1. Quality management concepts
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I. Contents of quality management concepts
==================
The history of quality management, from mere 'inspection' to Total Quality Management, and its
modern 'branded interpretations such as 'Six Sigma', has led to the development of essential
processes, ideas, theories and tools that are central to organizational development, change
management, and the performance improvements that are generally desired for individuals,
teams and organizations.
These free resources, materials and tools are an excellent guide to the quality management area,
for practical application in organizations, for study and learning, and for teaching and training
others.
These free pdf materials are provided by permission of the UK Department of Industry - now the
Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform - which is gratefully acknowledged.
The materials listed and linked from this page are subject to Crown Copyright.
Please note that since the replacement of the UK Department of Industry by the Department for
Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, the branding on the materials is now obsolete.
Nevertheless, since the Quality Management technical and historical content is unaffected by the
DTI branding the materials remain relevant for training, learning and reference.
It is appropriate to note the passing a little while back now, of Joseph Juran, a seminal figure in
the history of quality management, who died 28 February 2008, age 103. Juran did more than
teach the Japanese about quality management. He was also arguably the first quality expert to
emphasise that no quality management system works unless people are empowered and
committed to take responsibility for quality - as an ongoing process - effectively for quality to

2. become part of part of people's behaviour and attitudes - an ethos. The section below
on Kaizen explains the connections between the true ethos of quality management, and the
positive ethical management of people.
Further total quality management information and quality management terminology explanations
are on the Six Sigma page.
history of quality management
The roots of Total Quality Management can be traced to early 1920's production quality control
ideas, and notably the concepts developed in Japan beginning in the late 1940's and 1950's,
pioneered there by Americans Feigenbum, Juran and Deming... More about Quality Management
and TQM history.
quality management gurus and theories
Quality Management resulted mainly from the work of the quality gurus and their theories: the
American gurus featured in the 1950's Japan: Joseph Juran, W Edwards Deming, and Armand
Feigenbum; the Japanese quality gurus who developed and extended the early American quality
ideas and models: Kaoru Ishikawa, Genichi Taguchi, and Shigeo Shingo; and the 1970-80's
American Western gurus, notably Philip Crosby and Tom Peters, who further extended the
Quality Management concepts after the Japanese successes... More about the Quality
Management gurus and their theories, including the development and/or use of the Plan, Do,
Check, Act (PDCA) cycle, Pareto analysis, cause and effect diagrams, stratification, check-
sheets, histograms, scatter-charts, process control charts, system design, parameter design,
tolerance design ('Taguchi methodology'), Quality Improvement Teams (QIT), Just In Time
(JIT), Management By Walking About (MBWA), McKinsey 7-S Framework, etc.
total quality management (TQM)
Total Quality Management features centrally the customer-supplier interfaces, (external and
internal customers and suppliers). A number of processes sit at each interface. Central also is an
organizational commitment to quality, and the importance of communicating this quality
commitment, together with the acknowledgement that the right organizational culture is essential
for effective Total Quality Management.... More about the fundamentals and structures of the
TQM model, including the people, processes and systems in the organization.
processes - understanding processes and methods for process improvement
Understanding processes is essential before attempt is made to improve them. This is a central
aspect to Total Quality Management, and also to more modern quality and process improvement

