What Are TQM Tools?
Key Terms
- TQM Tools
- Statistical, analytical, and process-improvement techniques used within a Total Quality Management system to identify defects, analyse root causes, measure process performance, and drive continuous improvement. Originally developed in post-war Japan through the work of Deming, Juran, and Ishikawa, these tools form the analytical backbone of quality management in manufacturing, healthcare, and service industries worldwide.
Kaoru Ishikawa — one of the founding fathers of TQM — identified seven basic quality tools that he believed any worker could learn and use without specialist statistical training. These “Q7” tools remain the foundation of quality improvement practice today.
The Seven Basic TQM Tools (Ishikawa’s Q7)
| Tool | Purpose | Best Used For |
|---|---|---|
| Fishbone Diagram | Map potential causes of a problem by category | Brainstorming root causes across multiple cause streams |
| Pareto Chart | Identify the 20% of causes producing 80% of problems | Prioritising which problems to address first |
| Control Chart | Monitor process variation over time | Distinguishing common cause from special cause variation |
| Histogram | Show distribution of process data | Understanding process capability and spread |
| Scatter Diagram | Show relationship between two variables | Testing whether one factor influences another |
| Check Sheet | Collect structured, real-time data at source | Frequency counting of defect types or occurrences |
| Flow Chart / Process Map | Visualise process steps and decision points | Understanding current state and identifying waste |
How TQM Tools Fit Into the Improvement Cycle
TQM tools are most powerful when embedded in a structured improvement cycle rather than used in isolation. The PDCA cycle provides the container:
- ►Plan: Use Fishbone, Pareto, and 5 Whys to identify and prioritise root causes
- ►Do: Implement countermeasure; use Check Sheets to collect performance data
- ►Check: Use Control Charts and Histograms to verify improvement
- ►Act: Standardise the improvement; update procedures and training
Related Quality and Process Improvement Resources
- ►Fishbone Diagram: Root Cause Analysis in Detail
- ►Plan Do Check Act: The Continuous Improvement Cycle
- ►5 Whys: Drilling to Root Cause
- ►Problem Solving Strategies: Choosing the Right Tool
The following section contains our original guide to TQM tools for problem solving.
TQM tools have been around for more than 50 years, and revolutionised the concept of quality and process conformity. They are still used today, and successful companies appreciate that building quality into the process is the only way to be competitive.
More than just quality control
Quality control traditionally focused on 100% inspection. That is, the Inspection process catches the rejects at the end of the line or process, before the product gets shipped to the customer.
The problem is, 100% inspection is only 70% efficient. There are guaranteed to be parts that get through the net and passed onto the customer!
Add to this, it is argued that in most cases, and unless the customer specifically requires it, inspection is Non Value Add.Prevention is better than cure
It makes sense, therefore to focus on building quality into every process, whereby it is each operator’s task to pass quality product onto the next customer in the process.
Stop the line authority is critical, whereby the operators should be able to stop production to highlight a fault, address that fault as a team, and then eliminate the issue, carrying on with production only when the issues has been resolved.
Measuring process performance is also critical then– understanding real time performance allows management and operators to address those issues and defects instantly or as close to this as possible.
Strategic
TQM tools and their implementation, capitalises on the involvement of management, workforce, suppliers, and even customers, in order to meet or exceed customer expectations, building quality into the process.
Some specialists highlight nine common TQM practices being:
- ►cross-functional product design,
- ►process management,
- ►supplier quality management,
- ►customer involvement,
- ►information and feedback,
- ►committed leadership,
- ►strategic planning,
- ►cross-functional training,
- ►Employee involvement.
Culture, Culture, Culture…
Like any strategy, it works if it becomes embedded into the fabric of the firm. This takes time and patience and indeed effort. Perseverance will eventually pay and slowly but surely, TQM principles will systematically be utilised on a day to day basis, driving problems out of the business for good.
Effective TQM should be seen as not a system but a way of working, which identifies quality problems before they happen, and on the odd occasion when issues and defects do arise (hey, nothing’s perfect!), they are quickly identified at source, contained, so they are not passed to the customer, and then systematically eradicated to prevent reoccurrence.
TQM Tools
In true nature of preventing rather than curing problems, some of the most popularly used TQM Tools are as follows:
- ►Checklists
- ►Fishbone Diagrams
- ►Histogram charts
- ►Pareto Diagrams
- ►PDCA Cycle (Which TQM is built around)
- ►Process Flow Charts
- ►Process Control Chart