What are they?Frameworks Show
According to the UK’s Chartered Quality Institute, the only true measure of acceptable quality is customer satisfaction, which takes into account both objective and subjective interpretations of the needs and expectations of customers. Quality management involves planning and controlling activities to ensure that the product or service is fit for purpose, and meets design specifications and the needs of customers, according to a CIMA Official Study Text. Traditionally, quality management focused on quality control, where finished goods were inspected and tested, and substandard ‘waste’ product disposed of or sold at a lower price. However, contemporary thinking rejects this approach as inefficient and profit-draining. As a result, several tools and philosophies have been developed that aim to focus on and eliminate waste entirely. Cost of Quality (CoQ)According to CIMA Official Terminology, CoQ is the difference between the actual cost of producing, selling and supporting products or services and the equivalent costs if there were no failures during production or usage. The cost of quality can be analysed into:
Total Quality Management (TQM)CIMA Official Terminology describes TQM as the integrated and comprehensive system of planning and controlling all business functions so that products or services are produced which meet or exceed customer expectations. TQM is a philosophy of business behaviour, embracing principles such as employee involvement, continuous improvement at all levels and customer focus. It is also a collection of related techniques aimed at improving quality – such as full documentation of activities, clear goal-setting and performance measures from the customer perspective. Originally developed in Japan in the 1950s, the aim of TQM is to get things ‘right first time’, an approach that increases prevention costs, such as system design, but helps to prevent internal and external failure costs. There is an emphasis on participation throughout the value chain, and a commitment to continuous improvement through constant reassessment of processes. KaizenCIMA Official Terminology describes Kaizen as a Japanese term for continuous improvement in all aspects of an entity’s performance, at every level. The philosophy of Kaizen seeks to involve all levels of employees, encouraging suggestions for small incremental improvements across all areas of the business which over time have a major impact. In a manufacturing context, processes are standardised, assessed and then improved, with the ultimate result being decreased waste and increased productivity. Six SigmaCIMA Official Terminology describes Six Sigma as a methodology based on TQM to achieve very low defect rates. The ‘sigma’ refers to the Greek letter used to denote standard deviation, so ‘six sigma’ means that the error rate lies beyond six standard deviations from the mean. To achieve six sigma,
an organisation must therefore produce not more than 3.4 defects per million products. EFQM Excellence ModelThe EFQM model is a framework for management systems, developed by the European Foundation for Quality Management. It aims to assess performance; integrate and align existing tools, procedures and processes; introduce a way of thinking that encourages reflection and stimulates continuous improvement; and identify the key actions that are driving results. A key feature of the model is a diagnostic framework that allows organisations to grade themselves against nine key criteria. These focus on the cause and effect relationship between how an organisation carries out its actions (enablers), and what these achieve (results).
What benefits do Quality Management Tools provide?An effective quality management programme leads to higher quality processes and outputs. These in turn lead to greater customer satisfaction and improved profitability. Quality management encourages a culture of team working at all levels of the organisation, which in turn improves productivity. Human resources are recognised as a key organisational asset. Lower costs of failure, combined with shorter processing times, will result in cost savings. Questions to consider when implementing Quality Management Tools
Related and similar practices
Is it true that quality often means different things to different people?The customer needs little or no introduction to the proper use of a product or feature, particularly with new products. Quality often means different things to different people.
How can quality be quantified in TQM?Explanation: Mathematically, quality can be quantified as Q=P/E. Here, if Q is greater than 1, the customer has a good feeling about the performance of the product or service. 5. Quality is conformance to requirements.
Are the limits of deviation from perfection and are established by the product design engineers to meet a particular design function?Tolerances are the limits of deviation from perfection and are established by the product design engineers to meet a particular design function.
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