total quality management :: question paper with answer

B.E./B.Tech. DEGREE EXAMINATION, NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011.

UNIVERSITY QUESTION KEY

PART-A

1)How can quality be quantified?

Total Quality Management (TQM) is a philosophy aimed at improving business as a whole. Some of the benefits lie in the continuous improvement of processes and products, and enhanced efficiency of people and machines leading to improved quality.The application of Total Quality Management helps in streamlining processes, and ensures a proactive work system ready to counter deviations from the ideal state. What are some of the major benefits of Total Quality Management? The major thrust of Total Quality Management (TQM) is to achieve productivity and process efficiency by identifying and eliminating problems in work processes and systems. TQM addresses key problem areas such as mistakes in work processes, redundant processes, unnecessary tasks, and duplicate efforts. TQM interventions also help with predicting and pre-empting such mistakes and unproductive activities.

2)What are the benefits of TQM

A committed and involved management to provide long-term top-to-bottom organizational support. An unwavering focuses on the customer, both internally and externally. Effective involvement and utilization of the entire work force. Continuous improvement of the business and production process. Treating suppliers as partners. Establish performance measures for the processes

3. What are the important habits of quality leader?

Effective leadership starts with the chief executive and his top team’s vision,capitalizing on market or service opportunities,continues through a strategy that will give the organization competitive or other advantage, and leads to business or service success. It goes on to embrace all the beliefs and values held, the decisions taken and the plans made by anyone anywhere in the organization, and the focusing of them into effective, value-adding action.

4. Name a few barriers to Team’s progress.

Although quality and quality management does not have a formal definition, most agree that it is an integration of all functions of a business to achieve high quality of products through continuous improvement efforts of all employees. Quality revolves around the concept of meeting or exceeding customer expectation applied to the product and service. Achieving high quality is an ever changing, or continuous, process therefore quality management emphasizes the ideas of working constantly toward improved quality. It involves every aspect of the company: processes, environment and people. The whole workforce from the CEO to the line worker must be involved in a shared commitment to improving quality.Therefore, in brief, quality and total quality management (TQM) in particular can be defined as directing (managing) the whole (total) production process to produce an excellent (quality) product or service.

5. What are the benefits of Benchmarking?

1)Benchmarking helps us to learn from the best of the best.
2) Benchmarking helps us to improve our process.
3) Benchmarking helps us to have breakthroughs in quality

6. Name some new management tools.

Afffinity diagram (or) Affinity Chart (or) K-J method It was created in the 1960s by Japanese anthropologist Jiro Kawakita. organizes a large number of ideas in to their natural relationships This method taps a team’s creativity and intuition. When to Use When you are confronted with many facts or ideas in apparent chaos When issues seem too large and complex to grasp When group consensus is necessary Typical situations Used After a brainstorming exercise When analyzing verbal data, such as survey results

7. How can QFD be deployed?

Quality Function Deployment (QFD) is the systematic translation of the "voice of the customer" to actions of the supplier required to meet the customers' desires, based on a matrix comparing what the customer wants to how the supplier plans to provide it. This basic matrix can be expanded to provide additional insight to the supplier, and cascaded to identify process parameters that must be controlled to meet the customer requirements

8. What is the formula for measuring equipment effectiveness?

• OEE is a measurement traditionally used in Total Productive Maintenance programs. The measure includes machine effectiveness and efficiency and is a metric commonly found in Lean Manufacturing.
• It intends to answer three questions: How often is the machine available to run? How fast does it run when it's running? How many good parts were produced?
• The formula is shown below:
  
  Availability x Performance x Quality

9. What are the general requirements of quality management system?

The model begins with understanding customer needs. TQM organizations have processes that continuously collect, analyze, and act on customer information. Activities are often extended to understanding competitor's customers. Developing an intimate understanding of customer needs allows TQM organizations to predict future customer behavior.TQM organizations integrate customer knowledge with other information and use the planning process to orchestrate action throughout the organization to manage day to day activities and achieve future goals. Plans are reviewed at periodic intervals and adjusted as necessary. The planning process is the glue that holds together all TQM activity

10. Draw the documentation pyramid.

\ PART_B

11. (a) (i) Describe the six basic concepts of TQM. (8)

Constancy of purpose: short range and long range objectives aligned

_ Identify the customer(s); Customer orientation

_ Identification of internal and external customers

_ Continuous improvement

_ Workflow as customer transactions

_ Empower front-line worker as leader

_ Quality is everybody’s business

_ For a service industry, some elements of quality are:

- empathy

- trust; i.e. expertise, integrity, courtesy

- responsiveness

- tangible product attractiveness (curb appeal)

- reliability, on time, no interruptions

_ Customer orientation to child care services, a marketing perspective

_ Barriers that exist to a customer orientation

_ How do we find out what customers want?

