FAQ

1. Define Total Quality?

                 TQM is an enhancement to the traditional way of doing business. It is the art of

managing the whole to achieve excellence. It is defined both a philosophy and a set of guiding

principles that represent the foundation of a continuously improving organization. It is the

application of quantitative methods and human resources to improve all the processes within an

organization and exceed customer needs now and in the future. It integrates fundamental

management techniques, existing improvement efforts, and technical tools under a disciplined

approach.

  
2. Define Quality?

          Quality = Performance x Expectations

 

3. What are the Dimensions of Quality?

• Features

• Conformance

• Reliability

• Durability

• Service

• Response

• Aesthetics

• Reputation

4. Give the Basic Concepts of TQM?

•             A committed and involved management to provide long-term top-to-bottom

organizational support.

• An unwavering focuses on the customer, both internally and externally.

• Effective involvement and utilization of the entire work force.

• Continuous improvement of the business and production process.

• Treating suppliers as partners.

• Establish performance measures for the processes.

5. Give the Principles of TQM?

_ Constancy of purpose: short range and long range objectives aligned

_ Identify the customer(s); Customer orientation

_ Identification of internal and external customers

_ Continuous improvement

_ Workflow as customer transactions

_ Empower front-line worker as leader

_ Quality is everybody’s business

_ For a service industry, some elements of quality are:

- empathy

- trust; i.e. expertise, integrity, courtesy

- responsiveness

- tangible product attractiveness (curb appeal)

- reliability, on time, no interruptions

• Customer orientation to child care services, a marketing perspective

• Barriers that exist to a customer orientation

6. Give the Obstacles associated with TQM Implementation?

• Lack of management commitment

• Inability to change organizational culture

• Improper planning

• Lack of continuous training and education

• Incompatible organizational structure and isolated individuals and departments

• Ineffective measurement techniques and lack of access to data and results.

• Paying inadequate attention to internal and external customers.

• Inadequate use of empowerment and teamwork.

7. Give the Analysis Techniques for Quality Costs?

i. Trend Analysis

ii. Pareto Analysis

8. Define Quality Costs?

             Quality Costs are defined as those costs associated with the nonachievement of product

or service quality as defined by the requirements established by the organization and its contracts

with customers and society.

9. Give the primary categories of Quality cost?

• Preventive cost category

• Appraisal cost category

• Internal failure cost category

• External failure cost category

10. Give the typical cost bases?

• Labor

• Production

• Unit

• Sales

11. How will you determine the optimum cost?

• Make comparison with other organizations

• Optimize the individual categories

• Analyze the relationships among the cost categories

12. State the Quality Improvement Strategy?

• Reduce failure costs by problem solving

• Invest in the “right” prevention activities

• Reduce appraisal costs where appropriate and in a statistically sound manner

• Continuously evaluate and redirect the prevention effort to gain further quality

improvement.

13. Define Quality Planning?

              A quality plan sets out the desired product qualities and how these are assessed and define the

most significant quality attributes. It should define the quality assessment process. It should set

out which organizational standards should be applied and, if necessary, define new standards.

14. Give the Objectives of TQM?

             To develop a conceptual understanding of the basic principles and methods

associated with TQM;

• To develop an understanding of how these principles and methods have been put into

effect in a variety of organizations;

• To develop an understanding of the relationship between TQM principles and the

theories and models studied in traditional management;

• To do the right things, right the first time, every time.

15. What is needed for a leader to be effective?

              To be effective, a leader needs to know and understand the following:

• People, paradoxically, need security and independence at the same time.

• People are sensitive to external rewards and punishments and yet are also strongly selfmotivated.

• People like to hear a kind word of praise.

• People can process only a few facts at a time; thus, a leader needs to keep things simple.

• People trust their gut reaction more than statistical data.

• People distrust a leader’s rhetoric if the words are inconsistent with the leader’s actions.

16. What is the important role of senior management?

                  Listening to internal and external customers and suppliers through visits, focus

groups and surveys.-

Communication.

To drive fear out of the organization, break down barriers, remove system

roadblocks, anticipate and minimize resistance to change and in general, change

the culture.

17. What are the general duties of a quality council?

(i)Develop, with input from all personnel, the core values, vision statement,

mission statement, and quality policy statement.

(ii)Develop the strategic long-term plan with goals and the annual quality

improvement program with objectives.

(iii)Create the total education and training plan.

(iv)Determine and continually monitor the cost of poor quality.

(v)Determine the performance measures for the organization, approve those for the

functional areas, and monitor them.

(vi)Continually, determine those projects that improve the processes, particularly

those that affect external and internal customer satisfaction.

(vii)Establish multifunctional project and departmental or work group teams and

monitor their progress.

(viii)Establish or revise the recognition and reward system to account for the new

way of doing business.

18. What does a typical meeting agenda contain after establishing the TQM?

Progress report on teams

Customer satisfaction report

Progress on meeting goals

New project teams

Recognition dinner

Benchmarking report

19. What are the various quality statements?

o Vision Statement

o Mission Statement

o Quality Policy Statement

20. Give the basic steps to strategic quality planning?

• Customer needs

• Customer positioning

• Predict the future

• Gap analysis

• Closing the gap

• Alignment

• Implementation

21. What is a quality policy?

             The Quality Policy is a guide for everyone in the organization as to how

they should provide products and service to the customers. The common characteristics are

• Quality is first among equals.

• Meet the needs of the internal and external customers.

• Equal or exceed the competition.

• Continually improve the quality.

• Include business and production practices.

• Utilize the entire work force.