Assignment on Deming’s 14 Points for Total Quality Management

In today’s competitive business environment quality is they key to remain competitive in the market. Quality Management is necessary for any kind of business and helps in maintaining brand image. Quality management is necessary in order to distinguish ourselves from our competitors. Dr W. Edwards Deming a business consultant and renowned academic professor was also in favour of this idea that quality is they key to success. He proposed 14 points which are known as Deming’s 14 points of total quality management. Dr Deming’s work paved the way for Japan’s rise in economic development after the Second World War. He is still remembered for his efforts through the Deming Prize for Total Quality Management. We are going to discuss each point in detail (Mulder, 2017).

Constancy of Purpose: According to Deming to remain competitive in the market there should be constancy of purpose when in comes to quality. Company should implement this strategy in its long-term plan to ensure sustainability. According to Deming the businesses should strive for continuous improvement and innovation. They should focus on continually improving their product design to remain competitive in the market.

Adopt a New Philosophy: Maintaining quality requires leadership that understand the value of quality. The constancy of purpose should be reflected in the philosophy of business. The employees should be inspired by the company’s philosophy and work in the best interest of the company. The company’s vision and mission should also reflect the philosophy of quality management in order to achieve sustainability. By changing the traditional management focus to leadership based would change the way how we do business.

Build Quality In – You Can’t Inspect It In: Deming wasn’t fond of the idea of quality control and inspection. He thought that inspections can only find defects and doesn’t improve quality. Also, he thought that inspections are costly, and can some time miss defects in the product. Instead Deming proposed that quality should be maintained at every step of the production process and followed throughout the whole business. We should continuously improve our processes to reduce faults in products. It is better to improve processes further down the line than to correct faults after they have been found at the end of production.

Using Single Suppliers for any Item: According to Deming relationship between a company and supplier should be based on mutual benefits. The business should focus on quality when building relationship with suppliers and should be willing to spend more for quality. A quality supplier goes a long way because it helps in building competitive advantage over others. Also, the relationship with supplier should be on long term basis. This motivates the supplier and creates a sense of trust. If you work with multiple suppliers on single item, it will create complications in the production process, and it will be harder to maintain quality.

Improving Processes Continuously: According to this point Deming emphasizes that business should continuously analyse and try to improve their processes which can help in achieving sustainable quality. He also suggests that by providing training to employees to improve their productivity level will also help in achieving quality. Businesses should avoid short term benefits and should incorporate strategies that benefit them in the long run. We can do that by focusing on one area of improvement and after that is done, we can move to the next area that needs attention.

On the Job Training: Deming in this point again emphasizes on employee training and it should be chosen wisely. The training should be provided on the job and the main purpose of the training should be quality improvement. On the job training also provides real time experience as compared to of the job training. It also reduces variations in the processes and shows consistent results. According to Deming staff should not be just given work to do they must be informed of the processes being done so they can better fit into the production process. It can be done by giving employees onboard training.

Leadership Skills: Deming emphasizes that managers should strive for leadership rather than traditional management which focuses on strict supervision and formal organizational structure. Leadership will help you to connect with your employees on a deeper level. People need help in every stage of their lives. By helping people realize their true potential will in turn make them more productive and efficient. If you lead a team rather than supervise them, they will become part of the quality management process. They will tell you if something is wrong and which area needs improvement.

Drive out Fear: According to Deming employees should be encouraged to give feedback rather than just given orders. This will drive out their fears and they will be proactive and will tell you about the errors that needs to be addressed in the production process. The employees should feel comfortable discussing problems and you should take their feedback into account and work with them to find solutions.

Breaking Barriers Between Departments: People achieve more when they work as a team rather than when they work alone. This can be true in the case of departments of an organization. According to Deming there should be proper communication between the departments, and they should work in liaison with each other.

Avoid Catchphrases and Connect on Individual Level

            Deming believes that catchphrases and slogans are not the only way to increase performance and productivity. A business should focus on improving its process and if it is delivering well than it does not need a catchphrase to back it up.

Setting Targets is not good for Production

            Deming emphasizes that you should focus on business process rather than achieving targets. Targets will be automatically achieved when business is running seamlessly. A good leader will always encourage its employees and make them feel proud of their work.

Removing Barriers between Teams and Leadership

            According to Deming a good leader helps other people in realizing their true potential. He works with the team to work out flaws in the system.

Encouraging Self Improvement

            Deming says that in addition to the on the job training employees should be given space for their personal growth.

Involving Everybody in Transformation Process

            According to Deming each employee is the part of a puzzle and each input given will be an helpful addition to streamline the process and achieve quality (Mind Tools Content Team, n.d.).

References of Deming’s 14 Points for Total Quality Management

Mind Tools Content Team. (n.d.). Deming's 14-Point Philosophy A Recipe for Total Quality. Retrieved from https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newSTR_75.htm

Mulder, P. (2017). Deming's 14 points for Management. Retrieved April 20, 2020, from Toolshero: https://www.toolshero.com/management/deming-14-points/