_ Present Art Emlen findings on flexibility

(ii) Explain the various dimensions of quality. (8)

Garvin found the following eight dimensions of Quality. They are

• Performance

• Features

• Reliability

• Conformance

• Durability

• Serviceability

• Aesthetics

• Perceived Quality

(ii) What are the duties of quality council? (8)

Quality Council

A Quality council is a team formed in the organization with an objective of building quality into the culture of the organization. A quality council is established to provide overall direction for quality in the organization. Quality council is considered the driving force behind the total quality management in a organization.

The quality council is constituted with all the senior managers in the organization. All relevant managers from various levels of the organization are also included.

They come from all the functional areas of the organization. If there are employee unions in the organization, then suitable representation must be given to those unions also.

The objectives of the quality council are:

1. To raise the quality consciousness in the organization through seminars, study tours and using other forms of promotion.
2. To ensure effective functioning of the organization on the quality statement and plan.
3. To encourage basic and applied research and development in the field of quality and dissemination of its results to the organization.

The duties of Quality Council are as follows:

1. To make the Annual Business improvement plan
   2. To cascade the Quality goals of the management.
   3. To form teams of interested managers to lead the efforts.
   4. To train people in Quality tools.
   5. To sponsor improvement projects.
   6. To recognize the improvements done by suppliers and employees
   7. To assess the status of TQM implementation by diagnostic audit.

Or

(b) (i) Discuss the Deming’s philosophy for TQM. (8)

Deming had 14 points to help management as follows:

1 Create constancy of purpose towards improvement of product and service.

2 Adopt the new philosophy. We can no longer live with commonly accepted levels of delays, mistakes, defective workmanship.

3 Cease dependence on mass inspection. Require instead statistical evidence that quality is built in.

4 End the practice of awarding business on the basis of price tag.

5 Find problems. It is management’s job to work continually on the system.

6 Institute modern methods of training on the job.

7 Institute modern methods of supervision of production workers. The responsibility of foremen must be changed from numbers to quality.

8 Drive out fear, so that everyone may work effectively for the company.

9 Break down barriers between departments.

10 Eliminate numerical goals, posters, and slogans for the workforce asking for new levels of productivity without providing methods.

11 Eliminate work standards that prescribe numerical quotas.

12 Remove barriers that stand between the hourly worker and his right to pride of workmanship.

13 Institute a vigorous program of education and retraining.

14 Create a structure in top management that will push every day on the above 13 points.

(ii) Explain the barriers to TQM implementation and solution. (8)

1. Lack of commitment from Top management. This is dealt with by organizing visits by TQM experts to the company or the top management people visiting other advanced companies in India and abroad.

2. Lack of cooperation from Middle management: Dept Heads do not support TQM as they are afraid of losing their power. This should be dealt with by showing that TQM is beneficial to every one and not following it is detrimental to the survival.

3. Functional Barriers: Traditional way of working has built vertical silos around the functions and this should be broken by Process approach.

4. Lack of Team work : teams are the basic necessities for TQM implementation. Teasn should be formed and they should be recognized by the top management. Quality circles and Cross functional teams should be fully supported by the top management.

5. Subjective decisions: TQM requires analysis of problems. But some people tend to be
subjective about problems, Data collection should be made mandatory and judgments and intuitive way of solving problems should be discouraged.

6. No knowledge of tools: Ishikawa said “TQM starts with education”. Full time programmes should be run to teach problem solving tools to every one.

7. No customer focus: Whatever we do, we need to ask what value is this to customer. But some times it is not so. We should encourage process audits to find out how customer requirements are translated into products.

8. Fatigue: People tend to expect too much in a short time and if the goals are not achieved, they tend to become frustrated. To avoid this, frequent communications and some fun gatherings should be organized.

12. (a) (i) Write about the system of recognition and reward followed in an organization. (12)

Many companies have difficulties in implementing TQM. Surveys by consulting firms have found that only 20-36% of companies that have undertaken TQM have achieved either significant or even tangible improvements in quality, productivity, competitiveness or financial return. As a result many people are sceptical about TQM. However, when you look at successful companies you find a much higher percentage of successful TQM implementation.

