Chambers D W
Academic Affairs, School of Dentistry, University of the Pacific, San Francisco 94115, USA.
J Am Coll Dent. 1998 Summer;65(2):6-13.
This is an introduction to the major concepts in total quality management, a loose collection of management approaches that focus on continuous improvement of processes, guided by routine data collection and adjustment of the processes. Customer focus and involvement of all members of an organization are also characteristics commonly found in TQM. The seventy-five-year history of the movement is sketched from its beginning in statistical work on quality assurance through the many improvements and redefinitions added by American and Japanese thinkers. Essential concepts covered include: control cycles, focus on the process rather than the defects, the GEAR model, importance of the customer, upstream quality, just-in-time, kaizen, and service quality.
这是对全面质量管理中主要概念的介绍，全面质量管理是一系列管理方法的松散集合，这些方法注重在常规数据收集和流程调整的引导下持续改进流程。以客户为中心以及组织所有成员的参与也是全面质量管理的常见特征。这场运动长达75年的历史，从其在质量保证统计工作中的起源开始，一直到美国和日本思想家所做的诸多改进和重新定义，都一一进行了概述。涵盖的重要概念包括：控制周期、关注流程而非缺陷、GEAR模型、客户的重要性、上游质量、准时制、持续改善以及服务质量。
