IQMS Global

This is very much true as without continuous improvements quality can never be achieved. Quality has become an important aspect of business processes today. Earlier businesses were more product oriented but now the focus has shifted to quality and this has given rise to the concept of Total Quality Management. Dr. W. Edwards Deming: (1900-1993) is considered to be the Father of Modern Quality. Dr. Deming preached that to achieve the highest level of performance requires more than a good philosophy – the organization must change its behaviour and adopt new ways of doing business. Deming's approach were amply summed up in his famous Fourteen Points.

Coming to Total quality management, we can say that it is a management system for a customer focused organization that involves all employees in continual improvement of all aspects of the organization. Many Fortune 500 firms such as IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Motorola, Ford and GM have committed themselves to Total quality Management. Total Quality Management is a people driven process. It involves changes in people’s attitudes primarily. In addition, it deals with process orientation and continuous improvement of the process. It strives for empowerment and autonomy of the people involved in using processes of production. It asks people to continuously look for new ways to adapt to the changing environment. It is a continuous improvement plan, with an effort to bring out the best for the shareholders as well as for the institution. Some of the features of Total Quality Management are:-

• Focus on Customers’ needs
• Employee involvement at all levels
• Emphasizes team-work
• Continuous Improvement
• Universal Responsibility
• A Sustained Management Commitment to Quality
• Quality Measurement
• Benchmarking
• Value improvement
• Training

To prove that the business has rigorous quality standards, external certification by a respected body is seen as being important. Such external certification could be through the Investors in People programme - a recognised standard in the training and professional development of staff in a business - and through such bodies as the ISO. Two certificates are particularly sought after - ISO 9000 and ISO 14000. The former is concerned with quality management in relation to customer requirements, customer satisfaction, adherence to regulations and the pursuit of continuous improvement. ISO 14000 is related to the impact of the firm's activities on the environment and the firm's attempts to improve its performance in this respect. The coming up and use of all these send signals to customers throughout the world that a business takes its quality management processes seriously.