Ace Motors Ltd., a leading automobile manufacturer, faced growing competition from global players in the early 2000s. With rising customer expectations for quality and efficiency, the management decided to implement Tota

Total Quality Management (TQM) is a management philosophy that views an organization as a collection of processes such as marketing, finance, design, engineering, and production, customer service, etc. thereby, focusing on meeting customer needs and organizational objectives. The simple objective of TQM is "Do the right things, right the first time, every time." American Society for Quality Control (ASQC) defines Total Quality Management (TQM) as "a management approach to long-term success through customer satisfaction. TQM is based on the participation of all members of an organization to improving processes, products, services, and the culture they work in. TQM benefits all organization members and society. Key Principles of TQM followed by Ace Motors Limited: Customer-focused: The customer ultimately determines the level of quality. No matter what an organization does to foster quality improvement - training employees, integrating quality into the design process, upgrading computers or software, or buying new measuring tools - the customer determines whether the efforts were worthwhile. Total Employee Involvement: All employees participate in working toward common goals. Total employee commitment can only be obtained after fear has been driven from the workplace, when empowerment has occurred, and management has provided the proper environment. High-performance work systems integrate continuous improvement efforts with normal business operations. Self-managed work teams are one form of empowerment. Strategic and Systematic Approach: A critical part of the management of quality is the strategic and systematic approach to achieving an organization's vision, mission, and goals. This process, called strategic planning or strategic management, includes the formulation of a strategic plan that integrates quality as a core component. Continual Improvement: A major thrust of TQM is continual process improvement. Continual improvement drives an organization to be both analytical and creative in finding ways to become more competitive and more effective at meeting stakeholder expectations.