Some useful messages from results of TQM implementations:

• if you want to be a first-rate company, don't focus on the second-rate companies who can't handle TQM, look at the world-class companies that have adopted it
• the most effective way to spend TQM introduction funds is by training top management, people involved in new product development, and people involved with customers
• it's much easier to introduce EDM/PDM in a company with a TQM culture than in one without TQM. People in companies that have implemented TQM are more likely to have the basic understanding necessary for implementing EDM/PDM. For example, they are more likely to view EDM/PDM as an information and workflow management system supporting the entire product life cycle then as a departmental solution for the management of CAD data

Important aspects of TQM include customer-driven quality, top management leadership and commitment, continuous improvement, fast response, actions based on facts, employee participation, and a TQM culture.
Customer-drivenquality
TQM has a customer-first orientation. The customer, not internal activities and constraints, comes first. Customer satisfaction is seen as the company's highest priority. The company believes it will only be successful if customers are satisfied. The TQM company is sensitive to customer requirements and responds rapidly to them. In the TQM context, `being sensitive to customer requirements' goes beyond defect and error reduction, and merely meeting specifications or reducing customer complaints. The concept of requirements is expanded to take in not only product and service attributes that meet basic requirements, but also those that enhance and differentiate them for competitive advantage.

Each part of the company is involved in Total Quality, operating as a customer to some functions and as a supplier to others. The Engineering Department is a supplier to downstream functions such as Manufacturing and Field Service, and has to treat these internal customers with the same sensitivity and responsiveness as it would external customers.
TQMleadershipfromtopmanagement
TQM is a way of life for a company. It has to be introduced and led by top management. This is a key point. Attempts to implement TQM often fail because top management doesn't lead and get committed - instead it delegates and pays lip service. Commitment and personal involvement is required from top management in creating and deploying clear quality values and goals consistent with the objectives of the company, and in creating and deploying well defined systems, methods and performance measures for achieving those goals. These systems and methods guide all quality activities and encourage participation by all employees. The development and use of performance indicators is linked, directly or indirectly, to customer requirements and satisfaction.

Continuous improvement of all operations and activities is at the heart of TQM. Once it is recognized that customer satisfaction can only be obtained by providing a high-quality product, continuous improvement of the quality of the product is seen as the only way to maintain a high level of customer satisfaction. As well as recognizing the link between product quality and customer satisfaction, TQM also recognizes that product quality is the result of process quality. As a result, there is a focus on continuous improvement of the company's processes. This will lead to an improvement in process quality. In turn this will lead to an improvement in product quality, and to an increase in customer satisfaction. Improvement cycles are encouraged for all the company's activities such as product development, use of EDM/PDM, and the way customer relationships are managed. This implies that all activities include measurement and monitoring of cycle time and responsiveness as a basis for seeking opportunities for improvement.

Elimination of waste is a major component of the continuous improvement approach. There is also a strong emphasis on prevention rather than detection, and an emphasis on quality at the design stage. The customer-driven approach helps to prevent errors and achieve defect-free production. When problems do occur within the product development process, they are generally discovered and resolved before they can get to the next internal customer.
(ii) What are the suggestions to improve the appraisal system? (4)

Total Quality Management (TQM) emphasizes the continuous improvement of product and processes to ensure long term customer satisfaction. Its a problem solving focus encourages employees empowerment by using the job related ingenuity & expertise of the workforce. Cross functional teams develop solutions to complex problems often shortening the time taken to design, develop or produce product and services. Since a team may not include a representative of management, therefore the dividing line between labor and management often becomes blurred. In practice as workers themselves begin to solve organizational problems thus adaptation of TQM generally requires cultural change within the organization as management reexamines its past methods and practices in the light of demands of the new philosophy.Father of TQM W. Edwards Deming had his way, appraisal system that tie individual performance to salary adjustments would be eliminated. In his view, such system hinders team work, create fear & mistrust and discourage risk taking behavior, thereby stifling innovation.  Deming argues, most appraisal system are based on the faulty assumption that individuals have significant control over their own performance, i.e. the most individuals can improve if they chose to do so by putting forth the necessary effort.

