Directory UMM :Data Elmu:jurnal:I:Information and Management:
Information & Management 36 (1999) 287±299
Facilitating implementation of total quality management
through information technology
Grace Aua,*, Ivan Choib
a
Department of Information and Systems Management, The Hong Kong University of Science
& Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong
b
Brunel University, Uxbridge, Sussex, UK
Received 19 May 1996; received in revised form 16 September 1996; accepted 5 October 1998
Abstract
There is growing interest in the service industries in the adoption of quality management programs to improve their
operational ef®ciency and market competitiveness. Deming's total quality management (TQM) philosophy is one of the wellknown ones. The TQM emphasizes continuous improvement through statistical control and the continuous training of people
in the principles of quality management. One of the main implementation issues is the large volume of data that must be
statistically analysed. Although recent researches have reported on how TQM is applied in various industries, few have
discussed the importance of information technology in ensuring a successful TQM program. This paper reports on the
application of information technology in the TQM process and how it can support management decisions. A case example is
included to support these views. # 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Total quality management; Quality control information system; Statistical process control; Continuous improvement
1. Introduction
Quality is seen as saving time and money. A.T.
Kearney found that, out of 50 determinants of competitiveness, quality was most often cited by chief
executive of®cers as critical [24]. Today, the focus on
quality has gone well beyond the ®nished product to
looking at the processes of production throughout the
entire organization. No longer is quality a question of
meeting customers' expectations, but one of exceeding them. Motorola's former chairman, Bob Galvin,
*
Corresponding author. Tel.: +852-2358-7635; fax: +852-23582421
E-mail address: graceau@usthk.ust.hk (G. Au)
believes that the gross national product of the USA
could go up by some 0.5±1% per year if there were a
national policy on quality.
As more and more companies strive to maintain
competitiveness, the philosophy and concepts of total
quality management (TQM) have been received
increased attention by American industry as well as
by academic researchers [10]. TQM is a customerfocused management philosophy that aims at the
continuous improvement of the processes and management of an organization through statistical control,
procedure design, policy deployment and human
resource management techniques. Not only has
TQM fundamentally altered and re-shaped the work
practices and management thinking of many organi-
0378-7206/99/$ ± see front matter # 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
PII: S 0 3 7 8 - 7 2 0 6 ( 9 9 ) 0 0 0 3 0 - 0
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G. Au, I. Choi / Information & Management 36 (1999) 287±299
zations in the 90s, it has also made new and profound
demands on every organization. Although TQM was
initially introduced into the manufacturing industries,
its adoption has also gradually been extended to the
service industries. Nowadays, service and quality are
intertwined. In virtually every business sector, being a
quality organization has increasingly become a prerequisite, rather than an exceptional achievement.
Accreditation with internationally recognized quality
standards, such as the European ISO 9000 and the
American Six Sigma, has become a basic requirement
for doing businesses with many organizations.
A major implementation issue of TQM in the
service industries is the need to collect a large amount
of data and carry out statistical analysis on them.
Owing to the vast volume of data involved, the success
of a TQM program depends on the use of information
technology (IT). If properly planned and implemented, IT will greatly enhance the application of quality
management in the organization. While IT is taking
care of the more mundane and routine tasks of data
input, computation, measurement, and output, the
users can concentrate their effort on ful®lling the more
important objective of `quality improvement.' This
paper reports on the application of IT in the TQM
process and how management can use the output to
support decisions that help to achieve continuous
improvement of a service-oriented organization. A
case example in the design and implementation of a
hotel housekeeping TQM-IS that aims to improve
customer service quality is included to support these
views.
2. Total quality management (TQM)
2.1. Deming's TQM philosophy
TQM evolved from statistical process control theories pioneered by Dr. Walter A. Shewhart in the Bell
Telephone Laboratories of AT&T in 1924 [15]. His
theories, originally designed for the manufacturing
sectors, were also applied by practitioners in the
service industries and became the basis of Dr. W.
Edward Deming's work [18,22]. An American by
nationality, successful implementation of TQM by
Deming did not occur in the US, but in Japan during
the 1980s [5,9]. It was his success in Japan that led to
the sudden growth of interest in TQM in American
industry.
TQM is a management philosophy that is intended
to empower every member of the organization. It is
intended to promote continuous, sustained, and long
term improvement in quality and productivity and to
eliminate employees' fear of change. Its basic principle is that the cost of prevention is less than the cost
of correction. Bellis-Jones et. al. [3] suggest that TQM
is not just another management fad; it is capable of
delivering real competitive advantage. The TQM
approach integrates the fundamental techniques and
principles of quality function deployment, statistical
control, and existing management tools in a structured
manner. By establishing a quanti®ed deliverable cost
bene®t, TQM can help management to measure the
effectiveness and ef®ciency of the use of resources
across the organization.
