In the week two assignment we discussed the application of Deming’s quality concepts to local government. In the week three assignment we research how the tools and techniques of process improvement and control can be applied in local government. Tools and techniques provide organizations with the methods of creatively designing, controlling, and improving quality processes (Evans, 2017, pg. 107). When considering quality control of processes, those same processes need to be repeatable and measurable. The timeframe of the process may be long or short depending on the individual company. The quality tool chosen should be applied to bring the process under control and allow the process to be measured.
Review the article: Case Study: Implementation of TQM and lean six sigma tools in local government and a case study (Furterer & Eishennawy, 2005).
Directions for obtaining the file: Access the Grantham University library by clicking on the Resources tab from the main page in GLife or from the Library Resource Center under My Organizations in Blackboard. You will then click on the EBSCOHost icon. Once you have accessed the database, simply copy and paste the title of the article and press enter to search and you should now have the file accessible to review.
Through research from sources provided in the course and from academic and scholarly resources outside of the course, evaluate and discuss the following elements:
- Analyze one of the 7 basic tools of quality used in the article and determine how the tool is used in the design of quality management best practices.
- Discuss if this tool is used effectively and did it contribute to quality improvement and performance excellence as described in week one of this course?
- Create a new basic tool of quality by combining two of the tools discussed in the article and how this new tool could be applied to bring the process under control and allow the process to be measured.
The paper should contain the following APA formatted elements:
- Title Page.
- Abstract.
- Body of the essay (Your researched response).
- Conclusion.
- References Section.
The requirements below must be met for your paper to be accepted and graded:
- Write a response between 750 – 1000 words for the body of the essay (The title page, abstract, conclusion and References section are not counted toward the word requirement.) (approximately 4-6¬ pages) using Microsoft Word in APA style.
- Address all three elements fully.
- Use font size 12 and 1” margins.
- Use at least three references from outside the course material (You may use the academic resources included in the Week 8 Bibliography.) one reference must be from EBSCOhost. The course textbook and lectures can be used, but are not counted toward the five reference requirement.
- References must come from sources such as, academic and scholarly journals and essays found in EBSCOhost, CNN, online newspapers such as, The Wall Street Journal, government websites, etc. Sources such as, Wikis, Yahoo Answers, eHow, blogs, etc. are not acceptable for academic writing.
- Cite all reference material (data, dates, graphs, quotes, paraphrased words, values, etc.) in the paper and list on a reference page in APA style. Provide citations everywhere information from the sources is used for foundational support and for validation of opinions.
- Use the third person narrative and avoid the use of the first and second person narrative and terms such as; I, me, myself, you, your, yourself, we or us (or related form such as let’s (let us) or we’ll, we’ve (we will / we have) among others). This will prevent the author or other parties from becoming the subject matter and will maintain the focus of the paper on the central theme and subject matter found in the elements.
- Be informational and avoid being conversational.