Information and communication technology supported total quality management

Creating value for the customer through quality is accepted as an important component of the competitive strategy of firms throughout the world. Its relevance and significance is well reflected by the importance attached to the "quality imperative" not only by firms but also by governments, international agencies, and business associations. The breakthrough gains that can be made through a well-implemented TQM program have prompted the development of award systems such as the Deming Prize, the Baldrige Award, the European Quality Award the Japanese Quality Award, and the Australian Quality Award, which also serve as frameworks for self assessment and improvement. The objectives of this paper are two fold. Firstly, based on a study of popular quality frameworks an integrated approach for assessing quality management practices at the firm level is proposed. Explicit attention is then paid to the role that information and communication technologies (ICT) can play in upgrading quality management practices. ICT is seen as an enabler that, through its influence on the elements of the proposed framework, can accelerate the movement of a firm towards ICT supported quality management and strengthen a firm's operative technological capability.