The TQM theoretical framework is articulated elsewhere [1], but the essence of the theory of total quality
can be summarized as follows:
1. Quality leads to lower costs as defects are
reduced;
2. Quality is made in the boardroom, it cannot be
instilled into shop floor without the initiative and
commitment of top management;
3. Most defects are caused by the system not the
worker;
4. Inspection is too late; aim to reduce defects during
production and eliminate mass inspection;
5. Eliminate numerical quotas, slogans, exhortation
and targets for the workforce and promote
sustained and continuous improvement of process
and quality of output;
6. Drive out fear of change from workers; institute a
vigorous program of education, training, and
retraining to help the workforce improve continuously and to increase their job security;
7. Break down barriers between staff areas and
abandon review systems that will destroy teamwork and create rivalry;
8. End the practice of awarding business on price tag
alone; look for suppliers committed to quality and
develop long term relationships with them.
The quality of a product or service is the result of
the interaction among the individual performer, the
process, and management. Many factors can get in the
G. Au, I. Choi / Information & Management 36 (1999) 287±299
way of people doing a good job; some are inadequate
resources, poorly designed procedures, and lack of
training. An organization must examine how its product or service ultimately will be used and identify, as
well as measure, the attributes that will provide the
greatest overall level of customer satisfaction.
289
analyzed to identify where errors may occur, measuring quality implicitly includes measuring the cost of
non-conformance. Nevertheless, learning from errors
is also a key to continuous improvement [6].
2.3. The process of designing a service-oriented
TQM program
2.2. Key concepts of TQM
There are two key concepts in the TQM framework
± statistical control that uses statistical methods to
control both management and product processes [14],
and continuous improvement that involves all processes in the management, product, and service chain.
Statistical process control (SPC) theory is based on
the idea that process performance is dynamic, that
natural up-and-down variation is the rule rather than
the exception. Thus, random variation of any aspect of
an average worker's work can be de®ned by setting
acceptable highs and lows, so that any variation
beyond those limits can be detected, the causes
studied, and corrective actions taken. Statistically,
every process experiences variation that can lead
to quality problems. SPC is used to measure variability
of a process and to determine whether and how it
can produce a particular part [25]. The collection of
data and the comparison of actual performance to
the standards are necessary to identify gaps or opportunities for improvement [19]. Tools include causeand-effect diagrams, ¯ow charts, pareto charts, run
charts, histograms, control charts, and scatter diagrams.
Continuous improvement is achieved by a system
designed to keep customer satis®ed throughout the
product or service cycle. Mathieson and Wharton [17]
suggest three levels of customer satisfaction: customers' demands, expectations, and delight. The involvement of all employees in continuous improvement
of the work process is the foundation of any TQM
effort. All employees should view the work they do as
a series of processes, the goal of each being total
customer satisfaction. Thus, all members of the organization must understand their work processes, who
their customers are, what their customers' needs and
expectations are, and how to communicate those needs
and expectations to their suppliers [21]. This often
requires training to improve quality of work and
quality awareness. Moreover, as processes can be
An overview of the process of designing a TQM
program in a service-oriented organization is shown in
Fig. 1.
The ®rst step in designing a TQM program is to
de®ne the TQM vision. The lack of senior management commitment, awareness and vision in an organization has often caused a TQM program to fail. The
importance of management providing a clear and
strong message about its vision should therefore not
be overlooked. The management vision should be
articulated at all levels in the organization.
After de®ning the vision, management must de®ne
a clear set of measurable objectives and a clearly
de®ned ¯exible strategy. A project team must be
assembled for carrying out the de®ned strategy. Ideally, the team should consist of senior management
representatives, TQM experts, IT professionals, middle manager, trainers, and representatives for knowledge and/or production workers, depending on the
service procedures to be evaluated. The project team is
responsible for detailed design of the program, and
also to estimate and gather resources required to
execute the program.
Training on basic TQM principles and brie®ng on
the management's total quality vision are essential
before the detailed design phase. This must provide a
clear explanation of the objectives of the program,
educate employees on the concept, eliminate employees' fear of the program, and motivate employees'
incentive in participating.
The next step is to develop a quality control model
with appropriate measures. This can be achieved by
identifying the most signi®cant outputs being produced and the critical characteristics of performance
for each of these. Secondly, there must be measures
that determine customer satisfaction. The project team
will also need to identify methods of collecting the
measures and design the instruments to be used in the
data collection process. After deciding on the quality
control method, it is necessary for the project team to
290
G. Au, I. Choi / Information & Management 36 (1999) 287±299
Fig. 1. Designing a TQM program.
evaluate sample outputs of the processed data with
potential users.
Simply generating statistical reports does not, however, automatically lead to continuous improvement of
an organization processes. It is important for the
information to reach management in a timely manner,
so that decisions and actions can be made to improve
the process promptly. As a TQM program often generates large volume of data and demands effective
statistical analysis, there is a need for a TQM information system (TQMIS). Its role is to capture, process,
and produce outputs that help management make these
G. Au, I. Choi / Information & Management 36 (1999) 287±299
critical decisions. The TQMIS should be designed to
minimize the amount of input efforts, analyse data
statistically, and produce accurate and easy-to-read
information.
The key driving force behind TQM was employee
empowerment and worker satisfaction based on intrinsic motivation, involving collaboration among organizational work units, emphasizing prevention rather
than detection, and measuring performance based on
goals [8]. Based upon the results, management can
design continuous improvement strategies that ensure
total quality of the processes being examined.
