This document provides an overview of the evolution of total quality management (TQM). It discusses definitions of quality, key quality thinkers like Deming and Juran, and the historical development of quality approaches. The Japanese adoption of quality principles in the 1950s led to their economic rise over American companies. This prompted the development of TQM, which integrates quality principles throughout management systems. The document outlines Deming's 14 points and Juran's quality trilogy, which were influential quality frameworks.