Managing quality improvement

The purpose of this paper is to provide a guide to managers and academics who wish to explore the topic of managing quality improvement. We begin by providing a brief overview and evaluation of three decision tools for quality management: Cost of Quality, Direct Measures of Quality, and Revenue and Cost of Quality. Next we describe the philosophy and techniques of the Japanese and the three quality management experts: Following this, we provide a framework for evaluating the different approaches to quality management. Finally, we suggest some guidelines for designing a program for managing quality improvement.