If the relationship between management decisions
and outputs of the TQMIS can be logically de®ned,
then a DSS can be used to simplify the output for
management. Instead of producing many tables of
numerical data or graphical charts, the system can
further interpret the results and give meaningful alternatives for the ®nal action. In this way, management
actions can be taken to correct any error effectively.
Finally, the last and most dif®cult step is to integrate
quality management into the organization's support
systems and ensure that TQM will be a way of life
rather than just another short-lived program [20]. The
project team will have to review the quality control
model periodically so that the measuring functions
and parameters can be updated and veri®ed over time.
As achieving total quality in a service procedure is
highly labour intensive, the project team must listen to
the feedback of staff involved in the program and
modify the operational logistic. Where there is a
change in the service procedure, it is also necessary
to update the quality model to maintain the validity of
the data produced.
3. A case example
Total quality management in the hospitality industry
is becoming commonplace. Hotel companies have tried
to implement service-quality-improvement programs
with varying degrees of success. Although it is not
possible to measure every aspect of the service encounter, most steps can be quanti®ed and measured [16].
291
continuous improvement of staff's service quality.
Housekeeping was chosen because it was one of the
front-line operations, where service quality and customer satisfaction are paramount. The growing cost
pressures have made the management of housekeeping more demanding than ever. Managers are
reminded that their greatest asset is the pride people
take in their areas of responsibility. The use of Deming's TQM principles will improve the pride of the
housekeeping staff [26]. The objective of the TQM
program was to enhance continuous improvement of
the service quality of the housekeeping procedure by
minimizing the cost of errors and the average process
time. The management strategy was to motivate the
staff to improve their work quality by customised
training and personal management techniques. After
de®ning the vision, several meetings were held
between management and staff at different organizational levels to ensure their support.
3.2. Assigning a project team
A project team consisting of the director of operations, a TQM expert, the training manager, a training
of®cer representative, the head of housekeeping, a
housekeeper representative and the authors was convened to carry out the strategy laid down by the senior
management. The role of the authors was to design
and implement a TQMIS based upon requirements
speci®ed by the project team. Both the training and
housekeeping departments were involved.
3.3. Implement training program on TQM for staff
concerned.
A series of training seminars was conducted on
TQM for both the managerial staff and operational
workers in the hotel. Experience gained from successful and failed implementations of the TQM program
in similar organizations were shared with the audience.
3.1. Defining the vision, objective and strategy
3.4. Identify the quality control model with
measuring functions and parameters
The management vision was to provide `zerodefect' services with maximum ef®ciency through
As the management objective is to achieve total
quality through `zero-defect' with maximum ef®-
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G. Au, I. Choi / Information & Management 36 (1999) 287±299
ciency in its service procedure, a nature way of
measuring the outcome is by means of a set of nonconformance attributes on all the visible items inside a
hotel room in conjunction with the time it takes for the
housekeeper to complete the housekeeping task. The
objective function of the TQM program is to minimize
the total defect value and the total time it takes to
complete the housekeeping procedure:
X
i1...n
Defect
X
i1...n
XX
NCk Wk
Time
i
j
XX
Tl
i
j
where i refers to the individual housekeeper, j refers to
the room being cleaned, NC and W refers to the value
of the non-conforming item k and the corresponding
weight factor, and T refers to the time it takes for the
housekeeper to complete task l.
The project team initially identi®ed a list of 300
non-conformance items based upon three attributes ±
the location (e.g., entrance), item (e.g., eye viewer),
and reasons for non-conformance, such as mould, hair,
dirt, and wrinkles. A different quality weight
factor for each of these was assigned by the project
team. For example, hair in the wash basin was giving a
higher weighting than hair on the carpet. An example
of part of the non-conformance list is shown in
Appendix A.
A quality control check sheet was then designed.
This, a sample of which is shown in Appendix B,
contains a list of non-conforming items that each
housekeeper is expected to clean or tidy up. During
each inspection, the non-conformance items that fail
to conform to the standard such as wrinkles on the bed
sheet and hair in the bath tub, are recorded by a
training of®cer. Out of 800 rooms in the hotel, a
random sample of 80 was selected for daily quality
inspection.
The average process time for each housekeeper was
compiled by means of a housekeeping check sheet
(see Appendix C); this contains a list of all the tasks to
be carried out during room cleaning. The entire housekeeping procedure was divided into ®ve process cycles
± bed making and stripping, dusting, bathroom,
vacuuming and other special tasks, such as carpet
spotting or baby cot making. Each process was further
subdivided into smaller tasks and the housekeepers
were trained to perform each task with guidelines on
time allocation during training. Each housekeeper was
required to identify which tasks were performed and
the time to complete each process cycle on the check
sheet for each room being cleaned.
Statistical analysis was then carried out on a set of
sample data to produce various statistical reports and
control charts. These outputs were then evaluated by
the project team. Sample management reports were
then speci®ed for helping assess the ef®ciency, the
level of non-conformance and training needs of each
individual housekeeper.
