WGU C215 Study Guide: Total Quality Management &
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Competency 1: Quality Management Methods
CHAPTER 5 STUDY GUIDE - TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT
Key Concepts – (As you review the chapter make notes by answering each of the questions)
What is the Total Quality Management (TQM) philosophy?
What characterizes TQM is the focus on identifying root causes of quality problems and
correcting them at the source, as opposed to inspecting the product after it has been
made.
Not only does TQM encompass the entire organization but it stresses that quality is
customer driven. TQM attempts to embed quality in every aspect of the organization.
It is concerned with the technical aspects of quality as well as the involvement of
people in quality, such as customers, company employees, and suppliers.
What are the five definitions of quality?
1. Conformance To Specifications How well a product or service meets the targets
and tolerances determined by its designers.
2. Fitness For Use A definition of quality that evaluates how well the product
performs for its intended use.
3. Value For Price Paid Quality defined in terms of product or service usefulness for
the price paid.
4. Support Services Quality defined in terms of the support provided after the
product or service is purchased.
5. Psychological Criteria A subjective definition that focuses on the judgmental
evaluation of what constitutes product or service quality. A way of defining quality
that focuses on judgmental evaluations of what constitutes product or service
excellence.
What are the differences of quality between Manufacturing Quality and Service (Quality)
Organizations?
Manufacturing: Focuses on tangible product features (can be seen, touched, directly managed)
Service: Produces intangible products that must be experienced (cannot be seen or touched)
,Manufacturing Service Organizations
Conformance to specifications Intangible factors
Performance Consistency
Reliability Responsiveness to customer needs
Features Courtesy/friendliness
Durability Timeliness/promptness
,Serviceability Atmosphere
Cost of defects (External Failure Costs and Defects)
, What are the different quality standards outlined in the text and what does each represent?
ISO 9000 A set of international quality standards and a certification demonstrating that
companies have met all the standards specified.
ISO 26000 A set of international standards developed to help organizations evaluate
and address their social responsibility.
ISO 14000 A set of international standards and a certification focusing on a company’s
environmental responsibility.
Who are the quality gurus and what were their contributions to the TQM concept?
Quality Guru Main Contribution
Walter A. Shewhart –Contributed to understanding of
process variability.
–Developed concept of statistical control
charts.
W. Edwards Deming –Stressed management’s responsibility for
quality.
–Developed “14 Points” to guide companies
in quality improvement.
Joseph M. Juran –Defined quality as “fitness for use.”
–Developed concept of cost of quality.
Armand V. Feigenbaum –Introduced concept of total quality control.
Philip B. Crosby –Coined phrase “quality is free.”
–Introduced concept of zero defects.
Kaoru Ishikawa –Developed cause-and-effect diagrams.
–Identified concept of “internal customer.”
Genichi Taguchi –Focused on product design quality.
–Developed Taguchi loss function.
What are the seven quality control tools management uses to analyze quality problems?
Make sure to highlight how each tool can be used.
Cause-and-effect diagrams identify potential causes of particular quality problems.
They are often called fishbone diagrams because they look like the bones of a fish. The
“head” of the fish is the quality problem, such as damaged zippers on a garment or
broken valves on a tire. The diagram is drawn so that the “spine” of the fish connects
the “head” to the possible cause of the problem. These causes could be related to the
machines, workers, measurement, suppliers, materials, and many other aspects of the
production process. Each of these possible causes can then have smaller “bones”
addressing specific issues that relate to each cause. For example, a problem with
machines could be due to a need for adjustment, old equipment, or tooling problems.
Similarly, a problem with
Capacity Planning Insights | Actual verified study
complete Solutions | 2026 Updates | 100% correct
Competency 1: Quality Management Methods
CHAPTER 5 STUDY GUIDE - TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT
Key Concepts – (As you review the chapter make notes by answering each of the questions)
What is the Total Quality Management (TQM) philosophy?
What characterizes TQM is the focus on identifying root causes of quality problems and
correcting them at the source, as opposed to inspecting the product after it has been
made.
Not only does TQM encompass the entire organization but it stresses that quality is
customer driven. TQM attempts to embed quality in every aspect of the organization.
It is concerned with the technical aspects of quality as well as the involvement of
people in quality, such as customers, company employees, and suppliers.
What are the five definitions of quality?
1. Conformance To Specifications How well a product or service meets the targets
and tolerances determined by its designers.
2. Fitness For Use A definition of quality that evaluates how well the product
performs for its intended use.
3. Value For Price Paid Quality defined in terms of product or service usefulness for
the price paid.
4. Support Services Quality defined in terms of the support provided after the
product or service is purchased.
5. Psychological Criteria A subjective definition that focuses on the judgmental
evaluation of what constitutes product or service quality. A way of defining quality
that focuses on judgmental evaluations of what constitutes product or service
excellence.
What are the differences of quality between Manufacturing Quality and Service (Quality)
Organizations?
Manufacturing: Focuses on tangible product features (can be seen, touched, directly managed)
Service: Produces intangible products that must be experienced (cannot be seen or touched)
,Manufacturing Service Organizations
Conformance to specifications Intangible factors
Performance Consistency
Reliability Responsiveness to customer needs
Features Courtesy/friendliness
Durability Timeliness/promptness
,Serviceability Atmosphere
Cost of defects (External Failure Costs and Defects)
, What are the different quality standards outlined in the text and what does each represent?
ISO 9000 A set of international quality standards and a certification demonstrating that
companies have met all the standards specified.
ISO 26000 A set of international standards developed to help organizations evaluate
and address their social responsibility.
ISO 14000 A set of international standards and a certification focusing on a company’s
environmental responsibility.
Who are the quality gurus and what were their contributions to the TQM concept?
Quality Guru Main Contribution
Walter A. Shewhart –Contributed to understanding of
process variability.
–Developed concept of statistical control
charts.
W. Edwards Deming –Stressed management’s responsibility for
quality.
–Developed “14 Points” to guide companies
in quality improvement.
Joseph M. Juran –Defined quality as “fitness for use.”
–Developed concept of cost of quality.
Armand V. Feigenbaum –Introduced concept of total quality control.
Philip B. Crosby –Coined phrase “quality is free.”
–Introduced concept of zero defects.
Kaoru Ishikawa –Developed cause-and-effect diagrams.
–Identified concept of “internal customer.”
Genichi Taguchi –Focused on product design quality.
–Developed Taguchi loss function.
What are the seven quality control tools management uses to analyze quality problems?
Make sure to highlight how each tool can be used.
Cause-and-effect diagrams identify potential causes of particular quality problems.
They are often called fishbone diagrams because they look like the bones of a fish. The
“head” of the fish is the quality problem, such as damaged zippers on a garment or
broken valves on a tire. The diagram is drawn so that the “spine” of the fish connects
the “head” to the possible cause of the problem. These causes could be related to the
machines, workers, measurement, suppliers, materials, and many other aspects of the
production process. Each of these possible causes can then have smaller “bones”
addressing specific issues that relate to each cause. For example, a problem with
machines could be due to a need for adjustment, old equipment, or tooling problems.
Similarly, a problem with
