tqm case study of ibm

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International Referred Research Journal, October,2010. ISSN- 0974-2832VoL.II *ISSUE-21

Research PaperABST

October, 2010

IntroductionISO defines TQM as: TQM is a management

approach of an organization, centered on quality, basedon the participation of all its members and aiming atlong-term success through customer satisfaction, and

benefits to all members of the organization and tosociety. In Japanese, TQM comprises four processsteps, namely:1.Kaizen Focuses on ContinuousProcess Improvement, to make processes visible,repeatable and measurable. 2.Atarimae Hinshitsu Focuses on intangible effects on processes and waysto optimize and reduce their effects. 3.Kansei Examiningthe way the user applies the product leads toimprovement in the product itself. 4.MiryokutekiHinshitsu Broadens management concern beyondthe immediate product. TQM requires that the companymaintain this quality standard in all aspects of its

business. This requires ensuring that things are doneright the first time and that defects and waste areeliminated from operations.Total Quality Management(TQM) is a management strategy aimed at embeddingawareness of quality in all organizational processes.TQM has been widely used in manufacturing, education,government, and service industries, as well as NASAspace and science programs.THE TQM MODEL:To achieve excellence, companies must develop acorporate culture of treating people as their mostimportant asset and provide a consistent level of highquality products and services in every market in whichthey operate. Such an environment has supported thewide acceptance of Total Quality Management (TQM)which 22 emerged recently as a new, challenging,marketable philosophy. It involves three spheres ofchanges in an organization people, technology andstructure. There is also a need for a systematic approachso that each element of TQMEX can be bonded together

TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT

(A CASE STUDY OF IBM)

*Vishal Gauttam

smoothly. Oakland [1989] originated the idea of a 3-cornerstone model. The proposed 4-pillar model(Figure.1) brings the customers requirement into thesystem. This makes the approach to TQM more

Assistant Professor, A.B.S.T., Shree Karni College, Jaipur.

Every nation has its own independent historical and cultural background. The quality scenario, therefore, differs fromone national setting to the other. The nations are orienting their quality management strategies and systems to meet the

requirements of the operating environment though the primary focus remains the same, that is, Total CustomerSatisfaction.Many of the present techniques of quality management were developed in Japan. However, U.S.A., Europeannations and developing nations have also contributed significantly to this development.

A B S T R A C T

complete. The additional pillar satisfying customers is vital

because it explici tly addressescustomers requirements. Without itTQM would have no objective.

The Four Pillars of TQMThe role of top management in implementation of totalquality is crucial and its input on people far-reaching.TQM, therefore, should be understood as managementof the system through systems thinking, which means

understanding all the elements in the company andpu tt in g th em to work togeth ertowards the common goal. TheTQMEX Model advocates anintegrated approach in order tosupport the transition to systemsmanagement which is an ongoing

process of continuous improvementthat begins when the companycommits itself to managing by quality.The Model illuminates the elements

that form a base to the understanding of TQMphilosophy an d implementa tion of the processcompany-wide.

The Structure of TQMEX:The Logic of TQMEX:In order to have a systematic approach to TQM, it isnecessary to develop a conceptual model. Generally, amodel is a sequence of steps arranged logically to serveas a guideline for implementation of a process in orderto achieve the ultimate goal. The model should be simple,


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International Referred Research Journal, October,2010.ISSN- 0974-2832VoL.II *ISSUE-21logical and yet comprehensive enough for TQMimplementation. It also has to sustain the changes in

business environment of the new era. The Model alsoreflects teachings of the contemporary quality gurus.

The idea was to develop a universally applicable step-by-step guideline by including recognized practices inTQM: Japanese 5-S Practice (5-S) Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) Quality Control Circles (QCCs) ISO 9001/2 Quality Management System (ISO) TotalProductive Maintenance (TPM) As Osada pointed out,5-S is the key to total quality environment. Therefore,it should be the Step 1. BPR is concerned with re-defining and designing your business process in orderto meet the needs of your customers effectively. It ismore concerned with the business objectives andsystems, and should follow as Step 2. QCCs areconcerned with encouraging the employees to

participate in continuous improvement and guide themthrough. They improve human resources capability toachieve the business objectives. Therefore, this should

be Step 3. ISO 9000 is to develop a quality managementsystem based on the good practices in the previous threesteps. TPM is a result of applying 5-S to equipment basedon a sound quality management system. In fact ISO 9001requires procedures for process control and inspectionand testing equipment which are part of TPM.

Therefore TPM should be implemented in Step5.If the above five steps have been implementedsuccessfully, the organization is already very closetowards achieving TQM. TQMEX is a sequential modelwhich is easy to remember and simple to implement.

This is in line with the quality principle of Keep It Short

Tivoli Development Labs, the IBM team responsiblefor testing Tivoli software prior to its release. TivoliDevelopment Labs develops enterprise-class softwarethat supports numerous heterogeneous operating

system platforms. Each product undergoes extensive,mandatory testing across the supported platforms. Wehave to test every software product in a multiplicity ofenvironments to mitigate the risk of problems for ourcustomers, explains Phil Buckellew, program director,IBM Tivoli Development Labs. In 2004, the organizationlaunched an initiative to improve the quality andefficiency of its software release management process.Of greatest concern was the time and skill required to

build each test environment, from bare metal to fullinstallation. With more than 5,500 heterogeneousservers spread across the lab in Austin, Texas, there aretimes when some teams are not using servers and otherteams are scrambling to meet deadlines and could be

aided by more resources. A typical operating systemdeployment required between 1.5 to 2.5 hours. And

because this process was manual, the quality andconsistency of systems could vary depending on howclosely each tester followed the installation instructions.Manually configuring test environments resulted intesting delays and an inefficient use of both our staffand our system resources, says Buckellew. We neededto find a way to shrink the timeframe for testing so thatour product groups could go to market faster with high-quality software.Automating provisioning processes using bestpracticesThis would help testers ensure consistency in the test

environment and enable them to spend more time testingthe software to improve product quality.To achieve thisgoal, the organization implemented IBM TivoliProvisioning Manager software, an IBM IT OperationalManagement Product that is an integral part of IBM ITService Management. Tivoli Provisioning Managersoftware is installed on the IBM System x platformrunning Red Hat Linux, chosen because it offers a cost-effective platform with proven flexibility, scalability andsecurity. Through the use of Automation Packages,Tivoli Provisioning Manager software provided thedynamic workflows the team required to automaticallydrive provisioning operations based on best practicesand procedures. Due to the softwares flexibility, labstaff was able to integrate Tivoli Provisioning Managersoftware with several homegrown test environmenttools.This integration enables the organization toeffectively and efficiently install the vast number ofoperating system environments each software productmust be tested on.The openness of Tivoli ProvisioningManager makes it ideal for companies that have a finite

CASE STUDY

some of the steps should review what have not beendone and do it as their next step of improvement. Inorder to maximize your benefits from TQMEX, you haveto start early too.Overview: Automating information technology and

business processes is helping organizations worldwiderealize enormous savings. Consider, for example,Tivoli Development Labs, the IBM team responsiblefor testing Tivoli software prior to its release. TivoliDevelopment Labs develops enterprise-class softwarethat supports numerous 65 heterogeneous operatingsystem platforms.Why Become an On Demand Business?

and Simple (KISS), although it is notsimple to make a modelsimple!Companies starting toimplement TQM should followTQMEX step-by-step. Companieswhich have already gone throughsome degree of improvement using


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International Referred Research Journal, October,2010. ISSN- 0974-2832VoL.II *ISSUE-21list of technologies in their environments, as well assoftware development firms that may not know whattheyllneed to install next, say Buckellew.Additionally,Tivoli Provisioning Manager software provided the

security-rich features the organization needed to ensurethat changes to servers were made by only authorizedusers. We didnt want test teams provisioning serversthat were in use by other teams, adds Buckellew. TivoliProvisioning Manager helped us control who had accessto which servers.Consistent, cost-effective software deploymentUsing Tivoli Provisioning Manager software, TivoliDevelopment Labs has automated more than 800 tasksthat were once performed manually across 415 systems.This includes tasks for allocating and removing serversfrom the test environment; configuring servers;installing and uninstalling software and patches; and

performing bare-metal builds. Doing so has helped the

team minimize human errors, such as incorrectly settinga registry value or forgetting to remove an old file thatmay cause software conflict, and increase the accuracyof the testing environment.By employing IBM ITService Management software, weve been able to easilyimplement best practices for software provisioning,says Buckellew. This, in turn, is helping us better alignour testing processes with business goals andsignificantly improve operational efficiency.Savings to reach several million dollarsThe benefits realized through automation of

provisioning testing processes and uses of TivoliProvisioning Manager software have been enormous.The Tivoli Development Labs team reports that Phase

1 of the project resulted in a 94 percent reduction inattended time to provision software, with more than1,200 person-hours saved over the first seven monthsof the project.Tasks that once required several hours to

per form under constant supervision can now becompleted in just five minutes.And by freeing upresources from mundane tasks, testers have more timeto focus on product innovation and code quality.Ultimately, the organization estimates that the savingsassociated with maintaining the test infrastructure willreach more than $2 million a year as it expands use of thesolution to more labs. Faster, unattended installs allowour existing test teams to complete more tests in lesstime, says Buckellew.We can better utilize ourresources and cost-effectively deliver high-qualitysolutions to our customers as a resultKey Components - Software IBM Tivoli ProvisioningManagerServer IBM System x running Red Hat LinuxOn Demand Business Benefits Automating manual

processes improves operat ional efficiency, drivingexpected savings of more than $2 million a year Leveraging best practices drive greater consistency tohelp minimize human errors and speed the execution

and accuracy of the testing process Improving thereliability of the testing environment helps testersidentify the source of code defects more quickly andretest with confidenceQuality through standards -What is Quality?Quality is defined by the customer. A quality product orservice is one that meets customer requirements. Not allcustomers have the same requirements so twocontrasting products may both be seen as quality

products by their users.There are three main ways inwhich a business can create quality:

Market research involves abusiness in finding out whatits customers want andn

expect. It can be carried outwith a small group ofcustomers, asking them to

provide detailed informationabout products and services. The research should revealwhat the customer view of quality is and whether theyare getting it. Obtaining lots of information from a small

panel of customers is called qualitative research. Marketresearch can also be carried out with large numbers ofcustomers through questionnaires.This is calledquantitative research. Working to best practice standardsis another way an organization can create quality. IBMworks with industry specialists to create these standards.For example, it delivers the confidence of customers in a

business through BS 7799.This is the standard for acompanys management of information security. IBMdeveloped this standard in 1995 to establish best practicefor capturing, storing and handling data.This BritishStandard became the basis for the International StandardISO/IEC17799. Today companies worldwide are seekingcertification for their security management systems.Why is quality important?The most successful organizations are those that givecustomerswhat they want. Satisfied customers are loyalto those suppliers they feel best understand theirrequirements. As a result they will make repeat purchasesand will recommend a business to their friends. Thereare two main types of customers for a business: end customers - people like you and me, looking to buyan iPod or plasma screen television organizationalcustomers - for example, a company recording audioCDs would buy in blank CDs, record music to them andsell them on as a finished product. When you buy a

piece of electrical equipment, you will want to know alot of information about its specification.Obvious