3.5. Design and development of a TQMIS
A TQMIS was developed to support the implementation of the program. The system was designed to
enable users to monitor the performance and training
requirements of the housekeepers in an effective
manner. Badiru [2] stated that a systems approach
to TQM considers every interaction necessary
between the various elements of an organization. A
high degree of user-designer interaction was maintained throughout all system development processes.
This also helped to narrow the expectation gap
between the system functionality and the user requirements.
An entity-relationship diagram and a data ¯ow
model [4] for the housekeeping TQMIS are shown
in Figs. 2a and b, respectively.
A multi-user relational database system was
developed on a network of Apple Macintoshes
computers. In order to minimize the data input task,
information about the housekeepers, trainers, tasks,
and rooms were pre-input into the system. The user
interface of the system was designed so that the
input screen was similar to that of the housekeeping
and quality control check sheet. By using on-screen
check boxes, input operators can key in the
completed housekeeping tasks and non-conformance
items by simply clicking on the corresponding check
boxes.
Apart from the housekeeping data, the TQMIS was
also integrated with the training history of the hotel
staff. While examining the performance of a housekeeper, the training of®cer was able to obtain up-todate information about the housekeeper's background
and determine appropriate training needs.
G. Au, I. Choi / Information & Management 36 (1999) 287±299
In order to facilitate database searching, a data
inquiry screen was designed for the training manager,
training of®cers, and the head of housekeeper to
specify user-de®ned search criteria.
3.6. Design continuous improvement management
strategy
To achieve continuous improvement, it is important
for housekeepers to understand the performance goal,
how it is being measured, the current level of quality,
and the degree of improvement over time. The management strategy was to achieve continuous improvement via customised training and employee
motivation. An employee recognition reward system
was then designed.
293
report showing non-conformance in each task for each
housekeeper (see Fig. 3) is generated.
The daily summary report indicates the total number of non-conforming items, the average number of
non-conforming items per room and the percentage of
rooms in which each non-conforming item was discovered. The report is also used for generating summary data every month and over any user-de®ned time
period. Trend analysis on each housekeeper's nonconformance history has helped management in assessing whether and how quickly improvements have
been made. These results form the basis of the
employee recognition reward system.
Control charts that identify anomalies for each
housekeeper (see Fig. 4) and pareto charts that identify
major areas of non-conformance (see Fig. 5) can also
be obtained from the system.
3.7. Collect data and generate output reports
3.8. Ensure continuous improvement
The actual implementation of the TQM program
then began. Everyday, data were collected and keyed
into the TQMIS by four input operators: each responsible for keying in 200 daily housekeeping and 20
quality control check sheets. At the end of each day, a
After running a trial of the TQM program for three
months, the measuring functions and parameters were
updated and veri®ed. Several meetings were held to
review the design of the TQM program. Modi®cations
were made in the quality control model, the design of
Fig. 2. (a) An entity-relationship diagram for the housekeeping TQMIS; (b) a 0 data flow model for the housekeeping TQMIS.
294
G. Au, I. Choi / Information & Management 36 (1999) 287±299
Fig. 2. (Continued).
the TQMIS, and the implementation logistics of the
TQM program to ensure the validity of the data
generated and effectiveness of the program.
Everyday, the names of the best housekeepers were
posted on the hotel training notice board. Based on the
daily results, the best housekeeper for every month is
selected and US$150 is awarded to that housekeeper
by senior management.
Continuous improvement was also ensured by
enabling housekeepers to understand their own
strengths and weaknesses. Each housekeeper receives
a monthly summary report showing the housekeeper's
individual performance relative to the best housekeeper.
Personal attention by the head of housekeeping
was also given to the individual housekeeper when
performance anomalies were tracked in the daily
and monthly quality control reports. The trainers were
then able to arrange customised training to help the
housekeeper to improve her work quality in speci®c
areas. In addition, the quality control reports were
incorporated into the appraisal system so as to ensure
integration of the TQM program into the hotel's daily
operation.
G. Au, I. Choi / Information & Management 36 (1999) 287±299
295
Fig. 3. A daily summary quality control report.
Fig. 4. A typical control chart output.
4. Lessons learnt
The effective design of a TQMIS to support the
implementation of the TQM program is valuable. A
good design must support the users from data input to the
delivery of meaningful and useful information to the
management. Indeed, the TQMIS is the main mechanical force for driving the daily operational program.
296
G. Au, I. Choi / Information & Management 36 (1999) 287±299
To solve these problems, we recommended either
the use of forms scanning technology with optical
character recognition features or hand-held pen-based
computers for simultaneous quality inspection and
data input.
4.3. Information must reach the management in an
effective manner
Fig. 5. A pareto chart output.
4.1. Early involvement with IT professionals is
essential
Early involvement of the IT professionals during
the design phase of the TQM program is essential.
Throughout the design process, we were able to
receive training by the TQM expert. This helped us
to understand the users' needs and why the information was needed. We were then able to give advice on
the input and outputs of the program.
