UNITED NATIONS INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION
Trade Capacity-building Branch
Vienna International Centre, P.O. Box 300, 1400 Vienna, Austria
Telephone: (+43-1) 26026-0, Fax: (+43-1) 26926-69
E-mail: , Internet:
Printed in Austria
V.06-59455—February 2007—200
UNITED NATIONS
INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION
An e-learning Manual for Implementing Total Quality Management
Volume 1
A Roadmap to Quality—Volume 1

UNITED NATIONS INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION
Vienna, 2007
A Roadmap to Quality
An e-learning Manual for Implementing
Total Quality Management
Volume 1
This publication has not been formally edited.
Contents
Foreword
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Overview
Trainer guidelines
Introduction to TQM
Origins
Needs analysis
Glossary
Module One: Leadership

UNIDO, who was preceded as co-ordinator by Dr. Bernardo Calzadilla-Sarmiento,
then Project Manager, Quality, Standardization and Metrology Branch, UNIDO.
A Roadmap to Quality has been developed with valuable assistance and support provided
by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry as a part of its technical cooperation
programme in the field of standards and conformity assessment, and by the Japanese
Standards Association.
All the TQM source materials were produced by the Japanese Standards Association (JSA).
Valuable contributions were made to the development of this publication by Mr. Terry
Kawamura, Senior Chief Expert on Business Excellence, JSA, and Mr. Ichiro Miyauchi,
TQM Expert, and by several local experts from ASEAN member countries Thailand, the
Philippines and Brunei.
The source materials were edited and arranged by Mr. Malachy Scullion, UNIDO Consultant
Editor, who also devised and wrote the learning activities and supporting materials.
The development of the website was coordinated by Professor Sundeep Sahay of the
Department of Informatics at the University of Oslo, and the site was designed and set up
by Mr. Knut Staring and Mr. Jon Myrseth of the same department.
The graphic design and layout of the print version was carried out by Ms. Ritu Khanna and
Ms. Navkala Roy of Write Media in New Delhi.
The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of an
opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization
concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the
delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Mention of firms or commercial products does not imply endorsement
by UNIDO.
Copyright © United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)
and Japanese Standards Association (JSA),
2005 - All rights reserved

Introduction
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A Roadmap to Quality Introduction

United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Japanese Standards
Association (JSA) provide a low-cost solution: a comprehensive TQM training and
implementation package that will enable SMEs to implement TQM themselves – within the
limits of their own resources, and by drawing on the capabilities of their own staff. A
member of staff can be assigned as a facilitator to study selected units, and then lead
colleagues in discussing these materials and preparing systematic TQM implementation
plans. Facilitators should have a sound knowledge of their industry and basic facilitator
Introduction
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A Roadmap to Quality Introduction
3
skills, but need not have a great deal of familiarity with TQM. Staff in training institutes will
find that they can use the materials to assist local companies to plan and implement TQM.
2. Key features
A Roadmap to Quality has three key features that enable it to provide this kind of support:
• It is an e-learning programme distributed free over the Internet. Any company,
however small, can simply register and download the entire training programme without
making any payment. The special features of the web and CD versions, with pop-up word
definitions, graphics windows, automatic cross-referencing, and a self-testing system
make it easy for facilitators and trainers to select and prepare a TQM implementation
course for groups of employees in their company, or in their training institute.
• It is company-centred. It is designed to enable companies to implement TQM in their
specific and concrete situation, using only the resources they have. The 160 short texts
are each followed by two learning tools: Discussion and Action Plan. The Discussion
questions focus participants on how the ideas in the text can be applied to their
company. The Action Plan gives them a framework for preparing well structured and
concrete plans to implement these ideas. A Roadmap to Quality can therefore be used
by companies with a few employees, or by those with hundreds. It can be used in
different industrial sectors and in different countries and cultures. It can be used as part
of a company-wide programme to introduce TQM throughout the organization, or a few

4. Managers: Managing people
Module Two: The work environment
5. Disposal and storage
6. Hygiene and health
7. Safety
Module Three: Systems and tools
8. Standardization
9. Problem Solving
10. QC Circles
11. Statistical methods
12. Education and training
Module Four: Production and sales
13. Production control
14. Process control
15. Inspection
16. Management of facilities & equipment
17. Measurement control
18. External suppliers
19. After-sales service
20. Product design and development
5. Unit structure
Each unit consists of:
• Several texts, each with discussion questions and the writing of an action plan.
• Graphics: sample forms, tables and charts.
• Glossary links in the web version.
• A multiple-choice interactive test.
• ISO references (in most units).
Texts: There are an average of eight short texts per unit, each presenting a different sub-
topic of the unit’s main theme. They vary in length and detail depending on the nature of
the sub-topic: some are half a page and quite simple, others are two pages and detailed.

