Total Quality Management Practice Test: Quality & TQM Basics — Flashcards

Total Quality Management (TQM) is a management approach that aims for long-term success through customer satisfaction. It depends on the participation of all members of an organization, including its employees. 

TQM principles are beneficial to any organization because it reduces cost, increases staff morale, reduces errors and increases customer satisfaction. 

Some basic concepts of TQM are:
Core principles
The eight core principles of TQM are:
Customer focus
Leadership
Involvement of people
Processes approach
System approach to management
Continual improvement
Factual approach to decision-making
Mutual beneficial supplier relationship

Continual improvement: This is a major component of TQM. It encourages companies to self-analyze and constantly improve to be more competitive and effectively meet the expectations of its stakeholders.
Six Sigma: Six Sigma is considered a methodology of implementing TQM. It is an innovative approach to continuous process improvement and a TQM methodology.
Quality cost: This is an essential part of TQM, where it focuses on the costs that are involved in assuring the products produced by the firms keep a specific quality.
Benchmarking: This is an important aspect of TQM. It concentrates on studying business practices of companies that are considered to be the best in the class.
Quality audit: Quality audits are an integral part of TQM. Leadership has to actively participate in quality audits to be aware of quality problems and guide corrective action.
Quality circle: The Quality Control Circle (QC Circle) is recognized as the heart of the TQM principles. The QC Circle is a team approach for solving problems and is practiced as an integral part of total quality management in business. 
 

Topics include: Quality Definition, Key Words Definitions, Product Quality Dimension, Service Quality Dimensions, TQM Basic Concepts, TQM Characteristics , TQM Benefits & Barriers, Quality Gurus - Deming, Juran, Crosby, Quality Statements, & Quality Cost.