3. interpretations and models such as Six Sigma.... More about Total Quality Management process
and process improvement methods.
quality process improvement tools and techniques
A wide range of tools and techniques is used for identifying, measuring, prioritising and
improving processes which are critical to quality. Again these ideas and methods feature
prominently in modern interpretations of Total Quality Management methodology, such as Six
Sigma. These process improvement tools and techniques include: DRIVE (Define, Review,
Identify, Verify, Execute), process mapping, flow-charting, force field analysis, cause and effect,
brainstorming, Pareto analysis, Statistical Process Control (SPC), Control charts, bar charts, 'dot
plot' and tally charts, check-sheets, scatter diagrams, matrix analysis, histograms..... More
about tools and techniques for process evaluation and improvement.
A summary of quality tools is below.
The Kaizen methodology is also described below in some detail.
developing people and teams
People are a fundamental component within any successfully developing organization. Take
away the people and the organization is nothing. Take away the people's motivation,
commitment and ability to work together in well-organised teams, and again, the organization is
nothing. Conversely, inspire the people to work well, creatively, productively, and the
organization can fly. Logically therefore, the development and proper utilization of people are
vital to the success of all quality management initiatives. There are a wide range of models that
are used in selecting, assessing, training and developing and motivating people, among which are
classical models such as Belbin, Myers Briggs Type Indicator (see the personality
modelssection), Bruce Tuckman's 'Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing' model, John
Adair's Action Centred Leadership model.... More about people and culture within quality
management.
quality management systems
A 'Total Quality organization' generally benefits from having an effective Quality Management
System (QMS). A Quality Management System is typically defined as: "A set of co-ordinated
activities to direct and control an organization in order to continually improve the effectiveness
and efficiency of its performance." Customer expectations inevitably drive and define
'performance' criteria and standards. Therefore Quality Management Systems focus on customer
expectations and ongoing review and improvement.... More about Quality Management Systems,
what they are, and how to set up a good QMS.

4. performance measurement and management
There are many ways to measure organizational performance other than financial output or
profit. Modern measurement focuses on the essential activities, resources and other factors -
many less intangible than traditional indictors - that impact on final outputs. These include
modern methods such as Balanced Scorecard... More about performance measurement, and cost
of quality.
excellence and the European Quality Management Model
The European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Excellence Model® is a useful
framework for developing quality and excellence within an organization... More.
TQM self-assessment and awards using the EFQM® model
Any organization can assess itself provided it has the commitment to so so, and a framework for
the self-assessment... Here are some ideas, and aprocess for quality and excellence self-
assessment.
TQM benchmarking and questionnaire (readiness for benchmarking)
Benchmarking is a widely used term within the field of organizational measurement and
management .... Here is an explanation of benchmarking, and a questionnaire by which an
organization (or a department or process team) can assess its readiness for benchmarking.
TQM implementation framework and blueprint
Here is a framework and 'blueprint' for the implementation of a quality improvement or
'excellence' initiative. It includes the following elements:
 TQM Processes
 Tools and techniques
 People and teamwork
 Quality management system
 Performance measurement
 EFQM Excellence Model®
 Self-assessment
This blueprint for achieving organizational excellence is based on many years of research,
education and advisory work in the European Centre for Business Excellence (ECforBE), and the

5. research and education division of Oakland Consulting plc. It is, along with the other resources
in this section, information and advice initially from the UK Department of Industry, now
replaced by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.
TQM case studies
Here are a number of case studies featuring organizations that have implemented quality
management and process improvement initiatives. These case studies illustrate the effectiveness
and feasibility of the various methodologies, tools, techniques and concepts included within
quality management and quality process improvement theory.
 Airedale Springs Limited case study (people, team work, skills recognition)
 Appor Limited case study (continuous improvement, culture change)
 BAE Systems/Waer Systems Limited case study (supply chain process improvement, project
champions, supplier partnerships)
 British Telecom Plc case study (quality framework, strategy, systems, self-assessment,
balanced scorecard)
 GSM Group case study (mission statement, strategic planning, Kaizen, partnerships)
 Hydrapower Dynamics Ltd case study (teamwork, quality bubbles, systems, common sense
quality)
 Lakeside Engineered Systems Division, Aeroquip Group case study (quality, excellence,
Kaizen, process improvement)
 Mortgage Express case study (business excellence, stakeholders, teamwork, quality awards,
measurement)
 Spembly Medical Limited case study (design for manufacture, projects, concurrent
engineering, innovation, millennium products)
 Springfarm Architectural Mouldings Limited case study (values, surveys, recognition,
communication system)
 Vista Optics Limited case study (business excellence, self-assessment, benchmarking, quality
awards, statistical process control [SPC] )
kaizen
Kaizen is a very significant concept within quality management and deserves specific
explanation:
Kaizen (usually pronounced 'kyzan' or 'kyzen' in the western world) is a Japanese word,
commonly translated to mean 'continuous improvement'.

