Quality Management for Organisational Excellence

This document discusses the importance of quality management for achieving organisational excellence. It explores the concepts of Total Quality Management (TQM), Just in Time approach, and Six Sigma. It also highlights the significance of developing and applying good practices to achieve sustainable business performance.

Quality Management
for Organisational
Excellence

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................1
Main body ....................................................................................................................................1
Total quality management (TQM)..............................................................................................2
Just in Time approach for quality assurance...............................................................................4
Six Sigma for ensuring quality control.......................................................................................4
Importance of developing and applying good practises to achieve sustainable business
performance ...............................................................................................................................6
Recommendations.......................................................................................................................7
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10
........................................................................................................................................12

INTRODUCTION
The environment in which an organisation operates is rapidly changing and becoming
more and more competitive and dynamic in nature therefore, to remain successful and to
maintain organisational excellence it become necessary to adopt and have some quality
management tools and approaches (Carvalho, and et. al., 2019). Effective implication of quality
management, quality control and quality assurance strategy facilitates fulfilment of customer
expectations and while competing successfully with other organisation in business market to gain
a better market share and growth in revenues and profits. Engineering Tooling company (ETC) is
established by a young graduate engineer in early 1960's in the North east region of England.
The range of products manufacturing items provided by this organisation includes engineer's
rules, calipers, scribes, micrometers together with a range of specialist items that needs high
quality materials along with efficient skills to deliver and produce an accurate and long last
items.
Engineering Tooling company is having a well equipped production plant and the
manpower is also very committed and loyal but, due to decline of engineering sector on North
east England and enhancement in competition level has exerted a pressure on ETC to have better
quality management and control to ensure the survival of business in long term and to achieve
the target of organisational excellence (van Kemenade and Hardjono, 2019). A range of radical
strategy and approaches that can be introduced and implemented by ETC for effective quality
management and quality assurance is provided in this report. Beside this, a description about
importance of developing an applying good practises to achieve sustainable business
performance is also consists in this assignment.
Main body
Engineering Tooling company was set up in early in 1960's by a young graduate in
North east England and providing a range of engineer's calipers, rules, scribes, micrometers and
many specialist product that require high quality and effective skills to produce a long lasting
and accurate items for its customers to meet their expectation. Beside this rising competition and
dynamic nature of business environment has also created a pressures for ETC to have effective
management of quality. To face this competition the ETC has signed a two year contract with a
hospital management Board to develop a new keyhole surgery and other pioneering treatment
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techniques (Shafiq, Lasrado and Hafeez, 2019). Therefore, a company-wide quality improvement
strategy and approaches are required by ETC to manufacture these cutting edge products on a
larger scale. Use of following strategies and approaches can be made by ETC to have effective
quality management, Quality assurance and quality control over all the activities and production
operations to achieve organisational excellence.
Total quality management (TQM)
TQM is basically a continuous process that provide an effective approach and way for
detecting, reducing and eliminating errors and flaws in manufacturing, streamlining management
of supply chain, enhancing customers experience and ensuring efficiency of employees with
timely training. Use of TQM approach is useful for ETC through providing a company-wide
quality improvement strategy that aim at making all associated parties accountable for overall
improvement in quality of final products (Martin and et. al., 2019). The key principles of TQM
that must be properly implemented and executed by ETC in its organisation for achieving the
objective of delivering quality products are as follows:
Illustration 1: Principles of Total quality management, 2020.
(Source: Principles of Total quality management, 2020)
Customer Focus- All the actions, activities and decisions of ETC should be taken while
keeping demands and expectations of customers in mind and how the delivered product and
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services can be made more beneficial and cost effective to enhance overall customers satisfaction
(Tashmukhamedova, 2019). For achieving target of customer focus timely and effective training
to employees of ETC can be produced to make them capable to produce quality product
according to the preference of customer.
Leadership Driven- The leaders and top management of ETC should act as main drive of
execution and adoption of TQM and should create an environment in organisation that facilitates
main focus on maintaining quality of product to ensure success. The leaders of ETC can adopt
democratic leadership style to provide proper guidance and motivation to employees to have
proper implication of TQM strategy to main overall quality of product.
Involvement of people- Employees of ETC should be encouraged to remain pro active
while production activity and operating all other functions to timely identify and address the
quality related issues to ensure delivery and manufacturing of a better product (Sweis, Elhawa
and Sweis, 2019).
Process approach– This principle of TQM aim at enhancing quality of main process of
organisation through finding effective ways to enhance and innovate central process. All the
decisions of ETC should be made while keeping the central process in mind to have a high
quality management which facilitates excellence in operations of organisation and quality of
product.
