What are the major hurdles to continuing quality improvements that manufacturers and service providers face? Also, identify the cost of poor quality.

 

Considerable success has been realized by companies practicing Total Quality Management (TQM). What are the major hurdles to continuing quality improvements that manufacturers and service providers face? Also, identify the cost of poor quality.

First Post: Enter your original response to this question. Support your response with evidence from the readings or other resources. It is not necessary to provide formal citations, but you should give the sources of your information.

Subsequent Posts: Respond to at least two of your classmates’ discussion posts. Further the discussion and make it interesting. Support your response with evidence and provide your sources, at least informally.

*must respond to 2 classmates upon completion price is already included.

iscussion: Module 2 Week 1 Quality

Preston Garris

 

Class,

I would argue the main hurdle of continuing quality improvements in most cases is the cost. Purchasing new equipment and trying to keep up with the ever-changing customer need and want can be very costly (Sierra, 2013) If businesses can get it right and establish the right mix, they stand to maximize profits which is the goal of all for profit businesses. Another hurdle is trying to outperform the competition as they are also conducting research and trying to figure out new ways to obtain the upper hand and gain a larger customer base along with establishing customer loyalty. Poor quality products will lead to customers going to the competition to fulfill their needs and wants which is counterproductive and could lead to significant financial gain or lose depending on which side of the equation your business falls in  (Sierra, 2013) Another major hurdle in the TQM process that goes hand in hand with financial expenditures is training the employees and getting everyone on the same page to ensure they are educated on the product and service and their actions fall within the realm of the business strategies and put the customer first. People come from all different walks of life and sometimes they will not buy into the values and norms because they may not coincide with what they believe in personally. Therefore, the business could be spending money on the training which could lead to no return on investment due to unwillingness to adapt by the employee. This poor quality of personal characteristics or the individual putting themselves and their beliefs ahead of those of the customer or the company can lead to improper business practice and grave financial lose should they do something that the customer decides to sue the company for.

Reference

Sierra. F. (2013), Total quality management. [YouTube video].  Retrieved from

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Discussion: Quality

Vonetta Ellison

Customer satisfaction is at the heart of the TQM philosophy. TQM principles pose that the management plays a very important role in ensuring that customers are satisfied with the kind of service and products they get. TQM highlights the significance of quality as the primary factor for customer satisfaction, and that the management is responsible to ensure that quality is at the heart of the business. “The fundamental premise of TQM theories is that if customer needs and wants are kept in focus, customer satisfaction can be controlled” (Al-Ibrahim, 2014). One of the key principles of TQM is continuous improvement. Organizations must seek for methods and opportunities for improvement in a continuous manner. This principle regards that continuous improvement is an on-going cycle which helps resolve inefficiencies in all areas of the business’s operation.

Some of the barriers to the continuity of quality improvements in the manufacturing and service sectors are:

1. Competition in the market

2. Management irresponsibility

3. Poor leadership

4. Lack of knowledge with TQM tools/principles

5. Weak customer focus

6. Lack of TQM resources/tools

7. Weak TQM measurement strategies

8. Poor organizational planning

9. Lack of commitment

10. Lack of employee participation

11. Lack of TQM training

There are four basic elements to the ‘cost of quality’ concept in the Six Sigma Methodology namely: ( )

1. external failure cost

· defects or problems that are found once the product or service has reached the customer

· customer service, product returns, warranty claims, customer complaints, and even product recalls

2. internal failure cost

· reworking a job, scrap, re-testing, material reviews, re-inspecting, and even material downgrades

3. inspection cost

· quality assurance to evaluate good quality product

· testing equipment, inspection, testing, process and service audits, calibration, and measuring

4. prevention cost

· quality planning, surveys, reviews, education and training, quality improvement teams, new product reviews, and more

Al-Ibrahim, A. (2014). Quality Management and Its Role in Improving Service Quality in Public Sector. Journal of Business and Management Sciences, 2(6). Retrieved from 

BARRIERS TO TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT IMPLEMENTATION. (2012). Retrieved from 

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