Concepts of Engineering
and Technology
Functional Teams:
Teamwork Through TQM
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2012. All rights reserved.
What Is TQM Anyway?
 TQM
was initially developed by Dr. W.
Edward Deming.
 Dr. Deming was instrumental in developing the
quality control techniques used during WWII.
 After the war, General McArthur had Deming
go to Japan and helped Japan rebuild their
industrial leadership techniques.
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2012. All rights reserved.
What Is TQM Anyway?



Simply put TQM states:
“The process must ensure
that the product or service is
perfect before its finished.”
It also states: “That quality is
determined by the customer.”
What do the terms
process, customer, and
quality mean?
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2012. All rights reserved.
Defining Process:
A
“process” is
defined as, “an
integration of people,
material, methods,
and machines used to
produce, with value
added, output for
customers.”
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Defining Process: Continued
What the process entails
is IMMATERIAL!
 Nowhere does TQM say
you must use a specific
format or chart.
 There is only one
determining factor: Does
it work?

Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2012. All rights reserved.
Defining Customers:
The people (or person)
for whom the output
(product or service) is
being produced.
 Customers are the people
who will use the output
directly or who will take
it as an input into their
work process.

Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2012. All rights reserved.
Defining Quality:
 There
have been many definitions used over the
centuries for quality.
 Transcendent: People will know quality when
they see it.
 Manufacture-Based: “Conformance to
requirements.” Made to specifics, any deviation
from plan is bad. Cost is factored in product
cost.
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2012. All rights reserved.
Defining Quality: Continued

Quality as defined by
TQM: “Quality is
determined by the
customer.”
Which means it is
immaterial what you or
the team want.
 What our customers
want is what matters.

Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2012. All rights reserved.
Defining Quality: Continued


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The program’s customers are
post-secondary schools,
industry, and students.
Common sense must apply in
education.
Once a student takes
ownership in their class, they
can become a valid resources
for class processes and
projects.
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TQM & Teams
 Teams:
A group of people pooling knowledge,
skills, and talents to attain a common goal or
shared purpose.
 Simple rule of thumb to determine team success:
If the individual could have done better alone
than with the team’s results, then everyone on
the team failed.
 Developing effective teams takes TIME!
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Four Stages of Team Development
 FORMING:
The first instance a team is
together. They have little to no understanding of
goals or acceptance of one another. Interpersonal
communication is low-level and sporadic.
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Four Stages of Team Development
 STORMING: When
the first conflicts arise.
Members are defensive and competitive. Power
struggles develop at this point.
 The fastest way out of these first stages is with
mid-level communication, pre-planning, and
mutual respect.
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Four Stages of Team Development
 NORMING:
This stage occurs when members
become more comfortable with themselves. This
also is triggered by their first success, a sense of
cohesion develops. Trusting in one another
begins.
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Four Stages of Team Development
 PERFORMING:
This is the highest level of
teamwork. All members are openly supportive of
each other as well as openly expressive. The team
quickly resolves disagreements. Intuitive
reactions between members occurs.
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Four Stages of Team Development
 The
signs of a successful journey to reach the
fourth stage needs the following actions:
• Upper management commitment
• Monetary capability or fiscal responsibility
• High level of interpersonal skills developed
• Well established and dedicated workforce
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2012. All rights reserved.
Four Stages of Team Development
A
TQM process used industry-wide.
 Many different variances of this process are used
like 5S(Japan) and Six Sigma (Motorola). All
are based on the TQM theory.
 This process can be developed into a skill set in
which an employable worker is created who
craves continuous improvement as a matter of
course.
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