Total Quality Management (TQM) is a management approach focused on customer satisfaction through processes involving all employees. The key principles of TQM include being customer-focused, using a process-centered and integrated systems approach, strategic planning, continual improvement, and fact-based decision making. Achieving TQM requires training all employees, removing barriers to quality work, and instituting leadership to help employees improve.

1. Total Quality Management (TQM) describes a management approach to long-term success
through customer satisfaction. In a TQM effort, all members of an organization participate in
improving processes, products, services, and the culture in which they work.
Total Quality Management Principles:
The 8 Primary Elements of TQM
Total quality management can be summarized as a management system for a customer-focused
organization that involves all employees in continual improvement. It uses strategy, data, and
effective communications to integrate the quality discipline into the culture and activities of the
organization. Many of these concepts are present in modern Quality Management Systems, the
successor to TQM. Here are the 8 principles of total quality management:
1. Customer-focused
The customer ultimately determines the level of quality. No matter what an organization does to
foster quality improvement—training employees, integrating quality into the design process,
upgrading computers or software, or buying new measuring tools—the customer determines
whether the efforts were worthwhile.
2. Total employee involvement
All employees participate in working toward common goals. Total employee commitment can
only be obtained after fear has been driven from the workplace, when empowerment has
occurred, and management has provided the proper environment. High-performance work
systems integrate continuous improvement efforts with normal business operations. Self-
managed work teams are one form of empowerment.
3. Process-centered
A fundamental part of TQM is a focus on process thinking. A process is a series of steps that
take inputs from suppliers (internal or external) and transforms them into outputs that are
delivered to customers (again, either internal or external). The steps required to carry out the
process are defined, and performance measures are continuously monitored in order to detect
unexpected variation.
4. Integrated system
Although an organization may consist of many different functional specialties often organized
into vertically structured departments, it is the horizontal processes interconnecting these
functions that are the focus of TQM.
 Micro-processes add up to larger processes, and all processes aggregate into the business
processes required for defining and implementing strategy. Everyone must understand the

2. vision, mission, and guiding principles as well as the quality policies, objectives, and critical
processes of the organization. Business performance must be monitored and communicated
continuously.
 An integrated business system may be modeled after the Baldrige National Quality
Program criteria and/or incorporate the ISO 9000 standards. Every organization has a unique
work culture, and it is virtually impossible to achieve excellence in its products and services
unless a good quality culture has been fostered. Thus, an integrated system connects business
improvement elements in an attempt to continually improve and exceed the expectations of
customers, employees, and other stakeholders.
5. Strategic and systematic approach
A critical part of the management of quality is the strategic and systematic approach to achieving
an organization’s vision, mission, and goals. This process, called strategic planning or strategic
management, includes the formulation of a strategic plan that integrates quality as a core
component.
6. Continual improvement
A major thrust of TQM is continual process improvement. Continual improvement drives an
organization to be both analytical and creative in finding ways to become more competitive and
more effective at meeting stakeholder expectations.
7. Fact-based decision making
In order to know how well an organization is performing, data on performance measures are
necessary. TQM requires that an organization continually collect and analyze data in order to
improve decision making accuracy, achieve consensus, and allow prediction based on past
history.
8. Communications
During times of organizational change, as well as part of day-to-day operation, effective
communications plays a large part in maintaining morale and in motivating employees at all
levels. Communications involve strategies, method, and timeliness.
Quality Tools
There are seven common Quality Tools you can use to understand and improve processes during
a process improvement event

3. 1. Flowcharts or Process Maps
Flowcharts, or Process Maps, visually represent relationships among the activities and tasks that
make up a process. They are typically used
at the beginning of a process improvement event; you describe process events, timing, and
frequencies at the highest level and work downward. At high levels, process maps help you
understand process complexity. At lower levels, this one of the quality tools helps you analyze
and improve the process.
2. Ishikawa, Fishbone, or Cause & Effect Diagrams
Ishikawa, Fishbone, or Cause & Effect Diagrams visually represent the causes of a problem – or
effect – and help you determine the ultimate source of the problem — the root cause. (This tool
is called a “fishbone” diagram because of its appearance; Ishikawa was its inventor.) The cause-
and-effect diagram is used at the beginning of root cause analysis, to organize the causes of a
problem (people, methods, equipment, materials, measurement, and environment) and prioritize
them.
3. Data Checklists, Check Sheets, or Recording Tables
Data Checklists, check sheets, or recording tables are matrices designed to assist in the tallying,
recording, and analysis of test results or event occurrences. This one of the quality tools
is utilized in production to count defects and collect process data, which you analyze to identify
opportunities for improvement.

4. 4. Pareto Charts
The Pareto chart is named after Vilfredo Pareto, who came up with the Pareto Principle (or the
“80/20 rule”), which says that 20% of the factors account for 80% of potential problems. The
Pareto chart ranks defects, causes, or data from the most significant to the least significant, in
descending order. Out off all the quality tools, Pareto charts help you separate the “vital few”
from the “trivial many”. They are typically used during process improvement analysis, to
understand where to focus improvement for the greatest impact.
5. Histograms Charts
Histograms Charts consist of vertical bars, side-by-side, that depict frequency distributions
within tables of numbers and can help you understand data relationships over time (e.g., the
familiar “bell curve”). Histograms are generally used during process improvement analysis.
6. Scatter Charts
Scatter charts is another of the quality tools. These display relationships between dependent
(predicted) and independent (prediction) variables. They are used during hypothesis testing, to
determine if there is a correlation between two variables and how strong the correlation is. Less
scattering indicates stronger correlation.

