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Quality Management for Organizational Excellence
Chapter 1
Discussion Assignment 1.2
a. Define the term quality.
The definition of quality depends on the customer's perspective. In this case, it means exceeding or meeting customer expectations. This involves provision of relevant information, production of quality products, and availing variety of services and goods so that consumers choose the best.

b. What is total quality?

Total quality refers to a unique approach to undertaking business, which makes every attempt to maximize on the organization's competitiveness by improvement of the variety and quality of services, products, processes, environment, and people.

c. List key elements of total quality

Key characteristics or elements of total quality are
|Elements of Total Quality |Elements of Total Quality |
|1. Strategically based |6. Employee empowerment and involvement |
|2. Customer focus |7. Bottom-up training and education |
|3. Obsession with quality |8. Freedom through control |
|4. Scientific approach |9. Unity of purpose |
|5. Long-term commitment |10. Teamwork |
| | |

d. Explain the trends that are affecting the future of quality management.

Trends affecting the potential future quality management include but not limited to shifting customer expectations, demanding global customers, new approaches to management, and opposing economic pressures .

Chapter 14

Discussion Assignment 14.1
a. List 6 statements that summarize the comparative scope of ISO 9000 and TQM.
TQM and ISO 900O are not interchangeable.
ISO 9000 is often regarded as potential subset of TQM.
The implementation of ISO 9000 occurs in a non-TQM environment.
ISO 9000 tends to be redundant where TQM is mature
ISO 9000 improves operations, especially in traditional environments.
TQM and ISO 9000 do not compete.
Chapter 15
Discussion Assignment 15.1
1. Explain the purpose of the Pareto chart. Give an example of when one would be used.
The Pareto chart is one of the tools used to separate the trivial from the important. In a factory, for example, of all the employees, only 20% may produce approximately 80% of the total defects. In defect examination, is clear that the total cost of defects (80%) results from a small percentage of cost elements (20%).

2. Describe the origin and use of the cause-and effect diagrams.

This diagram is used mainly in the identification and isolation of problem cases. It was first developed by a Japanese quality expert called Dr. Kaoru Ishikawa.

7. Explain the purpose of the scatter diagram.

It is used and employed in determining the relationship between two variables.
Chapter 16
Discussion Assignment 16.1

1. Contrast decision making with problem solving.

Problem solving refers to process applied in perceiving and resolving an existing gap between the present-day situation and the goal, which is desired by the organization. Decision making, however, is a selection process, which involves making a choice between two or more potential solutions aimed at meeting the desired goal.

4. Describe the PDCA cycle.
PDCA is an abbreviation for Plan Do Check Adjust. The cycle is made up of four major elements or components as described below:
1. Plan: Planning involves the definition of the problem, gathering relevant information, identification of the root cause of the issue or problem at hand, development and consideration of possible solutions, and selecting the best possible alternative for implementation.
2. Do: This is the action taken, that is, implementing the solution.
3. Check: This involves the whole process of monitoring the already implemented solution. It is a way of data analysis to verify whether the solution has eliminated the challenge/problem.
4. Adjust: This is the act of counter-checking the role played by the implemented solution. If it has not accomplished the result, all the responsible stakeholders will have to review the course of action by making necessary and realistic adjustments.

9. What is Juran’s 85/15 rule? State the rule.

The rule states that 85% of the problems in our work lay within the process itself and are under the control of management and, 15% (or less) of process problems are under the control of employees.

The Juran's 85/15 rule aims at guiding the organization managers to emphasize or focus on the operations and activities of the organization with the sole purpose of maximizing benefits, instead of blaming employees for failures.

15. Explain creativity as a concept and the role it can play in decision-making.

Creativity has so far proved be an instrumental concept in the corporate sector. First, constant pressures resulting from an increasingly competitive marketplace requires organizations to be creative, flexible, and innovative. As such, to be able to withstand these pressures and survive an organization must be in the best possible position to adjust rapidly by changing directions or course of action quickly. In short, all the above are only achievable through creativity.
Chapter 17
Discussion Assignment 17.1
1. Define Quality Function Deployment.

