Total Quality Management, TQM, is a method by which management and employees can become involved in the continuous improvement of the production of goods and services. It is a combination of quality and management tools aimed at increasing business and reducing losses due to wasteful practices.
Some of the companies who have implemented TQM include Ford Motor Company, Phillips Semiconductor, SGL Carbon, Motorola and Toyota Motor Company.
TQM views an organization as a collection of processes. It maintains that organizations must strive to continuously improve these processes by incorporating the knowledge and experiences of workers. The simple objective of TQM is "Do the right things, right the first time, every time". TQM is infinitely variable and adaptable. Although originally applied to manufacturing operations, and for a number of years only used in that area, TQM is now becoming recognized as a generic management tool, just as applicable in service and public sector organizations. There are a number of evolutionary strands, with different sectors creating their own versions from the common ancestor. TQM is the foundation for activities, which include: * Commitment by senior management and all employees * Meeting customer requirements * Reducing development cycle times * Just In Time Manufacturing * Quality Circles * Employee involvement and empowerment * Recognition and celebration * Challenging quantified goals and benchmarking

Elements of TQM: 1. Continual Improvement: This is the philosophy that seeks to make never-ending improvement to the process of converting input into output.It covers equipment, methods, materials and people.The concept was not used even few years back. But now it is very popular both in U.S.A and Japanese Companies. In JAPAN the concept is known as Kaizen. 2. Competitive Benchmark: