MM 16 Total Quality Management

Total Quality Management (TQM), also known as comprehensive quality management, is a comprehensive and consistent method for all types of organizations that aims to guarantee a very high level of quality through analysis, organization, and control. Its objectives are similar to Kaizen (M14) and also require strong employee participation. TQM exists in various forms – particularly important in Europe is the model of the European Foundation for Quality Management, or EFQM . Since 1997, the EFQM has awarded the Ludwig Erhard Prize, the most important German quality award, annually.

Statistician William Deming conducted studies in the field of quality management in America in the late 1940s, but received little attention within the country, as the world was primarily concerned with reconstruction after World War II. However, Japanese business quickly embraced his theories, and large companies there soon adopted Deming's standards. Thanks to the establishment of the Deming Prize in 1951 by the Union of Japanese Scientists and Engineers, the USA finally began to pay attention to Deming's research. Europe adopted Total Quality Management somewhat later, but in 1988, 14 companies—including Nestlé, Bosch, and Philips—founded the European Foundation for Quality Management.

In the context of:

Q: Q01, Q05, Q06, Q09, Q12, Q15, Q20

E: E01, E16, E20

T: T01, T04, T08, T09,