Total Quality (TQ) Model and Methodologies Paper
Jennifer Plutt
University of Phoenix
June 23, 2008
MGT/449
Total Quality (TQ) Model and Methodologies Paper
There are various models available for an organization to choose from. I compared these
process to processes in my work place. When there are processes that need to be improved
upon, the correct method needs to be used. When choosing the appropriate method the
company must know exactly what they want to improve upon, and which steps they need
to take. We want to look at improving flexibility competitiveness, effectiveness, and
efficiency of the organization satisfying the customer demands being internal or external.
Continuous quality improvement
The key to success*ƒ²*ƒ”€ševery organization is looking for the one key that will open the
door to, more or less, instant and sustained success. While there is no one key, no one
precise answer, there is hope in a process called continuous improvement. Continuous
improvement, basically a process of constant personal and organizational reform, is not as
basic or simple as the name may imply. “The cornerstone of continuous improvement is
collaboration through teamwork and partnerships*ƒ²*ƒ”€š*ƒ‚¦an organization must
understand collaboration and cooperation*ƒ²*ƒ”€šwith suppliers, within organizations, and
with customers*ƒ²*ƒ”€š*ƒ‚¦partnering is rarely truly practiced…[and] many organizations
believe that calling a department a team is all that creating teamwork requires”“ (2002). An
organization must also choose not only the right leader for a team, but also the right
members for the team.
In the textbook Achieving Quality Through Continual Improvement by Clyde Burrill and
Johannes Ledolter, the authors write:
“In many enterprises, important business processes*ƒ²*ƒ”€šprocesses that the enterprise
depends on for survival*ƒ²*ƒ”€šare neglected. People are so busy operating processes that
nobody stops to look at them. If no one in the organization takes responsibility for an
important process, it sometimes falls de facto to QA [Quality
Assurance]*ƒ²*ƒ”€š*ƒ‚¦process improvement is a major concern of QA”“ (1999).
The authors make a great point in that employees of organizations are so busy carrying out
and following processes that hardly anyone ever stops to take a look at how the processes
truly operate and whether or not these processes are efficient. As stated before, part of
quality assurance is efficiency, which is the ultimate goal of process improvement.
Efficiency is a major buzzword in organizations today because, as author of the book The
8th Habit Dr. Stephen Covey writes, “Organizations must constantly develop better ways
of competing against lower labor prices, lower material costs, faster innovation, greater
efficiency, and higher quality. The forces of free enterprise are driving quality up, driving
