Total Quality Management: An Application in a Research and Development Laboratory

Abstract

In September 1988, the Air Force Human Resources Laboratory (AFHRL) took initial steps to set up a Total Quality Management (TQM) program in the Laboratory. The implementation procedure used was the Method for Generating Efficiency and Effectiveness Measures (MGEEM). This procedure focuses on satisfying customer requirements, identifying Key Result Areas (KRAs). and tracking progress in those KRAs through Mission Effectiveness Indicators. This report outlines how TQM was implemented in AFHRL, and describes the lessons learned in the process. Lessons learned address: TQM versus Total Quality Control (TQC), applying TQM in an R&D organization, sustaining TQM, process action teams, and the acceptance of MGEEM as a method for implementing TQM. The survey feedback intervention technique, the confrontation meeting, and work teams are recommended for establishing TQM in an R&D organization. The procedures allow both managers and workers to develop a sense of ownership in the TQM process. This in turn increases the likelihood of sustaining the program and insuring its long-term effectiveness. (AW)

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 1989
Accession Number
ADA215808

Entities

People

  • Herbert J. Clark

Organizations

  • Air Force Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Air Force Facilities
  • Civilian Personnel
  • Department Of Defense
  • Efficiency
  • Employment
  • Engineering
  • Human Resources
  • Information Science
  • Lessons Learned
  • Management Personnel
  • Management Training
  • New York
  • Organizational Structure
  • Personnel Management
  • Quality Control
  • Total Quality Management

Readers

  • Organizational Process Management (OPM).
  • Systems Analysis and Design