Total Quality Management (TQM) (graded)
What is total quality management (TQM)? Is it something you can install, like a refrigerator? How do you know TQM when you see it?
A System Perspective (graded)
When we talk about a system view, what are we interested in and why? Why is a system view so important to have if you are going to implement TQM?
Week 2
Dr. Deming’s 14 Points (graded)
Are Dr. Demings 14 Points clear, concise, and achievable? If not, what do you think he had in mind? In Demings view, who needs to do what and why?
Quality Awards and Standards (graded)
The authors of our text talk about the Baldrige Award throughout their book. In previous versions, they even designed their text around this award. Given that our course is about TQM, an in-depth discussion of the Deming Award would seem to be appropriate. Why do I say this? If you look at the textbook, you see that the authors state that “the Deming Prize establishes a framework for a CWQC [Company Wide Quality Control] system” (p. 122). CWQC embodies what we would call TQM here in the U.S.
So let’s do some research. Put on your investigative hats and see what you can find about the Deming Award. You can use the Internet or or any other sources you have available.
How do you see the Deming Prize criteria fitting into TQM? How does the Deming Prize compare to the Baldrige Award? What are the differences and similarities between the Deming Prize and the Baldrige Award?
Week 3
TQM Leaders (graded)
How do leaders behave when they are implementing TQM? What expectations should they set? What kind of leaders do TQM leaders need to be?
Who Are the Customers? What Are Their Needs? (graded)
What are the dimensions of service quality? How do these dimensions affect a customer perception? How do the quality dimensions, as defined by David Garvin, relate to the dimensions of service quality?
Week 4
TQM and Teams (graded)
Teams are something we talk about a lot when it comes to TQM. Why are teams instrumental to TQM, or are they? What kinds of teams exist in a TQM operation?
Employee Involvement (graded)
Just what is employee involvement? Is it always good? What key elements are necessary to keep it going? Are there different kinds of involvement?
Week 5
Cost of Quality (graded)
Although a balanced score card is probably the way to go, most companies don’t seem to have a clue about the more fundamental aspects of quality, such as the cost of quality. So let’s start here. Just what do we mean when we talk about the cost of quality? What major areas does it include?
Supplier Relationships (graded)
An integral part of TCO 9 concerns supplier relationships. What kinds of relationships exist with suppliers? What can be done to reduce the number suppliers you use?
Week 6
Statistical Tools (graded)
Before you participate in this discussion, please review this weeks tutorial.
Two tools were used by the group in the early analysis of their process. Why was it important for the group to use a histogram when they did? What could have happened if the group had not used it?
Inspection and Process Evaluations (graded)
Is 100% inspection good? Why or why not? What alternatives are there to 100% inspection?
Week 7
Implementing TQM (graded)
Over the last six weeks, you have been gaining insight into the ultimate question for this course: How do we implement TQM? Where do we begin? What key areas do we need to address first? Once we get our implementation started, what do we need to do in order to sustain our momentum?
What is Six Sigma? (graded)
What are the origins of Six Sigma? What makes Six Sigma what it is? Is Six Sigma new, or has it been there all the time? If Six Sigma were terminated in an operation, would anything happen to the quality of the products produced? Why or why not?