5. 7. Control Charts
The control chart is a type of statistical process control (SPC) tool. Process performance is
plotted over time against upper and lower control limits; this helps you readily identify process
variations and enables determination of special cause and common cause variation. Control
charts are used during production, or after process improvement implementations, to ensure that
processes are within control limits, or “in control”.
Do they use inspections?
 Final inal quality inspections are the last activity you perform before product is
shipped, so represent the only true perspective of your customer’s buying
“experience.” If you lose perspective of what this experience is like, then over time
you will lose perspective of how your product is perceived in the market place –
leaving a wide open hole for your competitors to offer new value to your existing
customers.
Another benefit of implementing both a Quality Assurance and a Quality Control
program is that the inspection process can provide valuable manufacturing
intelligence that can then be used to design better quality products and processes.
Every continuous improvement program is reliant upon gathering data to improve
efficiency. Where will this data come from? This brings me to point #2:
 Quality Inspections are a source of data and manufacturing intelligence on how
your production processes are performing; they provide insights into how a better
design might lead to higher quality and less waste. Statistical Process Control
(SPC) analyses can be performed on your Quality Control data (i.e. inspection
results) to gain insights for process improvement along your entire production
process.
At the start of this post I suggested that those who don’t understand the value of quality
inspections were not looking at the “big picture.” The cost to deliver a product extends
beyond the build cost – it continues to occur across the entire lifecycle of a product,
from delivery, support and warranty claims, all the way through disposal (for some
products), which brings me to point #3:
 Quality Inspections can help to reduce future costs, including rejected or returned
items (perhaps damaged during shipment based on a packaging defect), higher

6. warranty returns or more calls into your customer support center to answer
questions such as “What happened to all the bolts I need to build my outdoor table
set?”
TotalQuality ManagementPolicy
For all of us – the Administration, the Management and the Employees of Gristiren Ltd – the
total Quality Policy and the responsibilities it entails, represent the core element of our strategy
for growth and development.
Gristiren Limited is committed to the following priorities:
• Ensuring our products are of the highest quality, with manufacturing and treatment processes
adhering to all existing National and European norms and regulations
• Respecting and meeting the needs of our clients, striving to provide satisfaction,while at the
same time enhancing the image of the company and constantly showing sensitivity towards the
final consumer .
•Avoiding the use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) in production.
• Ensuring healthy and safe working conditions for our staff and creating a working environment
which boosts productivity and competitiveness.
• Respecting the Environment through
Reducing waste, monitoring the negative impact of new build and plant improvement on the
environment, encouraging the use of recyclable materials and methods in production, while
limiting the use of finite natural resources and promoting energy saving.
•Respecting the Ethical values and Religious Views of each member of staff, ensuring a healthy
and dignified working environment , encouraging Employees to participate in problem solving
procedures, inspiring them to perfect their skills through Continuing Professional
Development, encouraging Teamwork and personal involvement of each member of the staff in
all company matters.
•Creating incentives for the Employees to improve their performance, while constantly
evaluating their efficiency through feedback received from clients, customers and other staff
members etc.
•Constant monitoring of the challenges and requirements of the market in order to ensure the
adaptability and flexibility of the products to suit changing demand.
The principles of Total Quality Management are respected by all members of staff and
management and are applied to all operations within the company. They are subject to constant
monitoring and review as to their efficiency and safety.
Contribution and efforts to achieve total quality management
These points express the actions an organization must take in order to achieve TQM:
1. Create constancy of purpose for improvement of product and service. Dr.
Deming suggests a radical new definition of a company's role: A better way to
make money is to stay in business and provide jobs through innovation,
research, constant improvement, and maintenance.

7. 2. Adopt a new philosophy. For the new economic age, companies need to
change into “learning organizations.” Furthermore, we need a new belief in which
mistakes and negativism are unacceptable.
3. Cease dependence on mass inspection. Eliminate the need for mass
inspection by building quality into the product.
4. End awarding business on price. Instead, aim at minimum total cost, and
move towards single suppliers.
5. Improve the system of production and service constantly. Improvement is
not a one‐time effort. Management is obligated to continually look for ways to
reduce waste and improve quality.
6. Institute training. Too often, workers learn their jobs from other workers who
have never been trained properly.
7. Institute leadership. Leading consists of helping people to do a better job and to
learn by objective methods.
8. Drive out fear. Many employees are afraid to ask questions or to take a
position—even when they do not understand what their job is or what is right or
wrong. The economic losses from fear are appalling. To assure better quality and
productivity, it is necessary that people feel secure.
9. Break down barriers between departments. Often, company departments or
units compete with each other or have goals that conflict. They do not work as a
team; therefore they cannot solve or foresee problems. Even worse, one
department's goal may cause trouble for another.
10.Eliminate slogans, exhortations, and numerical targets for the
workforce. These never help anybody do a good job. Let workers formulate their
own slogans; then they will be committed to the contents.
11.Eliminate numerical quotas or work standards. Quotas take into account only
numbers, not quality or methods. They are usually a guarantee of inefficiency
and high cost.
12.Remove barriers that prevent workers from taking pride in their
workmanship. Too often, misguided supervisors, faulty equipment, and
defective materials stand in the way of good performance. These barriers must
be removed.
13.Institute a vigorous program of education. Both management and the work
force will have to be informed of new knowledge and techniques.
14.Take action to accomplish the transformation. It will require a special top
management team with a plan of action to carry out the quality mission. Workers
cannot do it on their own, nor can managers. A critical mass of people in the
company must understand the Fourteen Points.