Nowadays, the project management process was become ineffective due to the lack of quality control in providing services and products. There is the urgent need to make some improvement in the project management process which is the involving TQM technique. The introduction of this task began with the meaning of the term of Total Quality Management (TQM) as Project Management Strategy in details. The understanding of the topic is important before move up to another step. Then advantages of the TQM explained in the contents of this task including the discussion on the implementation of TQM in some project management process. It is one of the updated tools and technique in the building industry in order to ensure that the activities are done correctly in providing goods or services. The effects of the TQM implementation also been discussed while the needs to conduct this concept in project management strategy have been earlier explained. Lastly, this task comes out with the conclusion as the relations of TQM in the Project Management Strategy.
Introduction
Project management defined as the process by which the Project Manager plans and controls the tasks or activities within the project and harness the resources available (i.e. people, material, time, money, information, knowledge, equipment and space) to achieve set goals, standards and objectives (usually in terms of time, cost and quality) (Tan, 1996). Chartered Institute of Builder (CIOB) has defined Project Management as the overall planning, control, and co-ordinate of a project from inception until completion targeted at meeting client’s requirements and ensuring completion on time, within cost and required quality standards (Tan, 1996). In many definitions arises, it is essentially mean the same which is to meet the requirements and goals intended by the clients. The Project Manager has to ensure that the given budget, a specific time period and the required quality standard must be manage wisely to achieve the objective required by the client.
TQM is an enhancement of the traditional way of doing business. It is a proven technique to guarantee survival for world class-competition. Only by changing the actions of management will the culture and actions of the entire organization will transformed. TQM is the most part common sense. The three words was analysed as; Total – made up as a whole; Quality – degree of excellence a products and services provided; Management – act, art, or manner of handling, controlling, directing etc.
Therefore the TQM is the art of managing the whole to achieve excellence. TQM is defined as both a philosophy a set of guiding principles that foundation of the continuously improving organizations. It is the application of quantitative method and human resources to improve all the process within an organization and customer needs now and in the future. TQM integrates fundamental techniques, existing improvement efforts and technical tools under a disciplined approach (Besterfield Dale H., 2011).
TQM refers to a guest for quality that involves everybody in the organization. The two key aspects of TQM are (Valarmathi, 2009)
A never-ending push to improve continuous improvement (KAIZEN)
Customer satisfaction meeting or exceeding customer expectation.
TQM is the overall improvement in the project management process. This concept will ensure that all the organization members will be coordinate with high quality performance in order to provide the best products or services. This is because, the TQM will be enforce to all members consists in an organization. It involves whole organizations getting organised, in every department, every activities and every single person at every level (Rawlins, 2008). Besides, TQM is not only the responsibility of the Quality Manager but also that of every member of the project organizations (Tan, 1996). Every members need to work properly together because each activity and every persons will affects each other in preparing effectiveness in an organizations. With a TQM system, procedures of each implementation system are verified to ensure all the works are done correctly (Tan, 1996).The project management strategies need to be organize with the best approach to fulfil the standards and requirements by the client. TQM is the suitable approach or technique in achieving the services or products required by the related person such stated by the Tan (1996), TQM will ensure that the relevant documented procedures and management staff policy provides quality maintenance service to owners, occupiers and end-users.
Contents
The implementation of TQM
Involvement of top management; the top management is the person who will decide the needs of the TQM technique in their organizations. It is to ensure that the workers been in better work environment without any pressure. This will cause the better quality in providing product and services and all these intentions only can be achieve through the team work in a project management process. The management must play their roles in achieving this intension by participate in the management work together with the workers. Managers participate on quality improvement teams and also act as coach to others teams (Besterfield Dale H., 2011). This is to ensure that the communication from each team is continuously happen in doing the related work done. In TQM technique, it involves whole organizations getting organised, in every department, every activities and every single person at every level (Rawlins, 2008) and TQM must be communicate to all people (Besterfield Dale H., 2011).
Uncompromising focus on customer; customer satisfaction is the main purpose of any project management work. The key to an effective TQM program is its focus on the customer (Besterfield Dale H., 2011). Delighted customers are the prime determinant of sustainable competitive advantage for any organization (Khan, 2003). With the satisfy customer, any project or activities will gain profit either in short or long term basis. They can contribute to the support of any activities provided by an organization because the felt comfortable and always confidence with the services and products by an organization tries to give. To retain customers and entice new ones a company needs to focus on providing value to the customer and that too in a manner that is more effective than that of its competitors (Khan, 2003).
