The document traces the evolution of quality management from early inspection practices to modern total quality management approaches. It discusses how quality management progressed from individual inspectors to separate inspection departments and then quality control departments. In the 1920s, statistical process control methods were developed but not widely used until after World War 2 when Japanese companies adopted quality gurus' teachings to improve their quality and competitiveness. By the late 20th century, total quality management had become a national priority in Japan and Western companies introduced similar quality programs in response to Japanese success.