(Last Updated On: September 19, 2023)

Each individual in an organization bears responsibility for quality management under the 7 Principles of Total Quality Management. The major objective of these principles is to align every person, action, and system around a single goal: maintaining and improving quality standards.

But how will this be achieved? How can manufacturers keep track of their whole system, process, and workforce?

Total Quality Management is a powerful uniting force for any firm, with greater linkages and data tracking. Manufacturers are discovering better methods to implement quality measures throughout the business thanks to modern technologies like our work instruction software. Enroll yourself with the Lean six sigma green belt certification course to apply DMAIC methodology and lead all the six sigma projects with ease.

What is the significance of “Total” in “Quality Management”?

Before diving into the 7 Principles of Total Quality Management, it’s important first to grasp what Quality Management is and why the all-encompassing “Total” is necessary.

Each of these is necessary for constantly giving and increasing value to customers, employees, and the company.

These four criteria are combined to form Total Quality Management. According to this idea, every individual and every procedure contributes to the overall quality of the organization and supply chain. Maintaining quality is not just the responsibility of inspectors and quality control employees; everyone must be united and devoted to this aim.

Quality Management gains a significant commitment and reaches with this “Total” in place. One that encompasses all aspects of manufacturing and maximizes profit. The potential for universal quality management is infinite with Industry 4.0 technology.

Total Quality Management’s Seven Principles

Principle #1: Customer focus

Customer attention is unsurprisingly at the top of the list of the 7 principles of comprehensive quality management. The needs of your clients are inextricably related to quality. Quality must meet or surpass consumer expectations in order to be successful.

However, this is not a simple process. Customer needs and expectations are always changing and evolving. As a result, quality should always be assessed from the consumer’s standpoint.

Every connection with a consumer is a chance to learn about their goals and requirements. Your company develops a great vision and purpose by focusing on increasing value for the consumer. Customer focus helps you gain more loyalty, improve your reputation, and increase your income. The rationale for your company’s existence is gone without this consumer focus.

It’s not only about earning money; but also about informing the target market about your company’s mission. Knowledgeable OEM quality experts can explain how customers react positively to strategies that put them in the primary focus by understanding their needs and tailoring the product accordingly. Organizations that consistently adhere to consumer requirements gain a lot more than new customers — they also earn an invaluable reputation for quality products, services, and reliability.

Work instruction software is an important tool for complying with customer requirements. Businesses may achieve exact specifications and surpass customer expectations by documenting essential processes and procedures in clear, visual instructions.

Operators, quality inspectors, and other project participants are all focused on the same aim and direction when the project is customer-oriented.

Principle #2: Management

“Leaders at all levels generate a unity of purpose and direction and create conditions in which employees are involved in accomplishing the organization’s quality objectives,” says the mission statement.

Leadership does not just flow from the top down; it also goes in all ways. When it comes to quality, leadership is more about uniting the workforce than telling individuals what to do.

All levels of leadership must be on the same page, harmonizing their people, tactics, and goals. When the leader points in one way, the rest of the workforce follows suit with the same goal and emphasis.

Digital work instructions are a clever approach for firms to retain unity, communicate goals, and assure compliance. Top-down and bottom-up communication will engage personnel while monitoring progress and tracking quality.

Principle #3: People Participation

“Competent, engaged, and empowered people at all levels within the company are critical to strengthening the firm’s capacity to generate and deliver value,” says the mission statement.

Your firm is a team, no matter how big or small it is. To effectively manage any team, all members must be involved. Otherwise, you won’t be able to extract quality and value from every aspect of your business.

To get the best out of your staff, you must first feel that each individual has something valuable to contribute. Because Total Quality Management is a company-wide endeavor, this is critical. When you value your employees’ abilities, knowledge, and distinctiveness, they will be more willing to share their knowledge and expertise.

Additionally, including personnel in the bigger vision improves their understanding and capacities. Employees are better equipped to make value-adding decisions with increased information and communication. 

Involving workers in continuous improvement initiatives and the company’s future direction is one way to keep them engaged. These meetings are an excellent way for bringing everyone on board with the same strategic goals and motivation while also obtaining vital input from them.

Every employee is connected with work instruction software. Collect feedback from shop floor personnel and design procedure documentation with the employees who will be using them. This will assist your staff in comprehending the modifications and provide you with vital feedback.

Principle #4: Process Approach is the fourth principle.

“When activities are understood and controlled as linked processes that work as a coherent system, consistent and predictable results are obtained more effectively and efficiently.”

There’s no such thing as an isolated activity within a firm. It’s pointless to manage each procedure separately. At least one additional procedure is linked to each process.

When making adjustments or looking for chances for continual improvement, total quality management considers all activities. Breaking down cross-functional boundaries and providing consistent and predictable results requires a deep grasp of your company’s linked operations.

Work instruction software is a system that combines all of your processes, work instructions, and factory performance monitoring into one system. Every interaction you have with the app is recorded as data. Traceability and analytics aid in the correlation of all activities inside the company. This allows you to make well-informed and measured judgments while also ensuring consistent quality at all levels.

Principle #5: Improvement

Our industry is always evolving. Companies must pursue improvement at the same rate as new technological breakthroughs and consumer demands rise at unprecedented speeds.

Companies require expertise and flexibility to achieve this rate of progress. They must be able to collect reliable data and implement the best solutions as quickly as feasible.

Your organization will benefit from the robustness and flexibility of digital work instructions. Your operators can get real-time information and communication from their equipment, tools, and coworkers. With just one click, you can also edit several procedures. This allows you to provide your employees with the most up-to-date and cutting-edge approaches.

This implies that your product will never fall behind in terms of quality if you use the finest techniques and methods. Quality can only grow and improve if data is accurate and trustworthy.

Principle #6: Making Informed Decisions

When presented with a decision, we frequently get data from several sources. This might make it difficult to modify because each source does not contain the entire story.

How can we make evidence-based decisions if we don’t have reliable data?

What you need is accurate data from a reliable source that tracks all areas of your business. This straightforward viewpoint can help you understand the cause-and-effect links in your company.

Our software gives you real-time production data to make informed decisions quickly. Monitor real-time data and changes over time to spot patterns and opportunities for improvement. Data on traceability is constantly available, ensuring that you have the most up-to-date information for improved analysis and risk assessment in future projects.

Principle #7: Relationship Management

No corporation, like no process, can be considered independent. A supply chain is composed of different aspects and participants. These parties are all interconnected to some extent and must collaborate.

Business connections

Organizations must manage their relationships and maximize their interactions to promote strong business ties to maintain their success.

Optimizing techniques for sharing processes, inspection findings, and quality data with suppliers, customers, regulatory agencies, and others is one way to manage these relationships. Make use of technology to cooperate with all parties involved and improve the flow of information.

Traceability, for example, is important in the medical business since it ensures quality at every stage of the process. This traceability data may readily be shared to ensure that all quality procedures and criteria were followed.

Building corporate partnerships rely heavily on dependable work practices. Modern technology offers the capabilities to ensure trust, which is critical for long-term relationships.

Utilize technology to improve total quality management

Every worker and every procedure are becoming more connected thanks to modern technologies. The 7 Principles of Total Quality Management become stronger and more realistic when you have a comprehensive picture of your business and correct data.

Adopting current technologies is a must in today’s competitive economy. Make use of technology to accomplish Total Quality Management, regardless of your industry.