Two methodologies, Total Quality Management (TQM) and Six Sigma, stand out as foundations of quality management in every organisation. Efficiency advancements, error reduction, and happier customers are the end goals of both strategies. Although they aim for the same things, their approach, guiding principles, and philosophies differ. Organisations that understand the differences between Total Quality Management and Six Sigma can optimise quality management practices. In this blog, we’ll look at how TQM and Six Sigma are different and how they can complement each other to drive continuous improvement. Obtaining a Lean Six Sigma Certification or other quality management certification helps you to excel in this field. Let’s start by understanding What is Total Quality Management.
Table Of Contents
- What is Total Quality Management?
- Differences Between Total Quality Management and Six Sigma
- Complementary Aspects of TQM and Six Sigma
- Conclusion
What is Total Quality Management?
Among the many quality management strategies, Total Quality Management (TQM) stands out for its emphasis on staff participation, customer happiness, and continual improvement. According to Total Quality Management (TQM), a quality-oriented culture is crucial, and each employee should be responsible for providing customers with high-quality goods and services. Improving processes, empowering employees, focusing on customers, and never stopping to learn are the four pillars of total quality management (TQM). Using tools like quality circles, benchmarking, and entire staff participation, TQM aims to optimise processes, reduce waste, and eliminate errors.
Differences Between Total Quality Management and Six Sigma
Philosophy and Focus
Total Quality Management (TQM) is a method of quality management that prioritises the involvement of employees, continuous improvement, and customer satisfaction. It takes a holistic view of quality management. TQM aspires to establish a quality culture in the company by making quality everyone’s responsibility. Alternatively, Six Sigma is a data-driven method that strives for near-perfect quality by reducing process variation and defects. Process improvement and variation reduction are the key goals of Six Sigma, which employs statistical methods and tools to identify and eliminate the root causes of defects.
Methodology and Tools
Quality circles, process mapping, benchmarking, and Pareto analysis are quality management tools and techniques integral to Total Quality Management (TQM). Teamwork and employee participation in decision-making and problem-solving are critical components of Total Quality Management (TQM). Six Sigma, in contrast, improves processes methodically by using a structured methodology called DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve, Control). Control charts, histograms, and regression analysis are some of the statistical tools used by Six Sigma to find and fix the causes of variation and defects.
Approach to Variation
TQM is an approach to variation that aims to improve processes and reduce output variability. It takes a more holistic view of variation. TQM aims to attain process stability and consistency through continual improvement and employee engagement. However, Six Sigma improves outcome quality by reducing variation within critical processes. Six Sigma’s end goal is error- and defect-free process performance that reliably satisfies customers.
Complementary Aspects of TQM and Six Sigma
Holistic Approach to Quality
Total Quality Management (TQM) is an enterprise-wide focus on quality that prioritises the development of a quality culture. TQM prioritises happy customers, better processes, and active participation from employees. The structured methodology and statistical tools provided by Six Sigma, in addition to TQM, allow for identifying and resolving specific quality issues and achieving targeted quality improvements.
Data-Driven Decision-Making
TQM’s strategy for ongoing development can benefit from Six Sigma’s data-driven decision-making and statistical analysis. Process capability analysis and statistical process control are Six Sigma techniques and tools that can help organisations better identify the causes of quality problems and implement targeted solutions. Implementing Six Sigma initiatives successfully and sustainably is possible with TQM’s focus on employee involvement and process improvement.
Focus on Customer Requirements
Meeting customer requirements and delivering value are common goals of both Total Quality Management and Six Sigma. Total Quality Management (TQM) emphasises delving into customer needs and expectations to enhance processes that meet or surpass those expectations. Six Sigma is an excellent addition to Total Quality Management (TQM) because it provides methods and tools for analysing and measuring customer needs, finding performance gaps, and improving to make customers happier.
Conclusion
TQM and Six Sigma are not the same thing, but they complement each other regarding quality management. In contrast to Total Quality Management’s (TQM) emphasis on customer happiness, employee engagement, and overall quality improvement, Six Sigma is data-driven and statistically focused on reducing process variation and defects. Organisations can achieve excellent results and drive continuous improvement by understanding the differences and complementary aspects of TQM and Six Sigma.
