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Total Quality Management (TQM) for CMA Intermediate

Updated 10 October 2026 · Fact-checked

Total Quality Management (TQM) is a management approach in which every person and process in the organisation works continuously to meet customer needs and prevent defects. To answer exam questions, state the principles, link them to the quality gurus' ideas and the PDCA cycle, and add a short practical example.

Understand Total Quality Management (TQM)

Total Quality Management (TQM) is an organisation-wide approach to quality. Quality is not left to the inspection department. Every employee, from the shop floor to the top management, is responsible for it. The aim is to satisfy the customer and to keep improving, at the lowest possible cost of poor quality.

The word Total means all functions, all people and all stages, including suppliers and customers. The word Quality means fitness for use and meeting customer requirements. The word Management means that quality needs leadership, planning and resources. It is not just a technical job.

The main principles of TQM are:

Customer focus: the customer decides what quality is.
Leadership and top management commitment: leaders set direction and provide resources.
Total employee involvement: teams, training and empowerment.
Process approach: manage activities as processes; most defects come from the process, not the worker.
Continuous improvement (Kaizen): small, steady gains, never ending.
Fact-based decisions: use data and statistical tools.
Supplier partnership: treat suppliers as partners.
Prevention over detection: build quality in rather than inspect it in.

Three quality gurus are asked most often. W. Edwards Deming stressed that management is responsible for most quality problems, because most variation comes from the system. He gave 14 points for management and promoted the PDCA cycle. Joseph Juran defined quality as fitness for use. He gave the Quality Trilogy of quality planning, quality control and quality improvement, and used the Pareto principle of the vital few and the trivial many. Philip Crosby said quality is conformance to requirements. He promoted Zero Defects, the idea that quality is free, and the view that the cost of non-quality is what really hurts.

The PDCA cycle (Plan-Do-Check-Act), also called the Deming or Shewhart cycle, is the engine of continuous improvement. You plan a change, try it on a small scale, check the results, and then act by adopting it or revising it. Then the cycle starts again.

Key rules to remember

PDCA cycle: Plan → Do → Check → Act (then repeat); Plan: identify the problem and set the target. Do: implement on a small scale. Check: compare results with the plan. Act: standardise if it worked, otherwise revise.
Crosby's definition of quality: Quality = Conformance to requirements; Linked with Zero Defects and 'do it right the first time'.
Juran's definition of quality: Quality = Fitness for use; Linked with the Quality Trilogy: planning, control, improvement.
Juran's Quality Trilogy: Quality planning + Quality control + Quality improvement; Use it when asked for Juran's contribution.
Deming's main message: Most quality problems are due to the system (management), not the worker; Deming's 14 points are management principles. You do not need to memorise their exact order, but know the key ideas.

How to solve Total Quality Management (TQM) questions

Use this method for theory questions on TQM, such as 'explain', 'discuss' or 'compare'.

1Read the verb. 'Explain' needs a definition and points. 'Compare' needs a table-style or point-by-point answer. 'Discuss' needs points with reasons.
2Start with a one-line definition of TQM: organisation-wide, customer-focused, continuous improvement.
3List the relevant principles or the guru's ideas as short numbered points. Add one line of explanation to each.
4For gurus, give the core belief, the key tool or framework, and the definition of quality for each.
5If the question is about PDCA, name the four stages and describe what happens in each, using a simple example.
6Add a short Indian example, such as a manufacturing unit cutting rejection rates through PDCA.
7Close with a one-line benefit, such as lower cost of poor quality or higher customer satisfaction.

Quickest way: Guru-by-guru memory frame

When to use it: Use it when you must compare Deming, Juran and Crosby or write a quick 5-7 mark answer.

Write three labels: Deming, Juran, Crosby.
Next to each, write the key phrase: Deming: system and 14 points, PDCA. Juran: fitness for use, Trilogy, Pareto. Crosby: conformance to requirements, Zero Defects.
Add one line on who is blamed for defects: Deming blames the system. Juran stresses planning and improvement projects. Crosby stresses prevention and management attitude.
Expand each label into two or three sentences. Do not leave any column empty.
For PDCA, recall the words Plan, Do, Check, Act and write one action for each.

Common mistakes in Total Quality Management (TQM)

Mixing up the definitions of quality: giving 'fitness for use' for Crosby or 'conformance to requirements' for Juran.
Both phrases sound alike and students learn them without attaching them to a name.
Fix: Remember Juran = fitness for use (customer view). Crosby = conformance to requirements (specification view).
Writing PDCA stages in the wrong order or calling the last step 'Control' or 'Check' again.
Students confuse PDCA with the control cycle or with PDSA.
Fix: Say Plan, Do, Check, Act. Act means standardise the improvement or revise the plan.
Treating TQM as only inspection or statistical quality control.
Students link quality with the testing of finished goods.
Fix: Stress that TQM is a prevention-based, organisation-wide culture. Inspection is only one small part.
Listing principles without explanation, so the answer is only a list of words.
Students memorise headings under time pressure.
Fix: Add one explanatory line to each principle. Step marks go to explanation, not to the name alone.
Saying Deming blamed workers for defects.
Students assume quality gurus focus on workers.
Fix: Deming held that management and the system cause the majority of problems.
Attempting to write all 14 points of Deming from memory, with errors, in a short question.
Students try to reproduce the full list.
Fix: Group the points into themes: constant purpose, leadership, training, drive out fear, remove barriers, end slogans and quotas, and ongoing improvement. Write the ones you are sure of.

Worked examples

Example 1

Explain the PDCA cycle with a suitable example. (Short answer)

Show the solution

Define: PDCA is a four-stage, repeating cycle for continuous improvement, associated with Deming and Shewhart.
Plan: identify the problem, analyse causes and set a target. Example: a Pune auto-parts unit has 6% rejection in a machined component and sets a target of 3%.
Do: test the planned change on a small scale. The unit changes the tool-setting method on one machine.
Check: compare results with the target. The rejection rate on that machine is measured against the old rate.
Act: if the change works, standardise it across all machines and train operators. If not, revise the plan and repeat.
Conclude: the cycle never ends, so each improvement becomes the base for the next one.

Answer: PDCA is a repeating cycle of Plan, Do, Check and Act. It lets an organisation test changes on a small scale, verify the result and then standardise what works, which drives continuous improvement.

Example 2

Compare the quality philosophies of Deming, Juran and Crosby. (Descriptive answer)

Show the solution

Introduce: all three are quality gurus whose ideas form the basis of TQM, but their emphasis differs.
Deming: management is responsible for most problems because variation comes from the system. He gave 14 points for management and promoted the PDCA cycle for continuous improvement.
Juran: quality is fitness for use, judged by the customer. He proposed the Quality Trilogy of planning, control and improvement, and used the Pareto principle to focus on the vital few problems.
Crosby: quality is conformance to requirements. He promoted Zero Defects and 'do it right the first time', and argued that quality is free because the cost of non-quality is greater than the cost of prevention.
Contrast: Deming emphasises the system and statistical thinking, Juran emphasises customer fitness and structured improvement projects, and Crosby emphasises prevention and a zero-defect attitude.
Conclude: all three agree on top management commitment and on prevention rather than inspection.

Answer: Deming: system, 14 points, PDCA. Juran: fitness for use, Quality Trilogy, Pareto. Crosby: conformance to requirements, Zero Defects, quality is free. All three stress management commitment and prevention.

Exam tips

Expect both MCQs and short theory. For MCQs, match each phrase to its guru: fitness for use (Juran), Zero Defects (Crosby), 14 points (Deming). There is no negative marking, so always attempt every MCQ.
In written answers, use a small comparison table-style layout of points for the gurus. Examiners reward clear structure.
Always draw or describe the PDCA cycle as four labelled steps with one action each, and add an example.
Link TQM to Kaizen, ISO standards and cost of quality when the question allows. This shows wider understanding.
Keep the answer to the marks. A short question needs 4-5 sharp points. A long question needs definition, principles, example and conclusion.

Practice questions from Productivity Management and Quality Management

Total Quality Management (TQM) in other exams

The same ground in other exams, if you are preparing for more than one or want another angle on it.

CMA FinalConcept of Quality and Total Quality Management

Total Quality Management (TQM): frequently asked questions

What is the difference between TQM and quality control?

Quality control detects defects by inspecting and testing products. TQM is a wider culture that prevents defects through involvement of all employees, process improvement and customer focus. Quality control is one part of TQM.

What are the stages of the PDCA cycle?

The stages are Plan, Do, Check and Act. You plan a change, implement it on a small scale, check the results against the plan, and then standardise it or revise it. The cycle then repeats.

How do Deming, Juran and Crosby differ?

Deming focuses on the system and management responsibility, with his 14 points and PDCA. Juran defines quality as fitness for use and gives the Quality Trilogy. Crosby defines quality as conformance to requirements and promotes Zero Defects.

Do I need to memorise all 14 points of Deming?

It is safer to know the main themes than to rely on exact wording. Examples are constant purpose for improvement, leadership, training, driving out fear, breaking down barriers and continuous improvement. Write the ones you are sure of with a short explanation.