System approach to management- This approach of TQM aim at systematic and timely
implementation of all strategies and planning made for achieving the objective of quality
management. ETC must take a systematic decisions at right point of time for enhancing quality
as it facilitates the advantage of first mover in the business environment before any other
competitor.
Continual improvement- The culture of ETC must focus and encourage continuous
improvement through having some rewarding strategy for employees for finding innovative and
creative ways of improvement of quality to ensure continuous improvement and innovative ways
of production (Metaxas and Koulouriotis, 2019).
Factual approach of decision making- As per this principle of TQM all the decisions
taken by ETC organisation should be based on some facts and evidence to have effective
decision making based on some quality management facts and concepts.
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Mutually beneficial supplier relationship- The another fact that must be considered by
ETC to have effective quality management is maintaining a mutually beneficial supplier
relationship to ensure procurement and uninterrupted supply of best quality raw material and
inventory for production of product as final quality and durability of product is dependent on
quality of raw material supplied (Sternad, Krenn and Schmid, 2019).
Just in Time approach for quality assurance
Use of just in time approach provide a pull system to ETC that focuses on producing
necessary and desirable products through allowing pursue on quality of product, cost
minimization, delivery time and waste reduction strategies. The main focus and emphasis of Just
in time method is on inventory and raw material that should only ordered and received when they
are needed in production process. But the success of Just in time methods relies on steady
production process and reliable suppliers network to have a uninterrupted supply of raw material
on demand without any delays. Use of just in time approach is beneficial for ETC organisation as
it eliminates all wastage and keep stock holding cost to a minimum level. Beside this, it also
improve the quality of product through removing chances of using an out dated or expired raw
material for production function and ensures supply of fresh material. Further, Just in time
approach provide relative amount of flexibility in production function of ETC organisation
through easily incorporating changes in demand thus, just in time approach is easily adaptable in
today's volatile market as ensure supply of raw material and inventory on basis of current market
demand (McAdam, Miller and McSorley, 2019). Thus, Just in time approach provide an
effective check and control over the quality of raw material therefore facilitates quality assurance
for end product of ETC organisation and improve flexibility and efficiency of overall process to
meet the changing needs of environment and promote higher level of customers satisfaction.
Six Sigma for ensuring quality control
Use of six sigma approach by ETC facilitates better understanding of changing customers
needs and requirements, reduction of waste and cost, improvement in quality of products and its
delivery process together with development of robust production process and continuous
improvement in quality and also lead to enhancement in competitive position (Six sigma method
and its applications, 2020). The main principle and phases of six sigma approach that must be
adopted and implemented by ETC to have better control over the quality of product and to ensure
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continuous improvement in quality for achieving objective of organisational excellence are as
follows:
Define- The first of phase of Six sigma is associated with defining the main objectives
and desired level of quality that ETC wants to achieve. ETC can conduct some market analysis
and surveys to get a proper understanding of demand and preference of customers so that it can
effectively define the desired level of features and quality of its product to provide a guidance
and framework to its employees for production of quality product(Metaxas, Chatzoglou and
Koulouriotis, 2019).
Measure- This phase of six sigma is associated with measuring the current performance
level and quality level of products of ETC to have an effective value stream mapping. This
process of measurement is helpful for ETC as it makes this organisation aware about the missing
points, wasteful area, inappropriate and ineffective process and other constraints and flaws thus,
provides an opportunity to ETC organisation to rectify and overcome these flaws to improve the
quality of process and products.
Analysis- This step of six sigma provide an effective analysis of all the root causes and
issues that are hindering and leading to defects in products process. Use of analysis phase ensure
product quality in ETC organisation through a proper evaluation and comparison between
desired level of performance and actual performance thus, lead to improvement in actual
performance through either reducing or facilitating zero errors in production process through
keeping check and control over variation.
Improve- After analysis of flaws and defects in production process and quality of product
as compared to desired level of performance next step of six sigma is associated with
improvement in overall process and efficiency (Franceschini, Galetto and Maisano, 2019). For
this purpose timely training can be provided by ETC to its employees to built and develop better
skills and competences in them to achieve the target of betterment and improvement in quality
and production function of organisation.
Control- To ensure continues improvement in production process and overall quality of
product elective control measures are necessary for ETC. For this purpose use of various
monitoring and support tools can be made ETC for periodic analysis through use of various
charts, reports and metrics. Use of documentation is helpful for ETC as it facilitates better
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evaluation and comparison between desired and actual performance thus, makes evaluation and
comparison easy therefore lead to a better control and check over activities (Amelung, 2019).
