TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT IN A PRECISION MEASUREMENT EQUIPMENT LABORATORY (PMEL)

摘要

In today's Quality environment more emphasis is being placed on the customer. Management stresses quality, customer service, and teamwork. Yet, many of the workers are not able to practice Total Quality (TQ). One reason being corporate or workcenter goals do not reflect TQ principles, but are more result-oriented, placing more emphasis on numbers or production instead of creating a system in which TQ can flourish, improve quality, overall production, and reduce costs. In the case of Air Force PMELs, we as managers have always emphasized quality and customer service, yet set production goals or quotas creating a system that hampers quality and customer service. This paper describes the problems encountered and overcome by one PMEL that implemented TQ with one primary goal "Provide a quality product in a timely manner to support our customer".