Teams’ involvements and implementation of the entire work force; as well as the involvement of the top management, each team also need to involve in every activity and try to gain their personal improvement. People must come to work not only to do their jobs, but also to think about how to improve their jobs (Besterfield Dale H., 2011). The intended to improve in each mind of the workers will create an excellent work environment and will raise their spirit to contribute something useful in an organization. By this way, the entire work force will perfectly do it by the workers while easily manage by the management. According to Evans and Lindsay (1996), 60 per cent to 90 per cent of the costs of total quality are difficult to control by management alone (Khan, 2003).
Entertains the supplier as a friends or partnership; suppliers can be categories as the main sources in an organization in order to run their projects. The management need to entertain them such a best way due to make sure their project can run smoothly. The quality of the supplier product need to be considered as it will influence the project management process. The focus should be on quality rather that the prices (Besterfield Dale H., 2011). The numbers of supplier need to be more than one in order to make sure that in managing any project, the main thing which is sources to run the project will not be disrupted. Besides, suppliers should be a few of numbers so that true partnering can occur (Besterfield Dale H., 2011).
Continuously improvement; this element will create more benefits to the in term of time, cost and quality of a project. Performance is enhanced through greater responsiveness, shorter cycle times for new products or services, better products, shorter throughput time and unique marketing, engineering or production strategies. Costs decline by reducing errors, defects and wastage (Khan, 2003). This will lead to the effectiveness of the project management due to the continuously up-to-date techniques apply to the project. In additional, it is also considered the continuously improvement among the workers directly will influence the quality of project.
Set-up the performances measures; this is the last step need to be done in project management strategy in order to be use in the future as the references or match point for improvement measures. There are many scope of work need to be measures and been shown for everyone to see. Performance measures such as uptime, per cent nonconforming, absenteeism, and customer satisfaction should be determined for each functional area (Besterfield Dale H., 2011). These some items will able to recognize the strength and weakness of the project management strategy that already been done in an organization. By this way, new plan or improvement can be wisely created in the future in order to move to the better steps in providing good project management strategy.
How TQM helps an organization
Contribution of responsibility and problems solving; In TQM technique, responsibility to make sure the project management smoothly run is contribute to all members or in the other word everyone is responsible in improving the organizations and faces the problem occurs. The responsibility not only bears on the project manager only, but it will contribute to minimise the pressure faces by him/her in helping process to solve the problems. For TQM to succeed it must be treated as the responsibility of every staff at all levels (Tan, 1996). The Quality System needs to be integrated with the overall management system of the organisation (Tan, 1996). This is different with the traditional method approach which is bearing the responsibility to the project manager only. The workers only seek for the instruction of the project manager without helping in giving the idea to improve the quality of an organization. This situation will take time provide excellent improvement in an organization indirectly will give the bad effects on the products or services provided.
Besides, problems solving also will be easily manage due to the teams work in handling the problems. In case the customer do not satisfy with the product or services provided, the staff that earlier received the comments from the client try to identify the problems face by that clients at that time. So, the management does not have to see the client again to find the problems face by them. The information just comes from the staff together with the recommendation to solve it. When workers themselves are committed to delivering quality, they take greater initiative towards meeting product and process specifications; detecting and eliminating bottlenecks; improving product and process designs and setting realistic yet challenging performance targets (Khan, 2003).
Reduce Cost; the cost will be reducing by the ethic of quality practice among the workers which is always caring about the preventive works as prevent their own interest from facing any problems. TQM reduces waste by removing the needs for inspections. Detections of faults are replaced faults prevention. The strategy to replacing detection with prevention can be adopted by organizations providing products and services (Rawlins, 2008). TQM is also a method of reducing waste by involving everyone in improving the way things are done. The techniques of TQM can be applied throughout an organization so that people from different departments with different priorities and abilities communicate with and help each other. These methods are equally useful in; finance, sales, marketing, design, accounts, distribution and production (Rawlins, 2008). All these factors can be categories as the major work distribution in a project management process.
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