On the basis of above discussion about various phases of six sigma it can be evaluated
that use of this approach facilitates improvement in quality of product and lead to better quality
control in ETC organisation through properly defining the need and wants of customers and
analysis of various activities to eliminate and reduce the wasteful and unwanted tasks to achieve
the target of cost efficiency together with better quality products in order to have better
organisational excellence.
Importance of developing and applying good practises to achieve sustainable business
performance
Sustainable business performance is mainly associated with business practises of an
organisation that should create profits for stakeholders together with protecting the environment
and improving the life's of all the associated and related parties that includes customer, directors,
clients, suppliers, employees and overall interest of environment and society (Chletsos and Saiti,
2019). Following good practises can be adopted by ETC organisation to achieve sustainable
business performance and for creation of a sustainable culture in the organisation.
Building business belief- The activities and tasks of an organisation is directly associated
with the belief that the drives the values and other functions of an organisation. To achieve the
target of sustainable performance ETC must localise and little specified its belief and should also
add concept of sustainability in overall mission and objective of organisation to meet the
requirements and expectations of its nearby surroundings. It cab be done through implementing
and adopting such business activities that are not harmful for environment and at the same time
meet the expectations and desires of its stakeholders (6 effective ways to build a sustainable
business, 2020).
Focus on creating value proposition- ETC organisation should focus on creating value
proposition for its customers through use of best and most effective technology that drives values
client but at the same time should also keep check on carbon emission and other harmful
wastages associated with use of that technique to lead to a sustainable growth. ETC must create
value on the top through optimum and more effective use of existing resources to maintain a
culture of sustainability in its organisation (Lust, Huber and Junne, 2019).
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Emphasis on constant reinvention- ETC should make efforts to retain a core system of
reinvention that includes a process of reimagine to develop better and more effective ways to
fulfil and meet the desires the of all stakeholders and to have a mutual belief and system that
must be focus on sustainable growth through reinvention and recycling of products and process
to reduce the harmful effects and impacts on environment and society.
Thus, with implication of following practises ETC company can achieve its target of
sustainable growth through making it a part of overall belief of organisation and having a value
proposition that also focuses on needs and desires of overall society together with profit
maximization and meeting the expectations of stakeholders. Beside this, the various approaches
of quality management like, TQM, Just in Time approach and six sigma method also keep check
on wasteful activity and facilitates optimum utilisation of resources therefore, lead to creation of
sustainable culture in the Engineering Tooling company (Franceschini, Galetto and Maisano,
2019). These good practises and approaches that facilitates sustainable performance are
important for Engineering Tooling company as it enhance the capability of organisation to meet
the needs, desires and expectations of all stakeholders and associated parties for a longer period
of time. It also facilitates better awareness and learning in employees to have improvement and
innovations in quality of product through a better training and learning process. An organisation
that is having focus on sustainable development and performance always attract larger number of
customers through fulling their corporate social responsibility and having environmentally
sustainable operations and functions to achieve the level of organisational excellence.
Recommendations
To measure the excellence and performance level of Engineering Tooling company use
of KPI excellence framework is made. KPI (Key performance indicator) is basically a tool that is
used for analysis of performance and evaluating the efficiency of employees and overall activity
of an organisation. Use of KPI tool by Engineering Tooling company is made to have a
comparison between its desired level of performance and actual performance to evaluate the
level of variation between two. Thus, use of KPI tool makes Engineering Tooling company
aware about the loopholes and flaws it is having in its production process and overall quality and
efficiency of staff and other operations. With the use of KPI tool it has been evaluated that the
performance of employees of ETC are effective and also the manufacturing plant and financial
resources are adequate to meet the desired objectives of quality improvement. But to cope up
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with the rising competition and decline of engineering in North east of England some better and
effective strategies and approaches are required. Following recommendation can be made for
Engineering Tooling company to introduce better company wide quality improvement strategy:
 Use of Total quality management technique is recommanded for Engineering Tooling
company as it lead to continuous improvement in quality of product. The various
principles of TQM approach are focused on fulfilling the needs and demands of
customers thus, helpful in meeting the dynamic demands of consumers and also
facilitates leadership driven approach to motivate and guide employees for maintaining
effective quality of product. Beside this, proper involvement of all associated people are
also there to ensure a coordination and effective communication between all the aspects
of organisation to achieve the target of ETC organisation of having organisational
excellence. Further, a factual decision making approach is also facilitates by TQM
approach that enhance the viability and effectiveness of decisions and strategy made by
ETC as they are properly supported by some fats and evidence that lead to improvement
in quality of overall operations and product of organisation.