6. Kaizen is a core principle of quality management generally, and specifically within the methods
of Total Quality Management and 'Lean Manufacturing'.
Originally developed and applied by Japanese industry and manufacturing in the 1950s and 60s,
Kaizen continues to be a successful philosophical and practical aspect of some of the best known
Japanese corporations, and has for many years since been interpreted and adopted by 'western'
organizations all over the world.
Kaizen is a way of thinking, working and behaving, embedded in the philosophy and values of
the organization. Kaizen should be 'lived' rather than imposed or tolerated, at all levels.
The aims of a Kaizen organization are typically defined as:
 To be profitable, stable, sustainable and innovative.
 To eliminate waste of time, money, materials, resources and effort and increase productivity.
 To make incremental improvements to systems, processes and activities before problems arise
rather than correcting them after the event.
 To create a harmonious and dynamic organization where every employee participates and is
valued.
Key concepts of Kaizen:
 Every is a key word in Kaizen: improving everything that everyone does in every aspect of
the organization in every department, every minute of every day.
 Evolution rather than revolution: continually making small, 1% improvements to 100 things is
more effective, less disruptive and more sustainable than improving one thing by 100% when
the need becomes unavoidable.
 Everyone involved in a process or activity, however apparently insignificant, has valuable
knowledge and participates in a working team or Kaizen group (see also Quality Circles
below).
 Everyone is expected to participate, analysing, providing feedback and suggesting
improvements to their area of work.
 Every employee is empowered to participate fully in the improvement process: taking
responsibility, checking and co-ordinating their own activities. Management practice enables
and facilitates this.
 Every employee is involved in the running of the company, and is trained and informed about
the company. This encourages commitment and interest, leading to fulfilment and job
satisfaction.
Kaizen teams use analytical tools and techniques to review systems and look for ways to
improve (see Quality Tools below).
At its best, Kaizen is a carefully nurtured philosophy that works smoothly and steadily, and
which helps to align 'hard' organizational inputs and aims (especially in process-driven
environments), with 'soft' management issues such as motivation and empowerment.

7. Like any methodology however, poor interpretation and implementation can limit the usefulness
of Kaizen practices, or worse cause them to be counter-productive.
Kaizen is unsuccessful typically where:
 Kaizen methods are added to an existing failing structure, without fixing the basic structure
and philosophy.
 Kaizen is poorly integrated with processes and people's thinking.
 Training is inadequate.
 Executive/leadership doesn't understand or support Kaizen.
 Employees and managers regard Kaizen as some form of imposed procedure, lacking
meaningful purpose.
Kaizen works best when it is 'owned' by people, who see the concept as both empowering of
individuals and teams, and a truly practical way to improve quality and performance, and thereby
job satisfaction and reward. As ever, such initatives depend heavily on commitment from above,
critically:
 to encourage and support Kaizen, and
 to ensure improvements produce not only better productivity and profit for the organization,
but also better recognition and reward and other positive benefits for employees, whose
involvement drives the change and improvement in the first place.
Interestingly, the spirit of Kaizen, which is distinctly Japanese in origin - notably its significant
emphasis upon individual and worker empowerment in organizations - is reflected in many
'western' concepts of management and motivation, for example the Y-Theory principles
described by Douglas McGregor; Herzberg's Motivational Theory, Maslow's Needs
Hierarchy and related thinking; Adams' Equity Theory; and Charles Handy's motivational
theories.
Fascinatingly, we can now see that actually very close connections exist between:
 the fundamental principles of Quality Management - which might be regarded as cold and
detached and focused on 'things' not people, and
 progressive 'humanist' ideas about motivating and managing people - which might be
regarded as too compassionate and caring to have a significant place in the optimization of
organizational productivity and profit.
The point is that in all effective organizations a very strong mutual dependence exists between:
 systems, processes, tools, productivity, profit - the 'hard' inputs and outputs (some say 'left-
side brain'), and
 people, motivation, teamwork, communication, recognition and reward - the 'soft' inputs and
outputs ('right-side brain')