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International Referred Research Journal, October,2010.ISSN- 0974-2832VoL.II *ISSUE-21information that you will be looking for include: Is it safe? Does it do what I want? Does it meet therequired standards?Businesses therefore benefit from working with IBM to

meet standards, because: Standards protect consumersfundamental right to safety, the r ight to be informed andthe right to choose. These rights relate to products,services, processes and materials.Standardization

promotes effective research and development, andmakes products easier to use. Standardization relies onall sections of society being involved in standards,

providing an opportunity for everyone to shareknowledge and make their voice heard.Businesses thatdo not focus on quality will quickly find that there arecosts to be paid. Examples of these costs include wastedue to products being badly made and therefore not

being able to sell them. The reputation of a business willquickly deteriorate as a result of poor quality work. It

is very important for UK businesses to be associatedwith quality. Today, there is greater competition fromabroad. Standards are continually changing so it isimportant for businesses to keep up.Implementing a quality system internalA system is a group of interrelated parts that make upa whole. A quality system therefore consists of parts(such as policies and processes) designed to ensurequality. A variety of organizations work with IBM tocreate standards for QMS. The standard specifiesrequirements for a QMS where an organization:i. needs to show that it can consistently provide productsthat: a) meet customer requirements b) meet any legalrequirements.ii. aims to improve customer satisfaction

as a result of applying the system. This includescontinually improving the system. ISO 9001 sets outeight quality management principles. These include:

any issues with IBM.2. Use supporting literature andsoftware tools to help understand, develop andimplement QMS.3.Involve top management (heavily)in developing a quality management plan. Typically a

Quality Manager will be responsible for the initiative.4.The Quality Manager can be trained in ways ofimplementing the standard.5.The QMS is then createdand put into practice.6.When the organization feelsconfident it is meeting the standard, it informs an assessor,who will assess the effectiveness of the QMS. If it meetsthe standard a certificate will be awarded. This is subjectto regular reviews.Implementing a quality system externalInternal systems are ones that are built inside anorganization. However, in addition, modern businessesneed to build external systems. External systems arethose that involve people outside the organization -e.g. suppliers.Today, many businesses have long supply

chains in which they source materials, parts and finishedgoods from across the globe. Take, for example, a modern

plasma screen television. Some of the components maycome from India, others from China, or Eastern Europeancountries. These separate components will then beassembled into a sub-assembly i.e. part of the finishedtelevision. This sub-assembly may take place in India,whilst a number of parts may then be transported anddelivered to a final assembly plant in Wales.This has ledto a change in attitude.Conclusion of Case StudyStandards meet changing market needs and are customerdriven. Businesses benefit from standards because theyestablish ground rules that help to guarantee

quality.Achieving certification to a standard might addreassurance for its customers and enables a businessto boost its sales performance.Consumers benefit

because their safety and their satisfaction are bothgreatly enhanced. Governments benefit because suchmeasures contribute to greater productivity andeconomic growth, and safer work, leisure and homeenvironments.IBM was the worlds first nationalstandards making body. Today it is the most prestigiousinternational standards institution. It works with theBritish government,manufacturers and otherstakeholders to create quality standards. Theseguarantee fitness for purpose, and help Britishmanufacturers to gain a competitive edge both in theUK and internationally. IBM assists British businessesin all markets to grow and to concentrate on meetingcustomers requirements.

1. HANDBOOK OF TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT, R.P.MOHANTY 2. TQM TOOLS AND TOOL KITS, J.ReVelle3. www.isixsigma.com 4. www.wikepedia.com 5. www.360-ibm.com 6. www.yeadoninc.com/diagram.gif 7. www.qaproject.org/images/scatterdiagram.gif

customer focusleadership -a commitment to quality bythe leaders of the organizationinvolvement of people -everyone in the organizationhaving a part to play makingsure that those processeswhich create quality arei d e n t i f i e d c o n t i n u a limprovement of the system.

In practical terms, organizations wishing to apply QMStake the following steps: 1. Read and understand thestandard. They read through the literature and discuss

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tqm case study of ibm

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