Basics of TQM(Total Quality Management)
What is quality?
For Customer: It is the fitness of the product and services delivered to him / her for use.
For Manufacturer: It is conformance to those specifications that would lead to customer satisfaction.
In General terms: Quality is affordable excellence.
It is now widely believed that quality is meeting the needs of the customer nay delighting the customer. The focus on the customer is very important. It is the customer who defines the quality expectations in the market place. But today quality in terms of its management has several other important dimensions. These relate to cost. This at the supplier’s end leads to controlling and cutting costs while maintaining and / or improving quality of products / services, which is possible through involvement of people, connected with the processes at all levels capable of giving consistently high level of performance. Through this comes effectiveness and efficiency. The word Total in TQM encompasses all activities and functions related to the management of quality- it covers man, machine, material, process and system. This can be managed by effective leadership on a continuous improvement basis only.
