250 words:
(a) What are lean operations? What does it mean to be a lean organization?
(b) What is Total Quality Management (TQM)?
(c) Briefly describe the 7 concepts of TQM, discussed by the authors of the textbook?
(d) What is the relationship between lean operations and TQM?
reply#1
Lean operations are a system of processes that allow organizations to supply only the goods demanded by a consumer at the time needed by incorporating continuous improvement processes and minimizing waste. To be a lean organization means understanding customers and their expectations and constantly implementing lean tools across departments to ensure that the expectations are efficiently met (Heizer, Render & Manson, 2017).
Total quality management (TQM) refers to the strict emphasis on quality and the regulation of operations throughout an organization; from ensuring that the supplier delivers quality inputs, to developing reliable, safe, and efficient products for customers. TQM guides businesses in implementing quality-enhancement initiatives and ensuring excellence in responding to customer needs and wants (Heizer, Render & Manson, 2017).
There are seven concepts of TQM. The first is continuous improvement, which involves increasingly positive progress made in the areas of human resource, suppliers, equipment, procedures and materials. The Six Sigma is a strategy that applies a range of programs to improve customer satisfaction, minimize costs, and save time by reducing defects. Thirdly, employee empowerment entails the involvement of employees in designing production systems, identifying problems, and working on continuous improvement plans in every stage of production. Benchmarking involves assessment of issues that prevent desired performance levels in cost management, production, and service delivery, and then sending a dedicated team to examine processes and management systems that allow competitors within the same industry to perform more. The resulting report guides standards development for increased productivity. Just-in-Time (JIT) is a concept used in continuously improving quality and enforcing problem solving approaches to cut costs, improve quality, and reduce inventory. Taguchi concepts are the quality loss function, target-oriented quality, and quality robustness, all of which ensure the use of effective production processes to ensure quality end products. The seventh concept is knowledge of TQM tools, which requires that business leaders and employees receive training on TQM techniques including problem identification tools and idea generation tools (Heizer, Render & Manson, 2017).
Lean operations and TQM are related in that both inform quality improvement initiatives in production. The TQM concepts, including continuous improvement, employee empowerment, benchmarking, and JIT, are all geared towards quality improvement and the production of only goods needed by customers at the right time (Heizer, Render & Manson, 2017).
Reference
Heizer, J., Render, B., & Manson, C. (2017). Operations Management: Sustainability and Supply Chain Management (12th Ed.). Pearson Education.
reply#2
Lean operation is a method to focus on higher customer satisfaction with
minimum resources cost to manage and operate and organization. In general, it has
two goals (creating values for customers and eliminating waste) Those companies
with lean operation highly focus on efficiency. Any actions or purpose cannot create
value to customers will be removed from organization. In most of the cases, if a
company owner decides to implement lean operations, they might hope to cancel all
the low efficiency. Such concept all companies do half the work with double results.
Total quality management is continuous process that monitoring and reducing or
eliminating mistakes, simplifying supply chain management, improving consumer
experiences, and making sure all employees follow the instructions correctly. Total
quality management is designed for combining all different production productions to
be responsible for the final product or service.
7 concepts of TQM are known as 1. Customer Focus 2. Leadership 3.
Engagement of People 4. Process Approach 5. Improvement 6. Evidence-Based
Decision – Making 7. Relationship management.
1. Customer Focus: In general, quality is connected with customer’s demand. In
order to success, quality should reach or go beyond customer’s expectations.
It is not an easy process to take. Customers’ demands and expectations will be
changed as time went by. Therefore, focus on customer all the time should be
the first priority.
2. Leadership: Different level executive team members have to work together to
adjust their employees, strategy and goal. Once other people has instructions
about directions, other people would follow the same goal and focus.
3. Engagement of People: No matter how big the operations or organization is, it
is always existing as form of a team. To manage any team effectively, we
would need all members to fully participate. Otherwise, we will not be able to
generate quality and value from different fields.
4. Process Approach: Any operations’ internal activities are not isolated. Every
process is at least connected with another process. Manage every single
process is not significant.
5. Improvement: As business field and new-tech growth, customers’
expectations grow rapidly as well. Operations need to improve with the same
speed. To make such improvement, Company needs knowledge and
flexibility. They would need the ability to collect the most accurate data.
6. Evidence-based decision: When companies facing decisions, normally, we
will receive information from different resources. However, if we need to
make changes, too many sources could lead to a huge mess. Powerful and
relyable evidence.
7. Relationship Management: Just like there is no single process is isolated, no
companies are separated internally. There are different elements in supply
chain/ All stakeholders are connected as well. To success, operations need to
manage their relationship and improve their interaction to push healthy
business connection.
In short, TQM works on eliminating all possible disadvantages to the end. Lean
operation is target on improving to perfect. Even though both TQM and Lean operation is focused on improve quality, when company reach to one specific point,
TQM cannot be implemented any more. Lean operation is focus more on improved
quality into a higher level. .
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