 Beside this, adoption of just in time approach and six sigma also facilitates a better check
and control over quality of product thus, these strategies are also suggested for
Engineering Tooling company. Just in time approach meet the issue of dynamic and fast
changing customer demand through facilitating a flexibility in raw material availability
through the approach of just in time ordering of inventory as per current demands and
trend of market. Thus, JIT solve the issue of out dated product or product obsolete thus,
facilitates delivery and manufacturing of a quality product based on current market needs
and demands. Beside this, use of sic sigma approach lead to effective defining,
measurement, analysis, improvement and control of overfall activities and production
function thus, lead to better company wide quality improvement strategy to achieve the
objective of ETC of having organisational excellence.
 Further, regular training and learning programmes for employees are also recommended
for Engineering Tooling company to meet the competition and production of better
quality product. A well trained and skilled employees facilitates better and innovative
ways of production to deliver and manufacture a good quality product that satisfy the
needs of customers and also lead to better competitive strength. Trained employees also
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lead to effective and optimize utilization of resources together with fulfilment of
expectation of all stakeholders thus, facilitates sustainable culture and excellence
performance of an organisation.
CONCLUSION
On the basis of above assignment it can be summarised that to meet the cut throat
competition, dynamic customer needs and to achieve the objective of organisational excellence
continuous improvement in quality of product and overall operations of organisation is
necessary. Use of various quality improvement strategies and approaches are made by an
organisation to achieve its desired level of performance. Use of TQM approach facilitates better
quality product through customer focus approach and factual decision making to eliminate the
loopholes and flaws. Beside this, JIT is also effective in procurement of better quality raw
material and inventory to manufacture a quality product.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Amelung, V. E., 2019. Quality Management. In Healthcare Management (pp. 149-193).
Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.
Carvalho, A .M., and et. al., 2019. Operational excellence, organisational culture and agility: the
missing link?. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence. 30(13-14). pp.1495-
1514.
Chletsos, M. and Saiti, A., 2019. Total Quality Management and Health-Care Sector. In
Strategic Management and Economics in Health Care (pp. 109-127). Springer, Cham.
Franceschini, F., Galetto, M. and Maisano, D., 2019. Quality Management and Process
Indicators. In Designing Performance Measurement Systems (pp. 1-20). Springer,
Cham.
Franceschini, F., Galetto, M. and Maisano, D., 2019. Quality Management and Process
Indicators. In Designing Performance Measurement Systems (pp. 1-20). Springer,
Cham.
Lust, M., Huber, C. and Junne, J., 2019. Academic identity as a discursive resource for
resistance: the case of quality management in German higher education institutions.
Higher Education Policy. 32(1). pp.49-69.
Martin, J., and et. al., 2019. Towards a quality management competence framework: exploring
needed competencies in quality management. Total Quality Management & Business
Excellence, pp.1-20.
McAdam, R., Miller, K. and McSorley, C., 2019. Towards a contingency theory perspective of
quality management in enabling strategic alignment. International Journal of
Production Economics. 207. pp.195-209.
Metaxas, I. N. and Koulouriotis, D. E., 2019. Business excellence measurement: a literature
analysis (1990–2016). Total Quality Management & Business Excellence. 30(11-12).
pp.1189-1218.
Metaxas, I. N., Chatzoglou, P. D. and Koulouriotis, D. E., 2019. Proposing a new modus
operandi for sustainable business excellence: the case of Greek hospitality industry.
Total Quality Management & Business Excellence. 30(5-6). pp.499-524.
Shafiq, M., Lasrado, F. and Hafeez, K., 2019. The effect of TQM on organisational performance:
empirical evidence from the textile sector of a developing country using SEM. Total
Quality Management & Business Excellence. 30(1-2). pp.31-52.
Sternad, D., Krenn, M. and Schmid, S., 2019. Business excellence for SMEs: motives, obstacles,
and size-related adaptations. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence. 30(1-
2). pp.151-168.
Sweis, R.J., Elhawa, N.A. and Sweis, N. J., 2019. Total quality management practices and their
impact on performance: case study of Royal Jordanian Airlines. International Journal of
Business Excellence. 17(2). pp.245-263.
Tashmukhamedova, G., 2019. The impact of Total Quality Management on organisational
performance. International Journal of Research. 6(2). pp.763-779.
van Kemenade, E. and Hardjono, T. W., 2019. Twenty-first century total quality management:
The emergence paradigm.The TQM Journal.
Online:
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6 effective ways to build a sustainable business. 2020. [Online] Available
through:<https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/252029>./
Six sigma method and its applications. 2020. [Online] Available
through:<https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/six-sigma-method-applications-pm-
8515>./
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