PART 1

Task 1: Recommendation of an appropriate Quality Scheme

1. The Definition(s) of quality

In simple terminology quality in a business scenario would mean that the business is not only meeting the requirements of its customers but also exceeding it.

Quality is used by business organizations as a tool and a method to improve their performances. Quality is responsible to bring about standardization in business processes. Quality is responsible to decreases and eliminates work process variations which further more causes enhanced profits and great output.

Quality means improving continuously to deliver required products or services exceeding the expectations of the customers.

Management Guru Peter Drucker views that quality of a product or a service is not defined by what inputs are put in making the products or delivering the service but quality is something that the customer gets from it.

In Six Sigma, quality is indicative of a controlled process that is a process limit of ±3s from the central line in the control chart and has a tolerance limit of ±6s (ASQ, 2014)

Quality is the way you percieve it so it is intrewpreted differently by people.Every orgsanisation focuses quality in different operatioinal area such as a hoteleir stresses quality to achieve satisfaction of its customers. A manufacturer sees qualtiy as a tool to deliver its product.

Every organisation needs to be focued on where is the quality needed to be implemented.Maintaining quality in a hotel industry would mean to provide consistent delivery of services and products to the guests at high standards.

2. The leading thinkers in Quality Management

Leading thinkers in Quality Management were;

Joseph M Juran (1904 – 2008) He was responsible for developing the Juan Trilogy which stated on the following key points;

v  Quality comes from planning

v  Quality should be controlled

v  And It should be improved

He was the author of Juran’s Quality Control book.

W.E. Deming He gave the famous 14 points on quality management and control

Constancy of purpose

Reject poor work, products that are defective and services that are poor

Mass inspection should not be a method to control quality

Businesses should not just be judged by the price that they offer to you but quality should be considered too

v  focus on continuous improvement

v  Businesses should not undermine the importance of training and invest in training

v  Modern Supervision techniques should be implemented

v  Fear of any sort barring communication should not exist

v  no barriers in functional areas

v  Goals that are numerical, slogans and targets should be eliminated

v   no numerical work standards

v  All barriers discouraging the employees should be eliminated

v  Devise a program for training and education for all employees

Walter Shewhart (1891-1967)

·         He proposed the theory of Assignable causes Vs Chance causes

·         He developed control charts and the PDCA cycle

Philip B Crosby (1928-2001)

·         He stressed that quality management can be brought about if the senior management gets involved

·         He propagated that employees at workplace should be encouraged to do things right at the first time

·         Crosby stressed on the four absolutes to manage quality he preached that;

v  The meaning of quality is conformance

v  Prevention brings quality

v  Zero defects should be the quality standard

(bizmanualz, 2009)

3. Key features of the quality schemes, including links to the quality gurus

EFQM or the Excellence Model – It was developed by the European Foundation for Quality. This scheme is used to profess continuous improvement by various organisations. It is also used as a tool for judging to give awards on quality.EFQM is a model that enables organisation to judge themselves on the parameters of quality and finds out the area it needs improvement. This model enables organisations to understand what impacts the doings of the firm has on the results.

Fundamental Concepts