In the basis of his arguments everything done in an organization is done within the frame work of one or more systems. The systems provide limit on the activities of machines, processes, employees and even managers. In a well designed system, it is impossible to do a job improperly. Conversely, a poor system can thwart the best effort of the best employee. If the system itself prevents good work, performance appraisal cannot serve its intended purpose of differentiating among individuals for purposes of salary adjustment. Further, since employees have little opportunity to change those systems, they may become frustrated and demoralized.

Organization need not sacrifice their performance appraisal programs on the altar of TQM. Here are three suggestions for harmonizing the two processes.

1. Let customer expectations generate individual or team performance expectations.
2. Include result expectations that identify actions to meet or exceed those expectations.
3. Include behavioral skills that make a real difference in achieving quality performance and total customer satisfaction.

When performance expectations focus on process improvement as well as on the behavioral skills needed to provide a product or service, total quality, excellent customer service, and appraisal of individual or team performance become ‘the way we do business’.

Or

(b) Explain the different approaches towards Continuous Process Improvement.

Continuous Improvement Process Introduction In order to comprehend the need for improvement in the construction industry and to better manage our projects and construction companies, we need to look for a method to do so. Construction managers need to improve their performance. Construction costs are becoming far too high. Construction project management is more difficult than it should be. When turnaround at the end of a project becomes a gut-wrenching experience with unnecessary disputes (which must be settled) that arise due to insufficient quality or indifference to quality, settlement by negotiation, arbitration, or even litigation imposes a serious drain on the financial resources of a company and limits profit potential. To be competitive in today’s market, it is essential for construction companies to provide more consistent quality and value to their owners/customers. Now is the time to place behind us the old adversarial approach to managing construction work. It is time to develop better and more direct relationships with our owners/customers, to initiate more teamwork at the jobsite, and to produce better quality work. Such goals demand that a continuous improvement (CI) process be established within the company in order to provide quality management. Ancient Greeks referred to the concept of continuous improvement as well as the Chinese. Recently CI has been referred to as Total Quality Management (TQM). Whichever name is preferred, the concept must be understood and applied to a firm’s operations. Meeting owner/customer requirements (providing customer satisfaction) is a primary objective of quality management, and contractors who are the suppliers of construction services must address owner/customer requirements if they are to succeed. The construction industry exists to provide a service to its owners/customers who are becoming more demanding and are seeking higher quality, better value, and lower costs. These owner/customer requirements mirror the economic pressures they face in their own businesses. Implementing total quality management / continuous improvement in managing everyday construction activities is relevant to all those who participate in and contribute to the construction process. What you will learn from this article: 1. A management style that focuses on customer satisfaction, the elimination of waste, and continuous improvement 2. A method for upper management leadership to demonstrate its commitment to the new style of management with the involvement of all employees

13. (a) (i) Explain the relevance of 6-sigma concept in achieving quality output in a process. (12)

Six sigma stands for six standard deviation from mean. It is similar to Zero Defect.It is a methodology provides the techniques and tools to improve the capability and reduce the defects in any process.Six sigma strives for perfection. It allows for only 3.4 defects per million opportunities. Six sigma improves the process performance, decrease variation and maintains consistent quality of the process output.
(ii) Give an example of a company practicing six-sigma concept. (4)

Six sigma Process

Define - improvement opportunity with an emphasis on increasing customer satisfaction.
Measur-determine process capability (defects per million
opportunities).Analyze - identify the vital few process input variables that affect key product output
variables (“Finding the knobs”).Improve - Make changes to process settings, redesign processes, etc. to reduce the number of defects of key output variables.Control - Implement process control plans, install real-time processes to maintain levels

Or

(b) (i) What is Benchmarking and why do the organizations adopt this technique? (2+4)

1. Benchmarking helps us to learn from the best of the best.
2. Benchmarking helps us to improve our process.
3. Benchmarking helps us to have breakthroughs in quality.Benchmarking is a systematic method by which organizations can measure themselves against the best industry practices. The essence of benchmarking is the process of borrowing ideas and adapting them to gain competitive advantage. It is a tool for continuous improvement.

(ii) Explain the Benchmarking process. (10)

Steps to benchmark

The benchmarking process has five main stages PLAN the study:

_ Select processes for benchmarking._ Bring together the appropriate team to be involved and establish roles and responsibilities._ Identify benchmarks and measures for data collection._ Identify best competitors or operators of the process(es), perhaps using customer feedbackor industry observers._ Document the current process(es).COLLECT data and information:_ Decide information and data collection methodology, including desk research._ Record current performance levels._ Identify enchmarking partners._ Conduct a preliminary investigation._ Prepare for any site visits and interact with target organizations._ Use data collection methodology._ Carry out site visits.ANALYZE the data and information:_ Normalize the performance data, as appropriate._ Construct a matrix to compare current performance with benchmarking competitors performance._ Identify outstanding practices._ Isolate and understand the process enablers, as well as the performance measures.ADAPT the approaches:

_ Catalogue the information and create a ‘competency profile’ of the organization.

