Philosophy and Concepts of Quality Management

Quality has a relative nature. Quality is a matter of degree. Quality is perceptual, conditional and a somewhat subjective attribute of a product or service.

Quality of design is “the level of effectiveness of the design function in determining a product’s operational requirements and their incorporation into design requirements that can be converted into a finished product in a production process”. 

Quality of conformance is “the level of the effectiveness of the design and production functions in conforming to the product manufacturing requirements and process specifications while meeting process control limits, product tolerances and production targets”. 

Various institutions and individuals have defined quality in different ways. European Quality Organization has defined quality as “the degree of compliance of a product or service to the wishes of consumers”.

The basis of this view is that quality is “stakeholder-relative”. Expectations are crucial to the development of satisfaction or dissatisfaction with services and goods and that organizations need to do more research proactively to understand and develop the expectations and views of their stakeholders.

Quality Certification is a general term that is used for two main things: certifying the knowledge of individuals and certifying a company’s system of quality management.

Garvin (1987) proposed the following eight dimensions for quality:

1. Performance
2. Features
3. Reliability
4. Conformance to standards
5. Durability
6. Serviceability
7. Aesthetics
8. Perceived quality

TQM is a philosophy for managing the organization in a way, which enables it to meet stakeholder needs and expectations efficiently and effectively, without compromising ethical values.

A quality management system (QMS) is defined as a formalized system that documents processes, procedures, and responsibilities for achieving quality policies and objectives.

Because ISO 9001 specifies the following requirements for an effective quality management system, organizations find using the standard helpful for them. These requirements are: 

• Organize a quality management system (QMS)
• Create satisfied customers, management, and employees
• Continually improve their processes
• Save costs

The requirements described in ISO 9001 is based on the quality management principles that are; 

1. Customer focus,
2. Leadership,
3. Engagement of people, 
4. Process approach,
5. Improvement,
6. Evidence-based decision making,
7. Relationship management.

The key principles of total quality management include:

1. Management Commitment
2. Employee empowerment. 
3. Evidence-based decision making
4. Continuous improvement
5. Customer focus
6. Process approach

Customer definition in total quality is broader than the customer definition in the marketing discipline. In the total quality approach, customers are both inside and outside. The supplier consumer approach is not limited to an organization – consumer (B2C) or between organizations (B2B). The mechanisms are at work even inside an organization’s departments and employees. It implies an integrated approach to conducting responsibilities of the job.

The perspective towards people differs in TQM from the scientific management approach in the following ways:

1. Most of the problems relating to the job or the organization (95%) stem from the system, not from the people.
2. Everyone’s input and involvement are valuable.
3. People closest to the job understand it the best.
4. People want to take pride in their work.

The features of the businesses, which practice total quality management principles, are given below (Goetsch and Davis, 2016, p. 12).

• A total commitment to continually increasing value for stakeholders, especially customers, investors, and employees.
• A firm understanding that quality is defined by customers, not the company.
• A commitment to leading people with a bias for continuous improvement and communication.
• A recognition that sustained growth requires the simultaneous achievement of four objectives continually forever: (a) customer satisfaction, (b) cost leadership, (c) effective human resources, and (d) integration with the supplier base.
• A commitment to fundamental improvement through knowledge, skills, problem solving, and teamwork.
• A commitment to fast-paced, constant learning, and an ability to respond quickly to changes in the competitive environment.
• A commitment to achieving end-to-end collaboration using internet-based, on-demand tools that are fully integrated throughout the supply chain.
• A commitment to maintaining an environment in which creativity, critical thinking, and innovation are not just encouraged and supported, but demanded.

Quality concept is as old as the history of mankind. Earliest evaluations regarding quality concept are seen as far as 2000 B.C. The earliest evaluations regarding quality were found within the Hammurabi Code of Laws.

The first studies regarding Total Quality Control in America appeared in 1910.

The quality inspection stage, which is the first stage of quality, was developed by workers who detected low-quality products. In this stage, low-quality products are separated, reprocessed, and sold as low-quality products (Dahlgaard-Park, Reyes and Chen, 2018, p. 1117). The purpose of this step is to prevent low-quality products from reaching consumers.

Quality control function is made up of four phases in itself. These are; determining standards, conformance evaluation, making corrective decisions and improvement work.

The quality assurance system takes place in 9 steps (Çabuk, 2013, pp. 65-66). These are;

1. Determining quality assurance requirements
2. Training of managers and personnel
3. Organization
4. Preliminary evaluation
5. Quality planning
6. Implementation and evaluation
7. Internal auditing
8. External auditing
9. Continuous improvement

The benefits of quality assurance can be listed as follows (Çabuk, 2013, p. 61):

1. It lowers the cost and increases productivity.
2. Prevents wastage.
3. Ensures the continuity of quality.
4. Increases satisfaction by meeting the expectations of consumers

Basic principles of Total Quality Management is as follows:

• Customer focused
• Cooperation with suppliers
• Improvement and participation of workers
• Management with data and processes
• Continuous improvement and creativity
• Leadership and goal consistency