Understanding Different Quality Philosophies
American competitiveness during the 1980s led many U.S companies to have an interest in quality. Deming, Juran, and Crosby were the known quality experts by then. They had a common belief that generally, quality management was the key strategy that an organization could enact to be competitive. The three “gurus” had a vast experience as they were management consultants, lectures, and authors of some books about quality (Ross, 2017). Each had their philosophy, but the outcome they brought on quality were almost of the same level.
Concerning my project of home renovation, I consider Deming’s philosophy to best align with my project’s requirements. His philosophy resulted in 14 points of total quality management. However, he hilariously summed them up by stating that management is obliged to redesign their systems to; plan, do, check, and finally act. This process is cyclic known as the Deming Cycle, mostly referred to as the PDCA (plan-do-check-act/adjust) (Ha, et al., 2017). The project that I am yet to partake in I view it too requires these four phase direct strategies.
I would require the project to take appropriate time duration, its cost to be affordable, and generally make my new home more improvised than the one I am currently owning. From Deming’s first phase, I should plan appropriately in a way that should or almost cater to these requirements. Deming’s Japanese proponents once elaborated that, “When organizations’ focus is primarily on costs, the costs will rise, but over time the quality drops.” A good plan would thus be necessary. One that would display the purpose as to why the renovation would be carried out and the process that, when followed, can lead to not only my desired outcomes but everyone in my home compound. For me to have a better understanding of everybody’s preference, I have to survey everyone involved in my home, from my family members to my workers. To some extent, this can help me quote a budget for the total cost of renovation, things that would be bought, and how to get them.
Next, I must do work by putting my plan into action. I would have known the needed kinds of stuff to carry on forward with the process. It is said that at this point, small changes are usually carried out as the effectiveness of the change is taken into consideration. For example, a product in a nearby shopping mall might be somehow cheaper when purchased from an online store even though it might be time-consuming. This would require me to conduct research; to identify the appropriate goods with reasonable prices as well as qualified personnel with a vast experience to hire for the situation.
After obtaining data, I would now proceed to the check phase. Here I would evaluate the data I have gathered, compare them to the expected outcomes and cost prices to see any similarities or differences. I would also assess my intentional testing processes to see if they could make a big difference from the original test that I created during the planning phase. At this point, I would also consult with quality project managers to help me make appropriate decisions.
Once I receive support from my fellow quality project managers, I would proceed to the act phase. Otherwise, if they recommend me to consider a particular strategy that I never looked into, I would have to adjust my plans. I would conclude changes that should be made and implement them.
In summary, Deming’s philosophy is just easy to understand and apply in any real case situation that requires quality. For the case of house renovation, upon application of the above-named phases by Deming, a better result would not just be a dream but a dream come true. Moreover, Deming also informs us about some of the considerable drawbacks for management in an attempt to improve quality that every project manager should know.
Work Cited
Ha, Min Ho, Zaili Yang, and Man Wook Heo. “A new hybrid decision making framework for prioritising port performance improvement strategies.” The Asian Journal of Shipping and Logistics 33.3 (2017): 105-116.
Ross, Joel E. Total quality management: Text, cases, and readings. Routledge, 2017.