8. Kaizen helps to align these factors, and keep them aligned.
quality tools
'Quality Tools' refers to tools and techniques used in support of Kaizen and other quality
improvement or quality management programmes and philosophies.
Based mainly on statistical and manufacturing process tools, Quality Tools are used at all levels
of an organization - typically in 'quality circles' or Kaizen work teams to analyse and review
activities and uncover inefficiencies.
The main Quality Tools are:
 The '5 Whys' - asking 'Why?' at least five times to uncover root cause of a problem.
 Flowcharts - boxes and arrows method of examining activities, potentially used
in brainstorming, also found in business process modelling.
 Fishbone/Ishikawa Diagrams - fishbone-structured diagram for identifying cause/effect
patterns, in which primary categories are generally pre-determined according to context.
See fishbone diagram and usage examples for project management.
 Run Charts - a graph which plots data/change along a timeline.
 Pareto Charts - a line and bar graph displaying cause/effect ratios, especially biggest relative
cause, based on Pareto theory.
 Histograms - a bar graph displaying data in simple categories which together account for a
total.
 Checklists/Checksheets - pre-formatted lists for noting incidence, frequency, etc., according
to known useful criteria
 Control/Shewhart Charts - a standard pattern of performance/time for a given process, often
in Run Chart format, which acts as a template to check conformance and deviation.
 Scatter Diagram/Scatterplot - a graph which plots points (typically very many individual
instances) according to two variables, which produces a useful visual indication of the
relationship between the two variables.
Some quality tools, like flowcharts and checklists, have become part of mainstream
management.
Others tools such as the Fishbone diagram have stayed quite specific to the engineering and
manufacturing disciplines, which traditionally have a strong focus and expertise in Kaizen, 'Lean'
management and other quality management methodologies.
==================
III. Quality management tools

9. 1. Check sheet
The check sheet is a form (document) used to collect data
in real time at the location where the data is generated.
The data it captures can be quantitative or qualitative.
When the information is quantitative, the check sheet is
sometimes called a tally sheet.
The defining characteristic of a check sheet is that data
are recorded by making marks ("checks") on it. A typical
check sheet is divided into regions, and marks made in
different regions have different significance. Data are
read by observing the location and number of marks on
the sheet.
Check sheets typically employ a heading that answers the
Five Ws:
 Who filled out the check sheet
 What was collected (what each check represents,
an identifying batch or lot number)
 Where the collection took place (facility, room,
apparatus)
 When the collection took place (hour, shift, day
of the week)
 Why the data were collected
2. Control chart
Control charts, also known as Shewhart charts
(after Walter A. Shewhart) or process-behavior
charts, in statistical process control are tools used
to determine if a manufacturing or business
process is in a state of statistical control.
If analysis of the control chart indicates that the
process is currently under control (i.e., is stable,
with variation only coming from sources common
to the process), then no corrections or changes to
process control parameters are needed or desired.
In addition, data from the process can be used to
predict the future performance of the process. If

10. the chart indicates that the monitored process is
not in control, analysis of the chart can help
determine the sources of variation, as this will
result in degraded process performance.[1] A
process that is stable but operating outside of
desired (specification) limits (e.g., scrap rates
may be in statistical control but above desired
limits) needs to be improved through a deliberate
effort to understand the causes of current
performance and fundamentally improve the
process.
The control chart is one of the seven basic tools of
quality control.[3] Typically control charts are
used for time-series data, though they can be used
for data that have logical comparability (i.e. you
want to compare samples that were taken all at
the same time, or the performance of different
individuals), however the type of chart used to do
this requires consideration.
3. Pareto chart
A Pareto chart, named after Vilfredo Pareto, is a type
of chart that contains both bars and a line graph, where
individual values are represented in descending order
by bars, and the cumulative total is represented by the
line.
The left vertical axis is the frequency of occurrence,
but it can alternatively represent cost or another
important unit of measure. The right vertical axis is
the cumulative percentage of the total number of
occurrences, total cost, or total of the particular unit of
measure. Because the reasons are in decreasing order,
the cumulative function is a concave function. To take
the example above, in order to lower the amount of
late arrivals by 78%, it is sufficient to solve the first
three issues.
The purpose of the Pareto chart is to highlight the
most important among a (typically large) set of
factors. In quality control, it often represents the most

