basic Principles of Total Quality Management (TQM)

The basic principles for the Total Quality Management (TQM) philosophy of doing business are to satisfy the customer, satisfy the supplier, and continuously improve the business processes.

Questions you may have include:

-How do you satisfy the customer?
-Why should you satisfy the supplier?
-What is continuous improvement?


Satisfy the customer

The first and major TQM principle is to satisfy the customer--the person who pays for the product or service. Customers want to get their money's worth from a product or service they purchase.
Satisfy the supplier

A second TQM principle is to satisfy the supplier, which is the person or organization from whom you are purchasing goods or services.
Continuous improvement

The third principle of TQM is continuous improvement. You can never be satisfied with the method used, because there always can be improvements. Certainly, the competition is improving, so it is very necessary to strive to keep ahead of the game.

Applying total quality management on business: Pros and cons of total quality management

Applying total quality management on business: Pros and cons of total quality management: "One advantage of pursuing total quality management as a business strategy is the creation of a loyal customer base with loyalty to the compa..."

Pros and cons of total quality management

One advantage of pursuing total quality management as a business strategy is the creation of a loyal customer base with loyalty to the company. Drawing in customers once is usually much easier than getting them to return time and time again--a new restaurant will attract people out of curiosity, but only if the food and service is great, will those customers bother to come back. TQM can also result in products and services with fewer defects which meet customer needs more exactly. The downside to TQM can be said to be a loss of productivity as a result of worker's need to be focused on customer at all times. Training and other exercises use up time that could be spent producing value, and such a system may have negligible impact for certain positions, especially those with no customer contact, such as janitorial staff or assembly line workers for instance.

how does TQM works

Total quality management, or TQM for short, is a business management policy which attempts to instill an awareness and drive toward quality in all parts of a business's operations. Total quality management is a customer centric business strategy in that its focus on quality always relates to customer satisfaction with a product or service. The aim of this system is to create long term success through a base of highly satisfied customers with loyalty to the company due to the great quality and care taken to ensure all of their needs are met up to their expectations.

TQM importance

Product quality
• Quality management ensures product quality. Some primary aspects of product quality include: performance, reliability and durability. Through the use of a quality management program, the company can produce a product that performs according to its stated promises. The will endure normal, everyday use. Use quality management programs to improve the quality of a product and to design new products. Six Sigma has a specific component called DFSS (Design for Six Sigma) which is a methodology to build Six Sigma quality into a product or service.


Quality management is a principle that ensures quality in a company's products and services. There are various types of quality management programs which include but are not limited to Six Sigma, Theory of Constraints and TQM (Total Quality Management). Although the approach to solving quality issues vary with the different quality management programs, the goal remains the same--to create a high quality, high-performing product or service that meets and exceeds the customers' expectations. Quality management is important to companies for a variety of reasons.