Principles of Total Quality Management

Ongoing process of making small, incremental changes to improve products, processes, or services.

Continuous Improvement

What is the goal of continuous improvement?

Enhance performance and efficiency over time.

What is the PDCA cycle?

Plan-Do-Check-Act – a continuous improvement method.

Define goals, steps, resources, and develop an implementation plan.

Plan phase

Implement the plan and document actions.

Do phase

Compare actual vs expected results.

Check phase

Standardize improvements or refine plan for another cycle.

Act phase

What does SMART stand for in goal setting?

Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound

Giving employees authority, autonomy, and control over their work and decisions.

Employee empowerment

Active participation of employees in improvement processes.

Employee involvement

Activities that promote employee involvement.

Cross-functional projects, open communication, training and development, recognition programs, decision-making, delegation, employee-led projects, mentorship, flexibility, continuous improvement initiatives.

Hindrances to employee involvement.

Lack of communication, resistance to change, lack of trust, micromanagement, lack of recognition, unclear expectations, rigid structure, inadequate training, fear of reprisal, lack of resources.

A provider of goods or services to other businesses.

Supplier

Benefits of strong supplier relationships.

Consistent quality, cost savings, better communication, innovation, flexibility, market access, risk mitigation, improved performance, competitive advantage, long-term growth.

Risks of supplier relationships.

Quality issues, disruptions, ethics concerns, communication barriers, economic volatility, compliance risks, dependency, IP theft, cultural differences, logistics issues.

5 key supplier evaluation strategies.

Quality management, total cost analysis, risk management, performance measurement, ethical considerations.

A systematic process ensuring products/services meet quality standards.

Quality assurance

5 steps in the QA process?

Requirement analysis, test planning, test execution, defect tracking, test reporting.

Prioritizing customer needs and expectations to ensure loyalty and repeat business.

Customer focus

Organization-wide focus on meeting customer needs and enhancing experiences.

Customer-centric culture

Strategies to improve customer satisfaction.

Enhance communication, personalize experiences, provide exceptional service, offer loyalty programs, encourage feedback, resolve complaints, improve quality, surprise and delight customers, build positive culture, monitor/respond to reviews.