QFD is an approach used to bring esteemed and potential customers into the whole design processes. QFD helps in translating consumer's needs into products of the organization. Kope Shiyard first developed it in the 1960s.
2. Describe the basic structure of the QFD House of Quality.
QFD House of Quality is built by:
Listing customer requirements (what's)
Listing technical descriptors (how's)
Developing relationship (What's and how's)
Developing interrelationship (how's)
Carrying out competitive assessments
Prioritizing customer requirements
Prioritizing technical descriptors
3. Explain the rationale for QFD.

The implementation of QFD follows a given rationale, that is, it has six main steps:

a. Formation of the project team

b. Establishing the monitoring procedures

c. Selecting a project

d. Conducting a kickoff meeting

e. Training the team

f. Developing the matrices
4. List the principle benefits of QFD.

QFD plays a pivotal role in yielding as many benefits as possible to an organization. The following are some of the most common benefits that accrue to a company or business organization, which applies QFD:

* Time efficiency

* Customer focus

*Documentation orientation

* Teamwork orientation
5. Explain the need for the QFD team to be cross- functional.
A cross -functional QFD team involves persons with irrefutable, first-hand knowledge with regard to employee expectations and company capabilities As such, they are in the best possible position to be discipline and participate in excellent, effective team-building experience with an organization.
6. Describe the function of an affinity diagram as used in QFD.
Operational organizations use the affinity diagrams to facilitate creative thinking. In other words, the interrelationship diagram is instrumental in bringing logic to the whole process of relationships identification, especially among ideas.
7. Describe the function of the Sales Point.
Sales point refers to the process of capturing relevant customer payment information and data at a particular physical location. This occurs when service and goods are being sold and bough respectively. These data may be captured using bar code scanners, computer, and magnetic card readers.
8. Explain why it is not advantageous to use more precise rating/ranking scales.
This is because ranking scales are not in a position to tell why an entity or something is unimportant or important. Instead, they tend to address items or products in relation to one another rather than individually. As such, they do not avail accurate results. Consumers or respondents, on the other hand, cannot give a similar rating to two distinct items, regardless of the fact that they may have equal importance.
9. Describe the function of the HOQ’s roof.
It is usually used to show the potential relationship between design requirements, that is, how they often interact with each other.
10. Describe the fundamental purpose of the Design Targets
Design targets are drawn from experience and are used purposefully to reshape the organization. This helps in fitting the business in question within its strategy. It further helps the management and employees to remain accountable and focus on what they can control.
Chapter 15
Discussion Assignment 15.1
1. Explain the purpose of the Pareto chart. Give an example of when one would be used.
The Pareto chart is one of the tools used to separate the trivial from the important. In a factory, for example, of all the employees, only 20% may produce approximately 80% of the total defects. In defect examination, is clear that the total cost of defects (80%) results from a small percentage of cost elements (20%).

2. Describe the origin and use of the cause-and effect diagrams.

This diagram is used mainly in the identification and isolation of problem cases. It was first developed by a Japanese quality expert called Dr. Kaoru Ishikawa.

7. Explain the purpose of the scatter diagram.

It is used and employed in determining the relationship between two variables.
Chapter 16
Discussion Assignment 16.1

1. Contrast decision making with problem solving.

Problem solving refers to process applied in perceiving and resolving an existing gap between the present-day situation and the goal, which is desired by the organization. Decision making, however, is a selection process, which involves making a choice between two or more potential solutions aimed at meeting the desired goal.

4. Describe the PDCA cycle.
PDCA is an abbreviation for Plan Do Check Adjust. The cycle is made up of four major elements or components.
Chapter 22
Discussion Assignment 22.1
List and briefly explain implementation approaches that should be avoided.
The following are some of the less-effective implementation approaches that organization management should disregard and avoid.
1. Employees should not be trained or oriented at the same time: They should only offer training to small groups of workers at a given time, especially when there is need.
2. They should not put many employees in teams with the sole purpose of creating total quality. Formation of teams should depend a great deal on addressing specific problems and issues.
3. In no particular time should total quality implementation be delegated. The best total quality implementation involves active participation and personal commitment of both the staff and top management.
4. No implementation should be started before proper preparation. One must be educated on total quality prior to implementation.

Reference
Goetsch, D. & Davis, S. (2013). Quality management for organizational excellence: Introduction to total quality. (7th Ed.). New York, USA: Pearson.