2. Proposals: Your proposals for improvement.
a. Be specific and concrete.
b. Include an implementation plan, with a time schedule and minimum and optimal
implementation targets.
c. Refer to any forms, charts or tables that you would use, and include samples in an
appendix.
3. Obstacles: Obstacles to implementation in employee attitudes, company organization
and culture etc., and how these might be overcome.
4. Resources:
a. The resources required: funds, equipment, materials, man-hours, expertise etc.
b. The resources available within the company.
c. Any resources that would have to be found outside the company.
d. Alternatives that could be used to cover any shortfall in resources.
5. Assessment: Ways of assessing the results of implementing these proposals.
6. Benefits: The benefits your proposals would bring.
A Roadmap to Quality Introduction
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Graphics: A Roadmap to Quality has over 200 sample forms, tables and charts. These
provide concrete examples of how the guidelines can be implemented. Many can be copied
and adapted for company use.
Glossary: All of the TQM terms used in the 20 units are presented with clear definitions in a
glossary that can be accessed on the website or the CD, whether centrally through an
alphabetical index, or in pop-up windows in the texts. It may also be printed out as a
PDF file.
Interactive test: Each unit has a multiple-choice test with an average of 35 questions. This
allows participants to check for themselves how well they can recall the contents of specific
texts, or of the whole unit. On the website and CD this test is interactive, allowing
participants to automatically receive their own scores.
ISO references: This section presents the relationship of most units to ISO standards.

Registration: A Roadmap to Quality is delivered online at www.e4pq.org/tqm. You can
Origins of A Roadmap to Quality: a brief description of the ASEAN/Japan/TQM
• Pop-up windows showing the graphics referred to in the text.
• Pop-up definitions of TQM terminology.
• Pop-up windows of each text paragraph referred to in the Discussion.
Printing: All the materials are professionally laid out in an attractive PDF format. These can
be printed out from the website and photocopied for use in training courses. You can also
compile them in a loose-leaf folder as your own training manual, using the attractive
coloured cover page that is provided.
User forum: This is structured in relation to the 20 units of the Roadmap, and with
reference to different industrial sectors. If users meet some challenges in implementing the
guidelines in a specific text in their field of business, they can present this to other users from
the same sector, and find out how they have dealt with it. Or if a company has been
particularly successful with some specific implementation they can share this too with similar
companies.
7. Deciding to introduce TQM
The commitment to introduce TQM must ultimately come from senior management. Their
positive engagement in implementing TQM will make a crucial difference to its success.
However the first initiative may well be taken by one or two managers who have become
aware of TQM and the benefits it could bring, either to their own department, or
company-wide.
Their first objective should be to secure the active support of the CEO. It is hoped that A
Roadmap to Quality will help them to do so. They may decide to make a presentation based
on ‘An Introduction to Total Quality Management’, showing the rationale of TQM, and to
include the Overview and relevant Unit Summaries to show the practical improvements that
TQM can bring. They should, of course, relate this to the concrete improvement needs of
their company.
8. History
A Roadmap to Quality has its source in the TQM handbooks written by experts with the
Japanese Standards Association (JSA) for the ASEAN/Japan/UNIDO TQM Project. This

are presented in this unit.
Unit 3. Managers: Managing systems
All that you do as a manager will have an impact on quality, but several of your functions
are especially important in ensuring a high level of quality in your own department and in
the company as a whole. The functions included in this unit have to do with establishing,
implementing and monitoring work systems, while those in Unit 4 present ways of
supporting the contribution your employees can make.
Unit 4. Managers: Managing people
This unit presents six key actions that you as a manager can take to maximise the
contribution of your employees to the success of your department and of your company.
Ensure that they follow the standards, train and motivate them, delegate to them, and
involve them in making improvements.
Unit 5. Disposal and storage
A workplace that is neat and well organised is always more efficient. It is also more pleasant
to work in. The texts in this unit present a number of actions you can take to achieve this.
Unit 6. Hygiene and health
Everyone should work in a comfortable, healthy environment. This is also the most
productive environment. There are five sets of actions that you can take to keep your
workplaces healthy and comfortable – and to avoid polluting the area around your factory
or plant.
Unit 7. Safety
Each year thousands of employees are killed or seriously injured at work. The vast majority
of these deaths could be prevented, and the severity of the injuries could be greatly reduced.
There are nine key sets of actions that you can take to improve safety in your company.
Overview
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Unit 8. Standardization
Standardization is an essential tool for maintaining and improving quality in a company. A

ready for delivery at the right time - and that it continues to improve the efficiency with which
it does so. The six texts of this unit present the key actions to take to achieve these goals.
Unit 14. Process control
Process control is about making sure that the manufacturing processes produce goods of the
required quality in a continuous and stable manner. There are several mechanisms for
maintaining process control.
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A Roadmap to Quality Overview
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Unit 15. Inspection
Inspections are essential to make sure that your products have the specific quality features
that your customers want.
Unit 16. Management of facilities & equipment
Managing facilities and equipment involves carrying out regular inspections; dealing with
any problems and making sure they do not happen again; deciding which forms of
maintenance to use; and keeping records of maintenance.
Unit 17. Measurement Control
The purpose of measurement control is to ensure that the right measuring equipment is used
to measure, within an acceptable range of precision, the conditions in which your products
are manufactured and their quality characteristics. This is essential if your products are to
meet the required standards.
Unit 18. External suppliers
The quality of the products that you are selling on the market will often be determined by
other companies – your external suppliers. The raw materials and parts that you receive
from your external suppliers will have a major impact on the quality and competitiveness of
your products.
Unit 19. After-sales service
Your responsibility for your products does not end when you sell them. The success of your
company depends, above all, on whether your customers are satisfied with your products.
No matter how good your quality and inspection systems are, some defective products can