4.2. Avoid delays and errors during data input
Delays in the input process could cause a halt to the
entire TQM program. During the initial trial period,
the number of input operators was increased from two
to four. It took the operators two weeks before they
could achieve enough speed to complete data input
everyday; however there has been high turnover of
employees and a high percentage of human input
errors.
Training has to be given for every new employee.
Moreover, time has to be allowed for the new person
gain experience with the job. This has inevitably
increased the cost of the program. A daily sample
set of data is quality checked to ensure reasonable
accuracy.
One signi®cant modi®cation that we made in the
TQMIS was to integrate the system with the hotel's
electronic mail so that summary reports are sent to the
housekeeping and training department electronically.
Every morning, an electronic message identifying
the three best housekeepers is sent to the head of
housekeeping. Other exceptional reports, such as sudden decline of housekeeper's performance or high
percentage of non-conforming errors were also automatically generated and forwarded by electronic mail.
This seamless integration has improved user acceptance of system.
4.4. Synchronization between results generated by
the TQMIS and management's continuous
improvement actions
As suggested by Smith [23], TQM succeeds best
when a continuous improvement culture is instilled
into the employees. A basic tenet of TQM is that
employees are eager to succeed if they understand the
de®nition of a good job and are given the information
and tools to complete it. Although the TQMIS was
designed with that purpose in mind [12], continuous
improvement can only be achieved if appropriate
management actions are taken in time. Training and
education are effective ways to implementing performance management systems [11].
4.5. Outputs from the TQMIS must be thoroughly
tested and validated
In the ®nal implementation of the hotel housekeeping TQM program, the number of non-conforming
items has been reduced from 300 to 230. Changes in
the quality weight factor for each non-conforming
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G. Au, I. Choi / Information & Management 36 (1999) 287±299
item were also made in order to improve the validity of
the results.
Appendix A. An Example of the list of nonconformance items
4.6. Listen to employees' feedback and initiate
positive changes
Location
Item
Nonconforming
reason
Quality
weights
The introduction of the TQM program has caused
an increase in the daily workload of the housekeepers
and trainers: they now have to provide more information. This increase of workload has caused some
reluctant employees to be disgruntled: lack of employees' support can cause a TQM program to fail. It is
therefore important for management to listen to the
employees' feedback. One useful change proposed by
the housekeepers was to increase the varieties in the
prize awarded to the best housekeeper of the month.
This has helped to make the quality control process
more relaxed and enjoyable.
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
door bell sign
door bell sign
master switch
master switch
master switch
eye-viewer
eye-viewer
door frame
door frame
door strayer
door strayer
doublelock
carpet
carpet
carpet
carpet
ceiling paper
ceiling paper
ceiling paper
ceiling paper
ceiling paper
ceiling paper
ceiling board
ceiling board
ceiling board
ceiling board
entrance ceiling
spot light
Entrance ceiling
spot light
door mirror
door mirror
door mirror
door mirror
hangers
hangers
hangers
light
ceiling board
ceiling board
±
±
d
r
d
r
f
d
r
d
r
d
r
r
k
m
r
s
d
f
k
m
r
s
b
d
f
m
d
1
6
2
5
7
2
1
1
4
1
3
6
2
2
4
1
1
2
4
4
1
1
1
1
4
1
1
r
4
a
d
k
r
d
p
q
r
k
r
±
±
2
1
4
5
4
1
1
4
1
1
±
±
4.7. Further use of the TQMIS
The TQMIS can potentially be transformed into a
`knowledge-based information system' [7,13]. For
example, the Ritz-Carlton hotel chain has installed
a system to track customer preferences and needs and
automatically transmit the information worldwide; if a
customer in Boston asks for six hypoallergenic pillows, for instance, she will ®nd them in her room next
time she checks in to a Ritz-Carlton hotel elsewhere.
In the housekeeping case, complaints from customers
can be fed into the TQMIS to inform the hotel that
extra attention is required.
5. Conclusions
Entrance
We have provided empirical evidence of the application of TQM theory to improve the IT implementation process. Contrary to the old training methods, the
TQMIS provides a systematic mechanism for trainers
to assess requirements based on quantitative analysis.
Training thus becomes more cost effective: unnecessary training is eliminated and programs are designed
proactively. TQM plays a signi®cant role in supporting
and driving a continuous improvement culture.
Keeping systems aligned with continuous improvement strategies will be the challenge of the next
decade.
Closet
Closet
Closet
Closet
Closet
Closet
Closet
Closet
Closet
Closet
±
±
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G. Au, I. Choi / Information & Management 36 (1999) 287±299
Appendix B. Quality control check sheet
Appendix C. Housekeeping check sheet
Schedule No.
Schedule No.
Room No.
Housekeeper ID
Date
Start time
(tick tasks
performed)
Room No.