_ Develop new performance level objectives/targets/standards.

_ Vision alternative process(es) incorporating best practice enablers.

_ Identify and minimize barriers to change.

_ Develop action plans to adapt and implement best practices, make process changes, and

achieve goals.

14. (a) Explain the seven step plan to establish the TPM in an organization in detail.

• TPM is a partnership between the maintenance and production organization to improve product quality, reduce waste, reduce cost, increase equipment availability and improve maintenance state.
  • TYPES OF MAINTENANCE
  • Corrective (or) breakdown maintenance
  • It implies that repairs are made after failure of machine or equipment
  • Scheduled (or) Routine maintenance
  • It is a stitch-in-time procedure aimed to avoiding breakdowns
  • Preventive maintenance
  • It is carried out before the failure arises (or) prior to the equipment actually breakdowns. E.g. Overhauling & Periodic upkeep.
  • Predictive maintenance
  • Equipment Condition evaluated periodically and maintenance carried out.
  • OBJECTIVES OF TPM
  • Improve Equipment Effectiveness
  • Achieve Autonomous
  • Plan Maintenance
  • To Train all staff in maintenance skills
  • To Zero Breakdowns

The major factors that contribute to productivity loss are

1. Downtime losses
2. Losses due to slow speed
3. Losses due to poor quality

Downtime loss

The factors that contribute to down time loss can either be a planned one or unplanned one. The factors that come under or contribute to planned down time loss are

1. Start up losses
2. Loss due to shift changes
3. Loss because of lunch breaks
4. Loss due to planned shutdowns for maintenance

The factors that contribute to unplanned down time losses are

1. Due to the breakdown of machines
2. Due to the lack of raw materials

Losses due to change in speed

1. Loss due to idling and major stoppages
2. Slow speed of the machine because of some factors

Losses due to poor quality

The factor that contribute to this loss are

1. When the product does not meet the required conformities
2. Scrap

Or

(b) Explain the concept of Taguchi's quality loss function in detail. Give an example.
Genichi Taguchi was a noted Japanese engineering specialist who advanced ‘quality engineering’ as a technology to reduce costs and improve quality simultaneously. The popularity of Taguchi methods today testifies to the merit of his philosophies on quality. The basic elements of Taguchi’s ideas, which have been extended here to all aspects of product, service and process quality, may be considered under four main headings.

1 Total loss function

An important aspect of the quality of a product or service is the total loss to society that it generates. Taguchi’s definition of product quality as ‘the loss imparted to society from the time a product is shipped is rather strange, since the word loss denotes the very opposite of what is normally conveyed by using the word quality.

2 Design of products, services and processes

In any product or service development, three stages may be identified: product or service design, process design, and production or operations. Each of these overlapping stages has many steps, the output of one often being the input to others.

3 Reduction of variation

The objective of a continuous quality improvement program is to reduce the variation of key products’ performance characteristics about their target values. The widespread practice of setting specifications in terms of simple upper and lower limits conveys the wrong idea that the customer is satisfied with all values inside the specification band, but is suddenly not satisfied when a value slips outside one of the limits.

15. (a) (i) Explain the benefits of EMS. (8)

1.Environmental policy

Initially, the organization’s top management should have commitment and define the policy on EMS which is used for the direction of implementing and improving its EMS.

2.Planning
In order to achieve environmental policy, at least, the organization should :

• Identify the environmental aspects of its activities and specify those which have significant impacts on the environment.

• Identify legal and other requirements to which the organization involved.
• Establish objectives and targets of its activities having impacts to environment.
• Establish environmental programs for achieving its objectives and targets.

• 3. Implementation
• In order to achieve environmental planning, at least, the organization should :

• Define roles, responsibilities and authorities for facilitating EMS effectively.

• Communicate to the staffs at each level for the importance of conformance to the environmental policy; provide appropriate training to personnel performing the tasks to gain their knowledge and competence.

• Establish and control documentation relating to EMS.

• Control operations and activities to meet the specified objectives and targets.

