What are the 8 primary principles of TQM and how do they apply to service industries?

All answers to this question.

Applying TQM to SaaS is actually quite natural if you focus on the "Process-Centered" and "Fact-Based Decision Making" principles. Instead of physical defects, you track "bugs per release" or "downtime minutes." In 2024, our dev team adopted "Total Employee Involvement" by having developers join customer support calls. This created a direct feedback loop that improved software quality more than any automated testing tool ever did. When everyone feels responsible for the user experience, the silos break down, and you see a massive spike in your Net Promoter Score. Quality isn't just for widgets!

   Answered 2025-01-05 by Linda Thompson

Does the "Integrated System" principle in TQM require us to use a specific software like Jira, or is it more about the communication flow between departments?

   Answered 2025-02-12 by Richard Foster

• Richard, it's definitely more about the flow. While Jira helps, an "Integrated System" means your sales promises align perfectly with what the engineering team is actually building.

     Commented 2025-02-20 by David Vance

The "Customer-Focused" pillar is the most critical for SaaS. If your UI is hard to use, your quality is low, regardless of how clean your backend code is.

   Answered 2025-03-05 by Barbara Kelly

• Exactly, Barbara. In the service world, quality is defined entirely by the customer's perception of value, not just the technical specifications of the product.

     Commented 2025-03-12 by Sarah Jenkins