Trainer ID
Date
Start time
End time
Entrance
Room no plate:
Master switch:
Eye viewer:
Entrance door
Door lock
Ceiling paper
Spot light:
A/c exhaust grill
Bed
Bedding
Bed
Closet
Door mirror
Hangers (12)
Spare blanket &
pillow
Light
Ceiling board
Wallpaper
Safe
Mini Bar and fridge
Mini bar marble
counter
Miniture bottles (15)
Nuts & raisins (3)
Mini bar voucher
non-conforming
reasons
a ± appearance
b ± black mark
c ± condemned
d ± dust
e ± expired
f ± fingerprints
h ± hair
i ± wrinkles
k ±dirt
l ± locked
m ± mould
d
d
d
b
r
d
d
d
fr
r
m
dr
kfmrs
r
mr
abid
c
adkr
dpq
cdpq
r
kr
abdfhkm
r
total
no.
Entrance
Polish room
plate
Clean entrance
door
Dust ceiling
Clean A/C
exhaust grill
Bed making &
stripping
Bed stripping
Bed making
Closet
Clean door mirror
Check safety box
Clean closet light
Report
missing items
Bathroom
Remove all
soiled linen
Clean wash basin
Clean bath tub
Clean bath room
floor
Clean mirror
End time
Total time
cycle time
check master
switch
check door lock
check ceiling
spot light bulbs
cycle time
report
maintenance
remove rubbish
cycle time
count hangers
check spare
blanket
& pillow
dust ceiling
board
report
maintenance
cycle time
clean counter
replenish
bath room
amenities
clean bath room
wall
clean toilet
bowl
report
maintenance
cycle time
replace glass
complete
& replace
mini bar voucher
dkrs
Minibar & fridge
Clean bar counter
Replenish drinks
& other supplies
cdeklpq
acdlpqs
ipqw
Total no. of tasks
completed in room:
Record room exit time and reasons
No. exit time
return time
total room exit time
total time reason
G. Au, I. Choi / Information & Management 36 (1999) 287±299
References
[1] J. Anderson, M. Rungtusanatham, R. Schroeder, A Theory of
quality management underlying the deming management
method, Academy of Management Review 19(3) (1994), pp.
472±509.
[2] A.B. Badiru, A systems approach to total quality management, Industrial Engineering 22(3) (1990), pp. 33±36.
[3] R. Bellis-Jones, M. Hand, Are total quality management
programmes a fact or a management fad?, Management
Accounting 67(5) (1989), pp. 36±37.
[4] C.H. Chang, J.M.T. Lin, Data flow model of a total service
quality management system, Computers & Industrial Engineering 21 (1991), pp. 117±121.
[5] B.G. Dale, The key features of Japanese total quality control,
Quality and Reliability Engineering International 9(3) (1993),
pp. 169±178.
[6] J.J. Dalton, Patient accounting not immune to quality bug,
Healthcare Financial Management 46(3) (1992), pp. 88±90.
[7] S. Davis, The coming of knowledge-based business, Harvard
Business Review 72(5.)) (1994), pp. 165±170.
[8] M.F. Dobbs, Continuous improvement as continuous implementation: implementing TQM in the City of Santa Ana,
Public Productivity & Management Review 18(1) (1994), pp.
89±100.
[9] D.K. Engelhardt, Greater efficiency through total quality
management, Elektronik 42(22) (1993), pp. 155±157.
[10] S.B. Eom, D. Stough, Executive support systems: a key for
enhancing senior executive leadership in total quality
management, Information strategy: the Executive Journal
11(2) (Winter 95), pp. 27±34.
[11] B.J. Ferketish, J.W. Hayden, HRD & Quality: The Chicken or
the Egg?, Training & Development 46(1) (1992), pp. 38±42.
[12] B. Hartlen, TQM, TQM and the search for that missing
ingredient, Computing Canada 18(2)) (1992), pp. 44.
[13] C. Hutchison, D. Rosenberg, The organization of organizations: issues for next generation office IT, Journal of
Information Technology 9(2) (1994), pp. 99±117.
[14] D.E. Keys, K.F. Reding, Statistical process control: what
management accountants need to know, Management Accounting 73(7) (1992), pp. 26±30.
[15] P.J. Kolesar, The revelance of research on statistical process
control to the total quality movement, Journal of Engineering
and Technology Management 10(4) (1993), pp. 317±338.
[16] Y. Luchars, The service-quality audit: a hotel case study,
Cornell Hotel & Restaurant Administration Quarterly 1996
37(1) (1996), pp. 34±41.
[17] K. Mathieson, T.J. Wharton, Are information systems a
barrier to total quality management, Journal of Systems
Management 44(9) (1993), pp. 34±38.
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[18] M. McCarthy, A.K. Elshennaway, Implementing total quality
management at the US Department of Defence, Computers
and Industrial Engineering 21 (1991), pp. 153±157.
[19] P.A. Minnis, How to develop measures for financial work,
National Productivity Review 11(2) (1992), pp. 159±167.
[20] M.M. Melum, Total quality management: steps to success,
Hospitals 64(23) (1990), pp. 42±44.
[21] J.W. Moran, Jr, Leading the organization to perfection
through daily management, National Productivity Review
10(3) (1991), pp. 369±378.
[22] R.J. Schonberger, Total quality management cuts a broad
swath ± through manufacturing and beyond, Organizational
Dynamics 20(4) (1992), pp. 16±28.
