management approach to long-term success through customer satisfaction. In a TQM effort, all members of an organization participate in improving processes, products, services & the culture in which they work.

Essentially TQM aims for continual improvement of business operations. It strives to ensure all associated employees work toward one common goal, i.e. improving product or service quality, as well as improving the procedures that are in place for production.

Here are the 8 Characteristics of TQM: 1. Customer focused quality offerings 2. All employees are involved in quality improvement 3. Process oriented mindset 4. Mutually dependent systems 5. Strategic focused 6. Continuous improvement 7. Statistics and facts based decision making 8. Integrated communications across the Organization