Quality Management

Quality management is a process by which an organization creates and maintains high quality in its plans, projects, products, and relationships with customers. Although definitions of quality in business vary somewhat, they generally relate to processes and products that meet requirements and satisfy customers. The main components of quality management, which extend across the entire project lifecycle, are quality planning, quality assurance, quality control, and quality improvement. By addressing these components, businesses can greatly increase customer satisfaction, which will in turn benefit the business.

Definitions and Principles

The word quality may be applied in many contexts. In its general usage, it may simply be a way of describing whether something is good or bad or denoting something that is excellent. In business contexts, however, the meaning of the word takes on more dimensions and complexity. The basic business definition of quality is the degree to which something (usually a product or process) fulfills particular requirements set by the businesspeople or their customers or stakeholders.

Quality has been a vital feature of businesses and other organizations for hundreds of years, ever since economies began. Even the earliest merchants and service providers had to be concerned with providing quality work for fear of losing their customers and being driven out of business. In the industrial era, the range of products and services ballooned, as did competition between businesses and demands from consumers.

As business grew, analysts and consultants looked for ways to improve sales. In the last half of the 1900s, one of the focal points was on quality. Consultant W. Edwards Deming was among the first proponents of examining quality as a way to improve businesses worldwide. His work expanded on the idea of quality, changing it from a mere measure of good or bad into a multifaceted process based around satisfying the ever-changing requirements of customers.

Consultant Joseph M. Juran created his own definition of quality. He acknowledged that, in organizations, the word had two meanings. The simplest meaning pertained to good products that were free of defects. The second meaning referred to a wider range of product features and business activities intended to meet customer needs.

In modern organizations, all versions of quality are important to success. Business leaders and consultants have found that quality is just as important as more easily measured factors such as time, cost, and scope. In fact, quality is in some ways more important than those factors because it should never be altered or reduced; it should be required in all products and processes.

Quality management is essential to organizations and requires constant work and maintenance. Organization members have to plan and manage their actions carefully to keep quality at its peak. Ultimately, a commitment to quality will benefit the business by satisfying customers and increasing sales.

Components of Quality Management

Quality has many definitions and involves all aspects of an organization's work. Despite this variety, managing quality generally involves similar key components. The primary components shared by most quality management initiatives include quality planning, quality assurance, quality control, and quality improvement.

Quality planning is the first step, which takes place in the development stage before the main tasks begin. Managers, engineers, and other designers need to find ways to plan for the highest quality product made with the highest quality processes. Designers may consult lists of organizational or industry practices, or they might determine their own standards for quality. They may also conduct various tests to find the best routes to product and project quality.

Once planning is complete, the work task may begin. The crucial stages of quality assurance and quality control now come into play. In quality assurance, managers must oversee the creation of the product or supervise the main tasks being undertaken. The managers need to make sure that their plans for quality are being put into practice. To determine this, managers may conduct tests such as checking benchmarks, comparisons with other quality products, or performing audits, in-depth reviews of various stages of the task to ensure the best possible quality.

Quality control occurs toward the end of the main tasks. During this stage, managers should examine the output of their projects and determine whether the product has lived up to expectations of quality. Some factors in quality control include process adjustments, or revisions in the way the project is being conducted, and rework, fixes to products that do not meet quality requirements.

The final step, quality improvement, often takes place after the other stages but may occur during them as well. In quality improvement, managers work to review their processes and products with the goal of constantly making them better. During this stage, managers and other organization members may examine goals for reworking products or address customer feedback to ensure customers are satisfied. Quality improvement is especially important in the health care industry.

Effects of Quality Management

Quality management has become an essential part of many organizations. Managers feel it is essential for creating excellent work and maintaining success in competitive markets. For that reason, many organizations put significant effort into researching quality, sometimes internally and sometimes by employing outside groups and standards. One of the most widespread sets of quality standards is the ISO 9000, an internationally accepted quality management plan.

The benefits of achieving and maintaining quality are many. Quality projects generally lead to quality products, which will satisfy customers. Satisfied customers will buy the products and return to the company for future offerings. These customers will also refer the company to their friends, which will further increase the company's revenue. At the same time, quality processes usually involve higher efficiency and lower waste, which can save companies money. All of these factors contribute to an organization's increased stability, competitiveness, and prosperity.

Bibliography

Kennelly, Pat. "The History, Tools, and Techniques of Quality Management." Geospatial Technology Project Management, John A. Dutton E-Education Institute, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences at the Pennsylvania State University, www.e-education.psu.edu/geog871/l7‗p4.html. Accessed 10 Jan. 2025.

Kennelly, Pat. "Quality Planning, Assurance, and Control." Geospatial Technology Project Management, John A. Dutton E-Education Institute, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences at the Pennsylvania State University, www.e-education.psu.edu/geog871/l7‗p3.html. Accessed 10 Jan. 2025.

Kim, Daniel. "Systemic Quality Management: Improving the Quality of Doing and Thinking." The Systems Thinker, 8 Apr. 2016, thesystemsthinker.com/systemic-quality-management-improving-the-quality-of-doing-and-thinking. Accessed 10 Jan. 2025.

Office of Government Commerce, UK. “Quality Management Strategy.” The Project Management Hut, 15 May 2010, pmhut.com/quality-management-strategy. Accessed 10 Jan. 2025.

“Quality Management.” Corporate Finance Institute, corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/management/quality-management/. Accessed 10 Jan. 2025.

"Quality Management: Definition Plus Example." Investopedia, 30 Apr. 2024, www.investopedia.com/terms/q/quality-management.asp. Accessed 10 Jan. 2025.

Rose, Kenneth H. Project Quality Management: Why, What, and How. J. Ross Publishing, Inc., 2005, pp. 5–12.