[23] M. Smith, Management accounting for total quality management, Management Accounting (UK) 68(6) (1990), pp. 44±46.
[24] F.G. Steingraber, Total quality management: a new look at a
basic issue, Vital Speeches 57(13) (1991), pp. 415±416.
[25] G.D. Stocker, Reducing variability ± key to continuous quality
improvement, Manufacturing Systems 8(3) (1990), pp. 32±36.
[26] B. Will, Encouraging employee pride improves work, Hotel
and Motel Management 211(4) (1996), pp. 12.
Dr. Grace Au is currently Director of
Centre for Enhanced Learning and
Teaching at the Hong Kong University
of Science and Technology responsible
for developing tools and techniques in
enhancing learning and teaching at the
tertiary level. Prior to this, she was a
lecturer at the Department of Information and Systems Management where
she has taught and conducted research in
the areas of multimedia and learning for
many years. She has published various papers in this area. She was
instrumental in setting up the multimedia research laboratory
within the department whereby students can learn and experiment
multimedia applications.
Ivan Choi is a Chartered Management
Accountant and Associate Director of
the Poon Kam Kai Institute of Management at the University of Hong Kong.
He is currently a part time Ph.D.
candidate at Brunel University. Ivan's
research interest is also in multimedia
technologies and their applications in
learning, particularly executive education and lifelong learning. Within the
Institute, he is involved in both management consulting and management training where Total Quality
Management and other management tools are being practised.
Facilitating implementation of total quality management
through information technology
Grace Aua,*, Ivan Choib
a
Department of Information and Systems Management, The Hong Kong University of Science
& Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong
b
Brunel University, Uxbridge, Sussex, UK
Received 19 May 1996; received in revised form 16 September 1996; accepted 5 October 1998
Abstract
There is growing interest in the service industries in the adoption of quality management programs to improve their
operational ef®ciency and market competitiveness. Deming's total quality management (TQM) philosophy is one of the wellknown ones. The TQM emphasizes continuous improvement through statistical control and the continuous training of people
in the principles of quality management. One of the main implementation issues is the large volume of data that must be
statistically analysed. Although recent researches have reported on how TQM is applied in various industries, few have
discussed the importance of information technology in ensuring a successful TQM program. This paper reports on the
application of information technology in the TQM process and how it can support management decisions. A case example is
included to support these views. # 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Total quality management; Quality control information system; Statistical process control; Continuous improvement
1. Introduction
Quality is seen as saving time and money. A.T.
Kearney found that, out of 50 determinants of competitiveness, quality was most often cited by chief
executive of®cers as critical [24]. Today, the focus on
quality has gone well beyond the ®nished product to
looking at the processes of production throughout the
entire organization. No longer is quality a question of
meeting customers' expectations, but one of exceeding them. Motorola's former chairman, Bob Galvin,
*
Corresponding author. Tel.: +852-2358-7635; fax: +852-23582421
E-mail address: graceau@usthk.ust.hk (G. Au)
believes that the gross national product of the USA
could go up by some 0.5±1% per year if there were a
national policy on quality.
As more and more companies strive to maintain
competitiveness, the philosophy and concepts of total
quality management (TQM) have been received
increased attention by American industry as well as
by academic researchers [10]. TQM is a customerfocused management philosophy that aims at the
continuous improvement of the processes and management of an organization through statistical control,
procedure design, policy deployment and human
resource management techniques. Not only has
TQM fundamentally altered and re-shaped the work
practices and management thinking of many organi-
0378-7206/99/$ ± see front matter # 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
PII: S 0 3 7 8 - 7 2 0 6 ( 9 9 ) 0 0 0 3 0 - 0
288
G. Au, I. Choi / Information & Management 36 (1999) 287±299
zations in the 90s, it has also made new and profound
demands on every organization. Although TQM was
initially introduced into the manufacturing industries,
its adoption has also gradually been extended to the
service industries. Nowadays, service and quality are
intertwined. In virtually every business sector, being a
quality organization has increasingly become a prerequisite, rather than an exceptional achievement.
Accreditation with internationally recognized quality
standards, such as the European ISO 9000 and the
American Six Sigma, has become a basic requirement
for doing businesses with many organizations.
A major implementation issue of TQM in the
service industries is the need to collect a large amount
of data and carry out statistical analysis on them.
Owing to the vast volume of data involved, the success
of a TQM program depends on the use of information
technology (IT). If properly planned and implemented, IT will greatly enhance the application of quality
management in the organization. While IT is taking
care of the more mundane and routine tasks of data
input, computation, measurement, and output, the
users can concentrate their effort on ful®lling the more
important objective of `quality improvement.' This
paper reports on the application of IT in the TQM
process and how management can use the output to
support decisions that help to achieve continuous
improvement of a service-oriented organization. A
case example in the design and implementation of a
hotel housekeeping TQM-IS that aims to improve
customer service quality is included to support these
views.