11. common sources of defects, the highest occurring type
of defect, or the most frequent reasons for customer
complaints, and so on. Wilkinson (2006) devised an
algorithm for producing statistically based acceptance
limits (similar to confidence intervals) for each bar in
the Pareto chart.
4. Scatter plot Method
A scatter plot, scatterplot, or scattergraph is a type of
mathematical diagram using Cartesian coordinates to
display values for two variables for a set of data.
The data is displayed as a collection of points, each
having the value of one variable determining the position
on the horizontal axis and the value of the other variable
determining the position on the vertical axis.[2] This kind
of plot is also called a scatter chart, scattergram, scatter
diagram,[3] or scatter graph.
A scatter plot is used when a variable exists that is under
the control of the experimenter. If a parameter exists that
is systematically incremented and/or decremented by the
other, it is called the control parameter or independent
variable and is customarily plotted along the horizontal
axis. The measured or dependent variable is customarily
plotted along the vertical axis. If no dependent variable
exists, either type of variable can be plotted on either axis
and a scatter plot will illustrate only the degree of
correlation (not causation) between two variables.
A scatter plot can suggest various kinds of correlations
between variables with a certain confidence interval. For
example, weight and height, weight would be on x axis
and height would be on the y axis. Correlations may be
positive (rising), negative (falling), or null (uncorrelated).
If the pattern of dots slopes from lower left to upper right,
it suggests a positive correlation between the variables
being studied. If the pattern of dots slopes from upper left
to lower right, it suggests a negative correlation. A line of
best fit (alternatively called 'trendline') can be drawn in
order to study the correlation between the variables. An

12. equation for the correlation between the variables can be
determined by established best-fit procedures. For a linear
correlation, the best-fit procedure is known as linear
regression and is guaranteed to generate a correct solution
in a finite time. No universal best-fit procedure is
guaranteed to generate a correct solution for arbitrary
relationships. A scatter plot is also very useful when we
wish to see how two comparable data sets agree with each
other. In this case, an identity line, i.e., a y=x line, or an
1:1 line, is often drawn as a reference. The more the two
data sets agree, the more the scatters tend to concentrate in
the vicinity of the identity line; if the two data sets are
numerically identical, the scatters fall on the identity line
exactly.
5.Ishikawa diagram
Ishikawa diagrams (also called fishbone diagrams,
herringbone diagrams, cause-and-effect diagrams, or
Fishikawa) are causal diagrams created by Kaoru
Ishikawa (1968) that show the causes of a specific
event.[1][2] Common uses of the Ishikawa diagram are
product design and quality defect prevention, to identify
potential factors causing an overall effect. Each cause or
reason for imperfection is a source of variation. Causes
are usually grouped into major categories to identify these
sources of variation. The categories typically include
 People: Anyone involved with the process
 Methods: How the process is performed and the
specific requirements for doing it, such as policies,
procedures, rules, regulations and laws
 Machines: Any equipment, computers, tools, etc.
required to accomplish the job
 Materials: Raw materials, parts, pens, paper, etc.
used to produce the final product
 Measurements: Data generated from the process
that are used to evaluate its quality
 Environment: The conditions, such as location,
time, temperature, and culture in which the process
operates

13. 6. Histogram method
A histogram is a graphical representation of the
distribution of data. It is an estimate of the probability
distribution of a continuous variable (quantitative
variable) and was first introduced by Karl Pearson.[1] To
construct a histogram, the first step is to "bin" the range of
values -- that is, divide the entire range of values into a
series of small intervals -- and then count how many
values fall into each interval. A rectangle is drawn with
height proportional to the count and width equal to the bin
size, so that rectangles abut each other. A histogram may
also be normalized displaying relative frequencies. It then
shows the proportion of cases that fall into each of several
categories, with the sum of the heights equaling 1. The
bins are usually specified as consecutive, non-overlapping
intervals of a variable. The bins (intervals) must be
adjacent, and usually equal size.[2] The rectangles of a
histogram are drawn so that they touch each other to
indicate that the original variable is continuous.[3]
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