Re: where can I find the definition of TQM ?

[BCoop1116@aol.com]

Rick and Phil were very close to the orgination of  the term "TQM" at least 
in DOD.

We in the Department of Defense were coming out of the "productivity 
movement" and were looking for something else that made sense from a 
leadership and management concept for the Naval Depots around the country.  

I had met Dr. Deming at a seminar I had attended and got interested in what 
he was doing and what he had to say.  At that time I headed an organization 
of 4400 people and we had some some severe problems in quality and production 
costs.

We initiated a few efforts using Dr Demings theories and they worked so as 
Phil Monroe indicated we wanted to export it to the other depots.  

We met in Pax river maryland to talk about how we were going to increase 
quality and decrease costs.   Enter North Island and Dr. Deming.  We had 
shown it worked now the hard part of getting it accepted.  We were in a room 
and we all agreed that we had to call it some somthing. We tried a few things 
and then Nancy said how about "total quality management".  We agreed and 
walked out of the room and begin the selling job in the Department of 
Defense.  Nancy used this term because we all had read "total quality 
control" and we figured we would be close and still be different.

In the Government as well as other places I have been new things have to have 
new names and sound different even if it has been done before.

Bill Cooper
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