• Identify potential accidents and emergency situations for preventing and mitigating the environmental impacts that may be associated with them and periodically test such procedures where practicable.

• 4. Checking and corrective action

To ensure that the organization is performing in accordance with the stated EMS programmes, at least, the organization should:

• Monitor and measure its operations and activities against the organization’s plans.
• Identify non-conformance and take action to mitigate any impact caused.
• Record the on-going activities of the EMS.
• Conduct periodic EMS audits.

• 5. Management review
• The organization’s top management should review and continually improve its EMS, with the objective of improving its overall environmental performance.

(ii) Discuss quality auditing in detail. (8)

Quality function deployment (QFD) is a ‘system’ for designing a product or service, based on customer requirements, with the participation of members of all functions of the supplier organization. It translates the customer’s requirements into the appropriate technical requirements for each stage.

The activities included in QFD are:

1 Market research.

2 Basic research.

3 Innovation.

4 Concept design.

5 Prototype testing.

6 Final-product or service testing.

7 After-sales service and troubleshooting.

Parts of house of quality

• Customer requirements
• Prioritized customer requirements
• Technical descriptors
• Prioritized technical descriptors
• Relationship between requirements and descriptors
• Interrelationship between technical descriptors

Fig: House of quality

How to build a house of quality

• List customer requirements
• List technical descriptors
• Develop a relationship matrix between WHATs and HOWs
• Develop an interrelationship matrix between HOWs
• Competitive assessments
• Develop prioritized customer requirements
• Develop prioritized technical descriptors

Or

(b) Discuss the implementation of TQM with a case study from the manufacturing industry.Service quality, which always involves the customer as part of a transaction, will therefore always be a balance: the balance between the expectations that the customer had and their perceptions of the service received. A 'high quality' service is one where the customer's perceptions meet or exceed their expectations.

The components of perceived service quality have been identified (Parasuraman et al., 1988) as

1. Reliability: the ability to provide a service as expected by the customer.
2. Assurance: the degree to which the customer can feel confident that the service will be correctly provided.
3. Tangibles: the quality of the physical environment and materials used in providing the service.
4. Responsiveness: the ability of the service provider to respond to the individual needs of a particular customer.
5. Empathy: the courtesy, understanding and friendliness shown by the service provider.

Note that these are external measures: they can be obtained only after the service is delivered. They thus suffer from the problems noted above for service quality measures: a failure can be detected only when it is too late to respond. Such measures have great value, but not in the ongoing business of monitoring and improving quality. Rather they can indicate the targets that must be aimed for. They define what the customer is expecting and so what we must aim to deliver. In order to deliver these expectations, we need internal measures: measures that will tell us how we can deliver what the customer expects. More importantly, how we can know before delivery that the service will exceed the customer's expectations? Zimmerman & Enell (1988) advise that careful consultation with the customer and an appraisal of the performance of competitors is needed in order to create any scales or measurements of quality which they place in a narrowed down framework of four quality standards. The four service quality categories are: timeliness; integrity; predictability; customer satisfaction. Timeliness of service has been referred to by a number of authors as an important component in the quality of a service. It is a reasonable feature of service to be given high priority because the service has to be produced on demand and the interval in provision is an element of the actual product. Timeliness may be separated into three types: access time (the time taken to gain attention from the company); queuing time (this can be influenced by the length of the queue, or its integrity); and action time (the time taken to provide the required service). Integrity deals with the completeness of service and must set out what elements are to be included in the service in order for the customer to regard it as a satisfactory product. Case study: The concepts developed above were implemented in a study of processes at the Sheraton Brisbane Hotel and Towers. Sheraton have implemented for some years the Sheraton Guest Satisfaction Scheme which has focused the attention of Sherton staff on the importance of service quality. However, prior to the study they had made limited use of internal quality measurement and the main aim of the project was to develop such measures for some of the processes within the hotel. The processes chosen for study were identified at a meeting with the hotel's Executive Committee. They were chosen to be of interest to the Committee and also to be likely to give reasonable results in the time available for the study. The processes chosen were: The reservation process, from the time a guest makes a booking until they arrive at their room. The function process, from the time the organizers book the function room to the completion of the function. The first step in studying the process was the preparation of detailed flow charts of the processes. Meetings were held with the managers of divisions directly involved in the processes. This ensured that these key managers understood the aims of the project and would give their support. Interviews were conducted with staff at all stages of each process to identify: heir roles and activities; other staff with whom they interacted; their sources of information; their customers. 3. Sections of the processes were observed in action to ensure that the information gained in the interviews was correctly understood. 4. Flowcharts were drawn up: where necessary, additional information was obtained to allow them to be completed. These were then checked with staff involved in the processes.Having thus clearly defined the steps involved in these processes, measurement points were identified that would allow assessment of timeliness, integrity, predictability and satisfaction. Some of the measures that were identified are shown in Table 1. A number of these were studied. Here we shall concentrate on three of them: The Towers' Check-in; The Luggage Survey; The Event Order. 5.1 Check-in at the Towers

