ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the theory and development of quality management. Top managers need no convincing that the quality of their company’s products, and of its production processes, is vital to its success, indeed its very survival. The hard aspect is the pursuit of improved product quality by means of rigorous analytical techniques such as statistical process control and financial measures such as the cost of quality. The soft aspect is the mobilisation of a company’s human resources behind the goal of continuous business improvement. The appropriate culture, shared widely, is the matrix that binds quality systems and structures together, makes participation possible and establishes quality improvement as the normal way of working. Enthusiasts of quality management typically emphasise that top management holds the key to generating commitment further down in the organization. Some people prefer the term ‘continuous business improvement’ as a more accurate description of the character and purpose of quality management.
