Introduction
Quality management refers to those processes that a business selected to ensure consistency and accuracy. The quality methods approach and techniques that NASA requires to implement to survive the root cause of problems lead to Mars Polar failure are quality control, quality assurance, and quality improvement.
1-Quality control — inspection, measurement and intervention
Quality control ensures output meets required standards, many businesses carry out inspections of all or part of the total volume of production. When an inspection is conducted, the goods or services under inspection can be passed as ‘okay’ or ‘defective’ (Pack, 2005).
Regarding quality control, the company did not perform inspections on different stages of the production process. According to NASA report, one factor that causes failure is that the ‘‘systems engineering function within the project that is supposed to track and double-check all interconnected aspects of the mission was not robust enough, exacerbated by the first-time handover of a Mars-bound spacecraft from a group that constructed it and launched it to a new, multi-mission operations team’’.Quality control reduces problems and defects in the product by using inspections at various points in the production process.
2- Quality assurance — application of international quality standards
The company requires adopting a system to ensure that they achieve set standards in production. For example, ISO 900 International Organization for Standardization offer quality system standards audited and accredited standards which are involved with quality or excellence awards that are a recognition of company approaches and performance relying more on self–assessment (Knowles, 2011). Implementing the set standard will help to eliminate another factor stated in the report, which is “verify and validate certain engineering requirements and technical interfaces between some project groups”. Standards are an important quality control procedure for enterprises to expedite the enhancement of quality processes.
3-Quality improvement — total quality management and continuous improvement
Total Quality (TQ) consists of continuous improvement activities engaging everybody in the organization—managers and workers—in a total combined effort toward increasing performance at every level. This increased performance is targeted toward accomplishing such cross-functional objectives as quality, cost, schedule, missing, need, and suitability (Nixon, 2006).
4- The Deming Cycle: Tools and techniques
To successfully apply total quality management in an organization, leading managers must take the first step: accepting and committing themselves to the guidelines and points that form the basis of TQM. The enterprise can then implement TQM using the Deming Wheel.
The Deming Cycle. The Deming Cycle, also known as the Deming Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) Cycle, was basically created by Walter A. Shewhart and promoted by Deming. This approach is a cyclic process for planning and testing progress activities prior to full-scale implementation or the formalization of the improvement. When an improvement concept is determined, it is often rational to demonstrate it on a small scale prior to full implementation to approve its benefit. Additionally, by establishing a change on a small scale, employees have time to acknowledge and support it. The Deming PDCA Cycle provides opportunities for continuous evaluation and improvement (Quality Gurus, 2012). Adopt a ‘plan-do-check-act’ cycle, reduce gaps in staff and eliminate the entire issues in communication. The PDCA tools will engage all the company’s employees to have the freedom to provide vital feedback at each level.
5- Considerations
According to Buch, The following factors need to take in consideration, to gain successful program:
-Senior management commitment and training, managers must take formal training in quality principles and tools, allocate adequate resources to its successful implementation, and express their engagement to quality.
-.Employee training. Total quality management depends on employee engagement in quality enhancement and demands considerable training to train employees for their role, all employees are expected to receive some minimal level of formal classroom training such as problem solving and quality tools (histograms, flowcharts, control charts, and Pareto charts), and team dynamics. (Buch, 2007).
Conclusion
The company should develop an appropriate strategic plan to achieve a long-term goal, it should maintain quality and Strong leadership as a driving force. In order to achieve an effective Total quality management approach a commitment to quality throughout the organization is recommended for developing competitiveness and advancing towards organizational excellence.
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References
Buch, K. K. (2007). Total Quality Management. In S. G. Rogelberg (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Industrial and Organizational Psychology (Vol. 2, pp. 814-817). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Reference. Retrieved from http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3470600329/GVRL?u=lirn17237&sid=GVRL&xid=bf531cdb
Knowles, G. (2011). Quality Management. Retrieved from Bookboon.com.
Pack, A. (2005). BUSINESS STUDIES in ACTION HSC COURSE. Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/36361845/BUSINESS_STUDIES_in_ACTION_HSC_COURSE
Quality Gurus. (2012). In S. D. Hill (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Management (7th ed., pp. 857-862). Detroit, MI: Gale. Retrieved from http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX4016600258/GVRL?u=lirn17237&sid=GVRL&xid=268ae481
Nixon, J. M. (2006). Quality and Total Quality Management. In M. M. Helms (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Management (5th ed., pp. 735-741). Detroit, MI: Gale. Retrieved from http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3446300245/GVRL?u=lirn17237&sid=GVRL&xid=1a16bd4a
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