Quality Is Just the Beginning: Managing for Total Responsiveness

In this challenge to mainstream thinking on Total Quality Management and related concepts, Steve Levit argues that product quality and customer satisfaction - although praiseworthy initiatives - are insufficient as corporate goals. To achieve wide-ranging business transformation, front-line decision makers must focus on improved responsiveness both inside and outside the organization. This thought-provoking guide shows them how to adopt a new responsiveness paradigm that encompasses quality, cycle time, teams, and other key variables, all in proper proportion. Aimed at managers involved in improvement initiatives, "Quality Is Just the Beginning" outlines five breakthrough steps to help readers critically examine a range of productivity enhancement programmes - including TQM, JIT, and QFD - and to ultimately build and implement a responsiveness-based programme that is right for them.