13/12/2008

Six Sigma in TQM for Construction Industry

Recently I was given a great opportunity by CIDB (Construction Industry Development Board) Malaysia, which is also known as Lembaga Pembangunan Industri Pembinaan Malaysia to present a Lecture entitled Six Sigma in TQM. This seminar was held in Grand Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur on 25th November 2008.




The seminar aimed to promote and encourage TQM to construction players in particular the contractor so as to embrace TQM in their endeavor to excel in delivering quality of construction projects. The objectives of this programme was:
  • To introduce and expose fundamental principles of TQM for construction players,
  • To incorporate and streamline TQM together with ISO9001 QMS as a tool to improve quality in construction industry,
  • To give value added on quality management best practices to construction industry,
  • To share knowledge among the contractors on TQM.
This seminar was attended by various contractors, consultants, developers, government agencies, academics and TQM enthusiasts. The seminar was concluded by having a Question and Answer (Q&A) session:




From Left to Right are:
Prof. Dr. Hamzah A. Rahman from University Malaya
Dr Steven Muru from JMC Jireh Management Consultant Sdn Bhd
Ir. Hj. Mukhtar Che Ali from CIDB
En. Mohd Subri Ismail from Malaysia Productivity Corporation (MPC)
Dr. Satnam Singh, Six Sigma Master Black Belt Consultant

General conclusions can be made in regards to Six Sigma in TQM
  • Six Sigma can be used with TQM.
  • Six Sigma and TQM have many similarities and are compatible in varied business environments, including manufacturing and service industries.
  • While TQM has helped many companies in improving the quality of manufactured goods or services rendered, Six Sigma has the potential of delivering even sharper results.
  • Six Sigma utilises many TQM tools, but these tools are applied for breakthrough business improvement and sustainable financial returns.
  • The basic difference between Six Sigma and TQM is the approach.
  • TQM views quality as conformance to internal requirements, Six Sigma focuses on improving quality by reducing the number of defects.
  • The end result is the same in both the concepts (i.e. producing better quality products).
  • Six Sigma helps organizations in reducing operational costs by focusing on defect reduction, cycle time reduction, and cost savings.

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