it explains the role of quality team in TQM. Also describes the their roles and responsibilities

1. Quality circle and quality
improvement

3. • Quality circles dates back to 1950s when they
were first seen in the United States. Dr.
Deming had stated that the quality circles are
to be recognized as a change in management
style to bring about a productive atmosphere.

4. • The quality circles owe their origin to Dr.
Kaoru Ishikawa, a Japanese scientist, who
conceptualized and implemented quality
circles for improving productivity in Japan.
QCs were seriously developed and
implemented in Japan in early 1960s.

6. • In 1962, the first three quality circles were
registered with JUSE (the Union of Japanese
Scientists and Engineers), and today one in
every eight workers in Japan belong to quality
circles totalling over one million registered
and many yet unregistered quality circles, and
many thousands exist in other countries.
Quality circles were re-exported to USA in the
early 1970s.

7. • In 1977, JF Beardsley and DL Dewar founded the
International Association of Quality Circles (IAQC) to
provide the centralized leadership necessary to
promote QC programs, particularly concentrating on
the growth of the QC concept.
• With the successful execution of quality circles in Japan
and USA, many other countries also adopted QCs as a
tool to improve their quality of work life. Now several
countries of the world have accepted quality circles as
a very effective instrument for improving the total
performance of the organization.

8. • Quality circles are voluntary groups of
workers who meet regularly, usually once a
week, to discuss and propose solutions to
quality issues in their work area.
• They are usually composed of 6 to 12
members who share a common task or
process, and are guided by a facilitator or a
leader.

9. • The quality circle process in Total Quality
Management (TQM) involves a structured
approach where a small group of employees
voluntarily come together to identify, analyze,
and solve quality-related problems within an
organization.

10. • Quality circle involves employees in solving
problems and taps their knowledge effectively.
Employees and their knowledge are the most
precious resource for the organization. QC
makes use of the hands and minds of the
employees who are working in the
organization. It provides a future-oriented
approach.

11. • It seeks improvements in the performance,
efficiency, and the product quality presently
being achieved during the current production
run for the performance in future. For this
purpose, QC brings the employees to come
together voluntarily and contribute to the
progress of the organization.

13. Quality Teams – Roles and
Responsibilities
• Quality Team Leader
• Supports the head of unit and management team in promoting a
culture for quality
• assurance and enhancement. Ensures the QMS is within the scope
of the UL framework
• Quality Policy, Quality Manual, QMS Frameworks, Quality Review
Activity) and acts as primary contact person within the unit for all
quality-related queries.
• Develops and maintains strong working relationships between the
unit management team,
• the quality team, unit members, quality team leader’s forum and
Quality Support Unit on
• quality related issues. Provides coaching, direction and mentoring
to members of the quality team

14. • Monitors implementation of all QIP actions through
regular meetings of the quality team and assigns
responsibility to staff for identified actions.
• Reports to senior management on effective operation
of the quality team and escalation of any potential
risks.
• Assigns responsibility for the position of lead auditor
to relevant team member, and ensures all members
actively participate during quality team meetings.
• Helps the unit to prepare for cyclical quality reviews
and assists the Head of Unit in writing the annual
quality report.

15. Quality Team Members
• Act as an advocate for quality assurance and
enhancement.
• Instil a culture of continuous quality improvement
throughout the unit.
• Keeps abreast of university quality-related
requirements (e.g. Quality Policy, Quality Manual, QMS
Frameworks, Quality Review Activity)
• Actively participate in quality team meetings, sharing
knowledge, expertise, ideas and information.
• Respect the contribution of all members of the team.

16. • Ensure appropriate records of meetings are
maintained.
• Monitor performance on actions in the QIP.
• Offer advice and guidance to unit members when
writing/updating business processes and operational
procedures.
• Act as advocate for staff of the unit.
• Commit to carrying out assignments between
meetings and reporting back on progress.
• Monitor unit-level customer feedback mechanisms and
maintain customer feedback log.

17. Audit Team
• Regularly review audit schedule to ensure all audits are
conducted within the required
• timeframe.
• Conduct all audits in compliance with the
documented QMS auditing process.
• Prepare in advance for all audits, using the
appropriate templates.
• Ensure audit checklists are completed in advance of
all audits.
• Check QIP for any outstanding actions from previous
audits.

18. • Conduct audits in a professional manner,
ensuring it is the process not the person who is
• being audited.
• Record objective evidence throughout the audit.
• Give a verbal overview of the audits findings
once the audit is complete.
• Compile the audit report in a timely manner.
• Send copy of the audit report to auditee and lead
auditor.

19. ASSIGNMENT -1
• Quality circle in India