Total Quality Management (TQM)
Total Quality Management is a managerial approach used by pharmaceutical manufacturers in ensuring pharmaceutical products meets the required quality with regard to their uses. It is a potentially beneficial approach to manufacturing pharmaceutical products, as it ensures they exceed customers' expectations in relation to quality standards, efficiency and also effectiveness.
Pharmaceutical manufacturers play a key role in the system of health care and for that case, they are heavily regulated by the relevant authorities since; any slight mistakes in pharmaceuticals manufacturing can have fatal consequences. In this case, pharmaceutical manufacturers need to maintain and improve continuously on their products through Total Quality management system process implementation.
1) Major Components of the TQM Approach
• Customer Focus: It is beneficial to recognize product consumers.
• Involvement of Employees: All employees are involved in the quality production process, and so they should as well take part in the innovation and improvement of quality.
• Constant Improvement: The mission for quality is an endless process in which individuals are constantly attempting to improve on the product's features.
2) TQM Implementation in Pharmaceuticals
TQM can be difficult to accomplish and maintain whether an organization is endeavoring to retain its quality of products or be in line with regulations from the respective authorities. It can't be effectively accomplished without the significant and relevant resources like funds and workforce.
TQM is a strategy through which managers, as well as employees, can be engaged in the constant process of quality improvement of products. It is a blend of value and managerial techniques focused on business expansion and reduction of losses because of inefficient practices.
3) Benefits of Total Quality Management
TQM is the coordination of management efforts with the intention of improving on quality at all levels within the organization. Thus, the TQM approach has various benefits. It comes with monetary benefits which incorporate lowered costs of production, increased investment and sales profits, and also the power to increase product prices to the quality involved.
Additional benefits may incorporate facilitated entry to worldwide markets, higher client maintenance levels, development of new innovations within a short period, and good company reputation.
Just a few organizations implement the TQM approach on the grounds that a powerful program actualization is time-consuming and costly. In any case, organizations with the appropriate assets may gain upper hands in their enterprises by actualizing the TQM.
4) Cause of Failure in TQM Implementation
TQM has yielded tremendous monetary benefits in various pharmaceutical manufacturers, while struggles for quality fizzled and yielded peripheral outcomes in some different manufactures.
Following are reasons which can be behind a failed TQM implementation process:
• Concentrating solely on momentary financial related outcomes while turning a blind eye on the improvement of systems (Improvement on quality calls for a change of thought in the management of the basic systems).
• Managers' interference in teamwork,
• Unclear strategies and procedures,
• Failure to understand the TQM approach, and inadequate training as well as insufficient education resources