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TQM and ISO Team Reflection

Eduardo C. Zerwes, Isaac Cruz Hinojosa, Larry Crosby,
Cameron Harkey, & Baron de Carvalho,
OPS/571
April 20, 2015
Professor David

TQM and iso team reflection

Week 5 enables the team to reflect on the benefits of Total Quality Management (TQM)
and International Standards for Organizations (ISO). Team A provides certain examples
pertaining to how these designs assist an organization describing the benefits and challenges
associating with their uses. Accompanying this data team members identify the role of the
Quality Control departments and how this design relates to either the TQM or ISO process.
What are TQM and ISO?
Total quality management (TQM) is a process of, Managing the entire organization so
that it excels on all dimensions of products and services that are important to the customer
(Jacobs &Chase, 2011, p. 300). Careful design of a product or service and ensuring the
organizational procedures can consistently produce the design are two primary goals for a
successful TQM system minimizing challenges.
Challenges arising from a TQM system pertain, To make certain that a quality program
really does have a customer focus and is sufficiently agile enabling improvements quickly
without losing sight of the real-time needs of the business. The quality system must be analyzed
for its own quality (Jacobs &Chase, 2011, p. 300). Once TQM establishes system parameters,
ISO standardizations can implement sustainability and environmental practices.
International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is a non-governmental independent
organizational membership and a global designer of voluntary International standards (ISO,
2015, pp. 2). ISO standards is the foundation of facilitating international trade publishing more
than 19,500 International Standards covering industries in food safety, technology, agriculture,
and healthcare influencing everyone everywhere (ISO, 2015).

TQM and iso team reflection

ISO develops standards for The people that need them through a consensus process.
Experts from all over the world develop the standards that are required by their sector. This
means they reflect a wealth of international experience and knowledge (ISO, 2015, p.1).
How might TQM and ISOs improve an organization?
Total Quality Management (TQM) and International Standardization of Organizations
(ISO) represent organizational commitments in excellence and quality. In a competitive
environment, the determinants of success are basing on the voice of the consumer. Customers
demand quality and when an organization does not meet the standard, patrons take their business
elsewhere.
TQM is a reaction to Japanese superiority in products ranging from air conditioners to
automobiles during the 1980s (Jacobs and Chase, 2011, p. 286). This concept aims to reduce
variation in process and output that result in an excess of defect. Product consistency is what the
voice of the customer demands. Businesses that do not commit to TQM coupling with constant
process improvements risk failure.
ISO provides businesses with a checklist of quality goals to meet branding the company
internationally as an institution of excellence. According to Jacobs and Chase (2011), When
organizations reach for ISO 9000, they improve in; customer focus, leadership, involvement of
people, process approach, system approach to management, continual improvement, factual
approach to decision making, and mutually beneficial supplier relationships (p. 298).
Through second/third party external evaluations, ISO protocols assist companies with
branding techniques through consensus. Benefits of striving for ISO are two-fold improving
reputation and forcing process improvement while consisting of particular challenges.

TQM and iso team reflection

What are the benefits and challenges of each?

TherearemanybenefitstoTotalQualityManagementhelpingorganizationsidentify
needstomeetgoalsandprojections.TQMimprovesperformancebyfosteringanimproving
workculture.Thisformofmanagementhelpsorganizationsunderstandtheircompetitorsand
developstrategiestofendthemoff.AnothermajorbenefitofTQMisenhancingcommunication
betweenalllevelsofmanagement.Essentially,TQMcreatescontinuousimprovement.
OneofthebiggestchallengesfacingTQMischangingthecultureofthecompany.Many
membersofmanagementandlongtermemployeesareunyieldingintheirwaysandbecome
difficultinchangingtheirphilosophy.AsecondchallengepertainingtoTQMimplementationis
anabsenceofleadershipqualitiesandcommitments.
Manyorganizationspossessexcesslayersofmanagementcreatingduplicatetasksand
responsibilities.Whenthisoccurs,employeesleavequalitymanagementuptomanagersanddo
nottakeownershipoftheprocesses.AdditionalchallengespertainingtoTQMincludean
absenceofresources,absenceofcustomerfocus,andresistancetochangeintheworkforce.
TherearemanybenefitstoISOstandardspertainingtooptimizingoperations,improving
quality,removingtradebarriers,andcustomerservicedesignsincreasingthetriplebottomline.
AnotherbenefitISOcontributestosustainabilitywithinanorganizationisthereductionof
environmentdamagecoincidingwithbusinesses.Managementmustcomeupwithreasonable,
transparent,andmeasurableobjectivebecomingproactivewithISOstandards.
AdditionalchallengecoincidingwithISOdesignspertainstofundingandadequate
resources.ItisdifficulttotrainandeducateemployeeonallISOstandards;additionally,

TQM and iso team reflection

transitioningmanagementandgettingeveryoneadequatetimetobuyintoandtakeownershipof
theprocess.
What is the role of a Quality Control department in relation to either TQM or ISO?
According to Jacobs & Chase, 2011 the function of Quality Control department (QC) in
relation to TQM and ISO pertain to:
1. Designs of the quality control department system include planning and documentation.
2. The QC department trains the organization on following the quality control system.
3. The QC department supervises and verifies all functions of the organization follow the
quality control system.
4. The QC department possess authority to enforce compliance following the quality control
system when performing activities.
5. The QC department performs testing activities certifying the quality of the product.
6. The QC actively participates in the resolution of quality problems.
Upon implementing the role of quality control departments within the organization, TQM
and ISO processes will work cohesively to coincide with environmental processes sustaining the
companys significance from a global perspective
Conclusion
Reflecting on both principles, Total Quality Management (TQM) and International
Standards of Organizations (ISO), Team A comprehends the significance of incorporating
these two designs processes into business and organizations. The team elaborates on certain
examples as to how these improvements assist an organization, benefits and challenges
associating with their uses, and collaborating data identifying the importance of an organization
possessing quality control departments relating to six TQM and ISO developments.

TQM and iso team reflection

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References

ISO. (2015). About ISO.

Retrieved from: http://www.iso.org/iso/home/about.htm
Jacobs, F. R. & Chase, R. (2011). Operations and Supply Chain Management (13th ed.)
Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill Irwin.
Retrievedfrom:https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/content/eBookLibrary2/content/TOC.a
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