11. (a) (i) Describe the six basic concepts of TQM. (8)
Constancy of purpose: short range and long range objectives aligned

_ Identify the customer(s); Customer orientation

_ Identification of internal and external customers

_ Continuous improvement

_ Workflow as customer transactions

_ Empower front-line worker as leader

_ Quality is everybody’s business

_ For a service industry, some elements of quality are:

- empathy

- trust; i.e. expertise, integrity, courtesy

- responsiveness

- tangible product attractiveness (curb appeal)

- reliability, on time, no interruptions

_ Customer orientation to child care services, a marketing perspective

_ Barriers that exist to a customer orientation

_ How do we find out what customers want?

_ Present Art Emlen findings on flexibility

(ii) Explain the various dimensions of quality. (8)

(b) (i) Discuss the Deming’s philosophy for TQM. (8)

Deming had 14 points to help management as follows:

1 Create constancy of purpose towards improvement of product and service.

2 Adopt the new philosophy. We can no longer live with commonly accepted levels of delays, mistakes, defective workmanship.

3 Cease dependence on mass inspection. Require instead statistical evidence that quality is built in.

4 End the practice of awarding business on the basis of price tag.

5 Find problems. It is management’s job to work continually on the system.

6 Institute modern methods of training on the job.

7 Institute modern methods of supervision of production workers. The responsibility of foremen must be changed from numbers to quality.

8 Drive out fear, so that everyone may work effectively for the company.

9 Break down barriers between departments.

10 Eliminate numerical goals, posters, and slogans for the workforce asking for new levels of productivity without providing methods.

11 Eliminate work standards that prescribe numerical quotas.

12 Remove barriers that stand between the hourly worker and his right to pride of workmanship.

13 Institute a vigorous program of education and retraining.

14 Create a structure in top management that will push every day on the above 13 points

B.E./B.Tech. DEGREE EXAMINATION, NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011.

Seventh Semester

GE 2022 – TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT

(Common to Seventh Semester Aeronautical Engineering, Production Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Biotechnology Computer Science and Engineering Electrical and Electronics Engineering and Sixth Semester – Civil Engineering)

Time : Three hours                                                                                                 Maximum : 100 marks

Answer ALL questions.

PART A — (10 × 2 = 20 marks)

1. How can quality be quantified?2. What are the benefits of TQM?
3. What are the important habits of quality leader?
4. Name a few barriers to Team’s progress.
5. What are the benefits of Benchmarking?
6. Name some new management tools.
7. How can QFD be deployed?
8. What is the formula for measuring equipment effectiveness?
9. What are the general requirements of quality management system?
10. Draw the documentation pyramid.
PART B — (5 × l6 = 80 marks)
11. (a) (i) Describe the six basic concepts of TQM. (8)
(ii) Explain the various dimensions of quality. (8)

Or

(b) (i) Discuss the Deming’s philosophy for TQM. (8)
(ii) Explain the barriers to TQM implementation and solution. (8)
12. (a) (i) Write about the system of recognition and reward followed in an organization. (12)
(ii) What are the suggestions to improve the appraisal system? (4)Or

(b) Explain the different approaches towards Continuous Process Improvement.

13. (a) (i) Explain the relevance of 6-sigma concept in achieving quality output in a process. (12)
(ii) Give an example of a company practicing six-sigma concept. (4)

Or

(b) (i) What is Benchmarking and why do the organizations adopt this technique? (2+4)
(ii) Explain the Benchmarking process. (10)
14. (a) Explain the seven step plan to establish the TPM in an organization in detail.

Or

(b) Explain the concept of Taguchi's quality loss function in detail. Give an example.
15. (a) (i) Explain the benefits of EMS. (8)
(ii) Discuss quality auditing in detail. (8)

Or

(b) Discuss the implementation of TQM with a case study from the manufacturing industry.