TQM is a relatively new acronym which means Total Quality Management. Overseeing and enforcing quality standards requires company-specific configuration, which is the opposite structure of most software applications. Therefore, most companies have several software systems to manage the quality of their products and/or services. Using a disconnected system to control quality can cause many problems. The same data needs to be entered in multiple times, leaving room for errors and high level data is impossible to evaluate. Because comparing data in each area (or location) is crucial to understanding quality issues so that they can be corrected, a system that does not allow accurate data evaluation is pointless.

Conceptually, TQM is meant to manage all quality issue and corrective procedures within one software package. Although this is a logical structure, it is rarely implemented as such because very few software systems are flexible enough to work with a business’s quality control processes. Most software write “best practices” for each industry into the software, forcing all who user it to adhere to their idea of how quality should be managed. It’s true that best practices can improve failing businesses, but most companies have unique procedures that have been perfected for their facility. These processes give each company an edge over their competition and must be embraced by the system, not replaced by generic processes. Also, in most circumstances, each facility requires key structural elements, without which the system will not fail to meet their needs and thus be rejected be the end users.

So what type of TQM system is the best? Custom software is one possibility, but it is expensive and takes years to develop. Custom TQM is also difficult to upgrade. Agile TQM Systems, are tailored to allow businesses to address their specific requirements and successfully implement the system. Because each system is configurable, every business can use the software to manage their quality issues, no matter how specialized their operations are.