Total Quality Management and Benchmarking

Economic liberalization and sweeping policy changes pursued by the Government of India since 1991 have transformed the business environment. The removal of trade barriers across various countries have posed new challenges for companies in India. Quality control has become a major strategic concern for companies. In the emerging scenario, the adoption of quality standards, like ISO: 9000, has gained special significance. This paper seeks to introduce the concept of Total Quality Management (TQM) and benchmarking and to evaluate ISO: 9000. The questionnaire-based study aims at measuring the quality maturity of IT companies in India. The study has revealed that mere getting a quality certification would not lead to improved performance and TQM implementation is necessary.