A Roadmap to Quality can be used in-house, with an internal trainer or facilitator leading
groups of employees, or by a training institute that caters for small local companies.
Participants may be senior managers, managers or general employees. A facilitator may be
any employee with a sound experience of the industry and basic facilitator skills, but without
an extensive knowledge of TQM. A training institute may use the materials to prepare
facilitators from local companies to lead groups of their fellow employees.
2. Methodology
These trainer guidelines are intended to present a general methodology which you can
adapt to your own situation, culture and training style. If you are unfamiliar with TQM you
should read the short ‘Introduction to TQM’, to get an idea of the basic concepts.
Get started – Orientation: Begin with the Orientation Questions. Their purpose is to get
your participants focused on the theme of the unit. In particular they will help them to start
reflecting on their own work situation in relation to this theme. If you are only examining one
or two texts in a unit some of the questions will not be relevant. Download the Orientation
Word file, and then edit it and print out the questions you want to use. (They can be
accessed from the link on the main index.)
Ask the questions orally, one at a time. If participants are hesitant about answering, give
them a few minutes to discuss each question together before they give their comments.
Alternatively, you may prefer to give participants a copy of the questions for the unit and let
them talk together about them before they discuss them with you. Discourage excessive
detail – this should be quite a short activity.
Then invite participants to briefly tell you their expectations of the course: the benefits they
hope to gain from it for themselves, for their department or for their company. Briefly note
these down on a flipchart or board. All these orientation activities will get participants
Trainer guidelines
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A Roadmap to Quality Trainer Guidelines
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engaged in the course, and give you some understanding of their knowledge and
experience of the area to be covered.

Participants should finish these discussions with clear ideas for improvements in their
company, the obstacles that lie in the way, and how these obstacles could be overcome.
Action plan: Participants will now move on to preparing an action plan to present to
decision makers in their company. After the dynamic of the discussion, with the RADAR
questions, the ideas that go into the Action Plan will not be the guidelines in the text, but
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rather the participants’ conclusions about these guidelines. They may have decided to leave
some out, adapt some, or add some new ideas of their own.
The action plan, too, is best prepared in a group activity, whether in the training room or
with participants meeting on their own elsewhere. The 6-Point Structure, shown below, will
provide a useful framework.
A Roadmap to Quality Trainer Guidelines
4
The 6-Point Structure
1. Problems: Problems you have in your company in the area you have just discussed.
2. Proposals: Your proposals for improvement.
a. Be specific and concrete.
b. Include an implementation plan, with a time schedule and minimum and optimal
implementation targets.
c. Refer to any forms, charts or tables that you would use, and include samples in
an appendix.
3. Obstacles: Obstacles to implementation in employee attitudes, company organization
and culture etc., and how these might be overcome.
4. Resources:
a. The resources required: funds, equipment, materials, man-hours, expertise etc.
b. The resources available within the company.
c. Any resources that would have to be found outside the company.
d. Alternatives that could be used to cover any shortfall in resources.
5. Assessment: Ways of assessing the results of implementing these proposals.
6. Benefits: The benefits your proposals would bring.

Finally, in whatever manner is most appropriate in your situation, the completed action plans
are sent to the appropriate person in the company.
3. Plan your programme
First establish the overall aims and content of your programme. One approach is to:
• Talk to those in charge and find out where they see a need for TQM-based
improvements.
• Examine A Roadmap to Quality and identify the units that seem relevant to these needs.
Here you will find helpful the unit and text summaries which give overviews of the
materials.
• Present your proposals for programme content to those in charge and reach agreement
on which units (or texts) to include in your programme.
Having established the broad aims and content, your next step is to identify the concrete and
specific improvement needs in the departments and workplaces from which your participants
will come. You can do this by talking directly to department heads and prospective
participants, or by sending them the Improvement Needs Analysis from A Roadmap to
Quality.
The Improvement Needs Analysis is a form which you can print out or email. Enter the web
address of A Roadmap to Quality and a list the units and texts to be included in the training
programme. Respondents should answer the following questions (adapted to suit the
selected units and texts):
• What problems do you have in your workplace in each of these areas?
• What steps have you already taken to deal with these problems?
• How successful have these steps been?
• If they have not been completely successful what are the reasons: lack of funds,
resources, know-how, motivation etc.?
• What steps could have been taken that were not?
• What steps do you think should now be taken?
• What would you hope your department will gain from this course?
• What do you hope your staff will gain?
The form is in two versions, one to be completed by the head of the client department and