Total quality management implies the verification of quality at each and every process of operation. It is not just sampling plan for the acceptance & rejection of the incoming materials and controlling manufacturing process conditions, it is in fact, a job at every step of the company activities.
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Total quality management is a companywide activity and various functional departments contribute to its success. Marketing department through market research gives the information about what quality characteristics the customers desire and to what extent.
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This is a valuable input for planning quality. Marketing department also provide the information about the quality of manufactured products by taking the feedback from the customers through research. Product design write about the specifications of the product, raw materials, bought out parts and the contracts with customers.
The purchasing department makes contracts with the suppliers of raw materials, select the suppliers develop the suppliers and keep track of performance of the vendors. Naturally, the product design and purchasing have much to contribute to the quality of the final product.
Production engineering select the processes, methods and equipments f6r the manufacture of the product and can provide valuable information regarding the anticipated difficulties in implementing a certain product quality specifications.
Manufacturing line is responsible for actual production and therefore the final product quality depends much upon their skills, motivation to work and their interpretation of the specifications. The purpose of good product quality is to create a good image of the company and this image should be maintained.
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Therefore, the company has to attend to the complaints from customers and provide periodic services to the customers. The quality control laboratory which inspects a batch of raw materials, or semi finished goods or finished goods or finished products and approves or rejects them has much to contribute to quality.
Quality control job is not only to check the quality of finished goods. The quality has inputs from various angles and a total quality control Programme should consider the different attributes and aspects contributing to quality. It is stated that “Quality is every body’s job “i a business.”
When we look at the organisations whose products are of top quality, we always find that in such organisations all the company employees at all levels and in all functions are maintained to contribute to the total quality establishment effort.
Since, each functional department has a contribution to make towards quality, it is importance that the total quality management effort be properly organised to co-ordinate the various contributing aspects to quality. Without such co-ordination, there may be chaotic situation and although the quality is everybody’s business, it may become no body’s business.
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Therefore, quality management should be a separate function headed by a person quite high in the organisational hierarchy so as to facilitate the co-ordination of the various contributing functions to quality. And not only should the quality manager belong to the top management, but the entire top management should be committed to quality.