It is pretty obvious that attaining zero defects is technically not possible. Any sizable or complex manufacturing project will have some defects. The Six Sigma standard defines zero defects as 3.4 defects per million opportunities (DPMO). This allows for a 1.5-sigma process shift.

Definition. “[…] Zero Defects is a management tool aimed at the reduction of defects through prevention. It is directed at motivating people to prevent mistakes by developing a constant, conscious desire to do their job right the first time.”

Zero defects is a way of thinking and doing that reinforces the notion that defects are not acceptable, and that everyone should “do things right the first time.” The idea here is that with a philosophy of zero defects, you can increase profits both by eliminating the cost of failure and increasing revenues through …

By zero defect, he means that the quality of the products has to be very high and by zero effect he means that there should be no adverse effect on the environment by manufacturing. …

When you’re building products to meet customer specifications, the most distinct advantage of achieving Zero Defects is reduction of waste and cost. The benefits are visible: Zero Defects equates to upfront savings, higher customer satisfaction, improved customer loyalty—and higher sales and profits.

From a literal standpoint, it’s pretty obvious that attaining zero defects is technically not possible in any sizable or complex manufacturing project. According to the Six Sigma standard, the definition of zero defects is defined as 3.4 defects per million opportunities (DPMO), allowing for a 1.5-sigma process shift.

TQM is considered a customer-focused process and aims for continual improvement of business operations. It strives to ensure all associated employees work toward the common goals of improving product or service quality, as well as improving the procedures that are in place for production.

In Quality is Free, Crosby defines quality as “conformance to requirements,” and this has become the standard definition of quality — not just in software engineering, but universally across all modern product engineering and manufacturing industries. …

Total Quality Management (TQM) is a management framework based on the belief that an organization can build long-term success by having all its members, from low-level workers to its highest ranking executives, focus on improving quality and, thus, delivering customer satisfaction.

Total Quality Management Example: TQM Example: One of the most famous examples of total quality management is Toyota. Toyota implemented Kanban System to make its assembly line more efficient. The company decided to keep just enough inventories to fulfill customer orders as they were generated.

TQM leads to better products manufactured at lower cost. The focus on using high quality information to improve processes reduces waste and saves time, leading to reduced expenses that can be passed along to clients in the form of lower prices.

Benefits of Total Quality Management

• Strengthened competitive position.
• Adaptability to changing or emerging market conditions and to environmental and other government regulations.
• Higher productivity.
• Enhanced market image.
• Elimination of defects and waste.
• Reduced costs and better cost management.
• Higher profitability.

These are our ‘3 Pillars of Quality’: integrity, honesty and courtesy.

Some of the companies who have implemented TQM include Ford Motor Company, Phillips Semiconductor, SGL Carbon, Motorola and Toyota Motor Company.

Improved Quality, achieved through continuous improvement of process has been able to reduce the total Cost function in the long run. This system has the ability to track Quality related issues in real time, assign priority to Quality issues etc.

The Cost of Quality can be divided into four categories. They include Prevention, Appraisal, Internal Failure and External Failure.

Why is it important to measure the COQ? Simple: Because you want to be able to measure how your investments in quality impact your overall business performance. In other words, it can help ensure that your resources are being expended in the most efficient way possible while providing the best possible solution.

Cost reduction. When applied consistently over time, TQM can reduce costs throughout an organization, especially in the areas of scrap, rework, field service, and warranty cost reduction. Fewer complaints may also mean that the resources devoted to customer service can be reduced.

Cost of quality (COQ) is defined as a methodology that allows an organization to determine the extent to which its resources are used for activities that prevent poor quality, that appraise the quality of the organization’s products or services, and that result from internal and external failures.

5 Ways the Quality Management System Reduces the Cost of Quality

• Faster Event Resolution. Addressing adverse events before they become systemic issues is key to reducing costs.
• Streamlined Change Management.
• Fewer Operator Errors.
• Continuous Risk Reduction.
• Improving Supplier Quality.

The 8 universal principles of quality management

• Principle 1: Customer focus.
• Principle 2: Leadership.
• Principle 3: People involvement.
• Principle 4: Process approach.
• Principle 5: Systematic approach to management.
• Principle 6: Continual improvement.
• Principle 7: Factual Approach to Decision Making.

The seven tools are:

• Cause-and-effect diagram (also known as the “fishbone diagram” or Ishikawa diagram)
• Check sheet.
• Control chart.
• Histogram.
• Pareto chart.
• Scatter diagram.
• Stratification (alternatively, flow chart or run chart)

The 7 Quality Management Principles

• Customer Focus. “The primary focus of quality management is to meet customer requirements and to strive to exceed customer expectation”
• Leadership.
• Engagement of People.
• Process Approach.
• Improvement.
• Evidence-Based Decision Making.
• Relationship Management.

TQM Tools

• Pareto Principle.
• Scatter Plots.
• Control Charts.
• Flow Charts.
• Cause and Effect , Fishbone, Ishikawa Diagram.
• Histogram or Bar Graph.
• Check Lists.
• Check Sheets.

Total Quality Management (TQM) Tools

• Identification of your target audience.
• Assessment of customer needs.
• Competition analysis.
• Market analysis.
• Brainstorming ideas.
• Productivity changes.
• Various statistics.
• Staff duties and work flow analysis.

What Are the 7 Basic Quality Tools, and How Can They Change Your Business for the Better?

• Stratification.
• Histogram.
• Check sheet (tally sheet)
• Cause and effect diagram (fishbone or Ishikawa diagram)
• Pareto chart (80-20 rule)
• Scatter diagram (Shewhart chart)
• Control chart.

Six Sigma is a quality management methodology used to help businesses improve current processes, products or services by discovering and eliminating defects. The goal is to streamline quality control in manufacturing or business processes so there is little to no variance throughout.

Six Sigma focuses on quality improvement and it eventually eliminates defects from the system. It is known to deliver much better and effective results as compared to TQM. The 6- Sigma approach is more accurate and results-oriented as it is based on customer feedback.

8 Most Important Six Sigma Tools to Help Drive Change

• Are you looking to document and run your processes?
• Value-Stream Mapping.
• Cause-and-Effect Analysis.
• The 5 Whys.
• Kanban System.
• Pareto Chart.
• Process Mapping. Types of Process Maps.
• Project Charter.

Six Sigma improves the quality of the final products by finding and removing the causes of errors and reducing variance in manufacturing processes. “Six” Sigma derives from its goal, which is to enable processes to produce results with no more than 3.4 defects per million.