Total Quality Management : Application to Libraries and Information systems

Abstract

Total Quality Management (TQM) is a people-focused management system that aims at continual increase in customer satisfaction at continually lower real cost. It is not a tool in itself, but simple and useful tools and techniques of Statistical Process Control (SPC) form an essential part of TQM exercises. Of various tools and techniques, the author has described three, i.e. Process flow diagram, Pareto diagram and Cause-effect diagram, mentioning about their applications and advantages in management of libraries and information centres. These three techniques are simple in approach and application. There are other techniques of TQM, which can also be used in library environment but needs statistical computations.