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Total quality management is a management approach used by pharmaceutical manufacturers to ensure that pharmaceutical products meet the quality requirements for their intended use. It is a potentially beneficial method for manufacturing pharmaceutical products, as it ensures that they exceed customer expectations regarding quality standards, efficiency and effectiveness.
Pharmaceutical manufacturers play a key role in the healthcare system and in that respect, they are heavily regulated by the relevant authorities; A small mistake in the manufacturing of pharmaceuticals can have dire consequences. In this case, pharmaceutical manufacturers need to continuously maintain and improve their products by implementing Total Quality Management System processes.
1) Main components of TQM methodology
• Customer Focus: It is profitable to know the consumers of the product.
• Employee Involvement: All employees are involved in the quality production process, and therefore should also participate in innovation and quality improvement.
• Continuous Improvement: The mission for quality is a never-ending process in which individuals continuously strive to improve product features.
2) Implementation of TQM in Pharmaceuticals
TQM can be difficult to accomplish and maintain, whether an organization is trying to maintain the quality of its products or comply with the regulations of the relevant authorities. This cannot be done effectively without significant and relevant resources such as funding and manpower.
TQM is a technique by which managers as well as employees can engage in a constant process of product quality improvement. It is a mix of pricing and management strategies focused on expanding business and reducing losses due to inefficient practices.
3) Benefits of total quality management
TQM is the coordination of management efforts with the intention of improving quality at all levels within the organization. Thus, the TQM approach has several advantages. This comes with financial benefits that include lower cost of production, increased investment and sales profits, and the ability to increase product prices with associated quality.
Additional benefits may include ease of access to global markets, higher client retention levels, faster innovation development, and better company reputation.
Few organizations implement TQM methods on the grounds that implementing a robust program is time-consuming and expensive. In any case, organizations with appropriate resources can achieve excellence in their initiatives by implementing TQM.
4) Reasons for failure to implement TQM
TQM has yielded tremendous financial benefits among various pharmaceutical manufacturers, while some struggle for quality in different manufacturing and produce peripheral results.
The following reasons can be behind a failed TQM implementation process:
• Focusing only on short-term financial results while keeping a blind eye on system improvement (quality improvement calls for a change in thinking in the management of key systems).
• Interference by managers in teamwork,
• Fuzzy techniques and methods,
• Failure to understand TQM methods, and inadequate training as well as inadequate education resources
