Total Quality Management: Good Enough for Government Work

Abstract

The management principles discussed in this research report are based on the concept of strategic quality management, which includes TQM. Total quality management is based primarily on the work of four individuals -- W. Edwards Deming. J. M. Juran. A. V. Feigenbaum, and Phil Crosby -- in the areas of statistics, organizational theory, industrial relations, management, and leadership. But there were others -- the influence of Tom Peters, Bob Waterman, H. J. Harrington, and David Garvin can also be seen throughout these pages. Total quality management covers the entire life cycle of an organization, including the organization's products or services. It is strategic to an organization because it deals not only with the internal environment but also the external environment. TQM goes beyond systems engineering to provide principles of organizational design, leadership, and human engineering. It is the system integrator in an organization, bringing together people, equipment, methods, and machines to effectively satisfy customer expectations. This monograph consists of two basic parts. The first part reviews the quality movement in the United States from the time of the industrial revolution up to and including strategic quality management. It will help readers understand how quality developed over the years and why particular programs failed. The second part contains a detailed TQM model. It comprises chapters on these elements: External Customer, Strategic Requirements Processing, Strategic Vision, Mission Analysis Improvement, The Organization, Suppliers, The Internal Process, The Measurement System, Continuous Improvement, and Direction/Feedback Loop. These elements represent activities that are crucial to an organization adopting the management principles of TQM.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 01, 1992
Accession Number
ADA259847

Entities

People

  • Michael J. Prowse

Organizations

  • Air University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Human Systems
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Accuracy
  • Air Force
  • Business Administration
  • Closed Loop Systems
  • Computer Programming
  • Employment
  • Engineers
  • Failure Mode And Effect Analysis
  • Management Personnel
  • Money
  • Organizational Structure
  • Personnel Management
  • Reliability
  • Reliability Engineering
  • Systems Engineering
  • Test And Evaluation
  • War Colleges

Readers

  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Organizational Process Management (OPM).