2. Total quality management (TQM)
2.1. Deming's TQM philosophy
TQM evolved from statistical process control theories pioneered by Dr. Walter A. Shewhart in the Bell
Telephone Laboratories of AT&T in 1924 [15]. His
theories, originally designed for the manufacturing
sectors, were also applied by practitioners in the
service industries and became the basis of Dr. W.
Edward Deming's work [18,22]. An American by
nationality, successful implementation of TQM by
Deming did not occur in the US, but in Japan during
the 1980s [5,9]. It was his success in Japan that led to
the sudden growth of interest in TQM in American
industry.
TQM is a management philosophy that is intended
to empower every member of the organization. It is
intended to promote continuous, sustained, and long
term improvement in quality and productivity and to
eliminate employees' fear of change. Its basic principle is that the cost of prevention is less than the cost
of correction. Bellis-Jones et. al. [3] suggest that TQM
is not just another management fad; it is capable of
delivering real competitive advantage. The TQM
approach integrates the fundamental techniques and
principles of quality function deployment, statistical
control, and existing management tools in a structured
manner. By establishing a quanti®ed deliverable cost
bene®t, TQM can help management to measure the
effectiveness and ef®ciency of the use of resources
across the organization.
The TQM theoretical framework is articulated elsewhere [1], but the essence of the theory of total quality
can be summarized as follows:
1. Quality leads to lower costs as defects are
reduced;
2. Quality is made in the boardroom, it cannot be
instilled into shop floor without the initiative and
commitment of top management;
3. Most defects are caused by the system not the
worker;
4. Inspection is too late; aim to reduce defects during
production and eliminate mass inspection;
5. Eliminate numerical quotas, slogans, exhortation
and targets for the workforce and promote
sustained and continuous improvement of process
and quality of output;
6. Drive out fear of change from workers; institute a
vigorous program of education, training, and
retraining to help the workforce improve continuously and to increase their job security;
7. Break down barriers between staff areas and
abandon review systems that will destroy teamwork and create rivalry;
8. End the practice of awarding business on price tag
alone; look for suppliers committed to quality and
develop long term relationships with them.
The quality of a product or service is the result of
the interaction among the individual performer, the
process, and management. Many factors can get in the
G. Au, I. Choi / Information & Management 36 (1999) 287±299
way of people doing a good job; some are inadequate
resources, poorly designed procedures, and lack of
training. An organization must examine how its product or service ultimately will be used and identify, as
well as measure, the attributes that will provide the
greatest overall level of customer satisfaction.
289
analyzed to identify where errors may occur, measuring quality implicitly includes measuring the cost of
non-conformance. Nevertheless, learning from errors
is also a key to continuous improvement [6].
2.3. The process of designing a service-oriented
TQM program
2.2. Key concepts of TQM
There are two key concepts in the TQM framework
± statistical control that uses statistical methods to
control both management and product processes [14],
and continuous improvement that involves all processes in the management, product, and service chain.
Statistical process control (SPC) theory is based on
the idea that process performance is dynamic, that
natural up-and-down variation is the rule rather than
the exception. Thus, random variation of any aspect of
an average worker's work can be de®ned by setting
acceptable highs and lows, so that any variation
beyond those limits can be detected, the causes
studied, and corrective actions taken. Statistically,
every process experiences variation that can lead
to quality problems. SPC is used to measure variability
of a process and to determine whether and how it
can produce a particular part [25]. The collection of
data and the comparison of actual performance to
the standards are necessary to identify gaps or opportunities for improvement [19]. Tools include causeand-effect diagrams, ¯ow charts, pareto charts, run
charts, histograms, control charts, and scatter diagrams.
Continuous improvement is achieved by a system
designed to keep customer satis®ed throughout the
product or service cycle. Mathieson and Wharton [17]
suggest three levels of customer satisfaction: customers' demands, expectations, and delight. The involvement of all employees in continuous improvement
of the work process is the foundation of any TQM
effort. All employees should view the work they do as
a series of processes, the goal of each being total
customer satisfaction. Thus, all members of the organization must understand their work processes, who
their customers are, what their customers' needs and
expectations are, and how to communicate those needs
and expectations to their suppliers [21]. This often
requires training to improve quality of work and
quality awareness. Moreover, as processes can be
An overview of the process of designing a TQM
program in a service-oriented organization is shown in
Fig. 1.
The ®rst step in designing a TQM program is to
de®ne the TQM vision. The lack of senior management commitment, awareness and vision in an organization has often caused a TQM program to fail. The
importance of management providing a clear and
strong message about its vision should therefore not
be overlooked. The management vision should be
articulated at all levels in the organization.
After de®ning the vision, management must de®ne
a clear set of measurable objectives and a clearly
de®ned ¯exible strategy. A project team must be
assembled for carrying out the de®ned strategy. Ideally, the team should consist of senior management
representatives, TQM experts, IT professionals, middle manager, trainers, and representatives for knowledge and/or production workers, depending on the
service procedures to be evaluated. The project team is
responsible for detailed design of the program, and
also to estimate and gather resources required to
execute the program.
Training on basic TQM principles and brie®ng on
the management's total quality vision are essential
before the detailed design phase. This must provide a
clear explanation of the objectives of the program,
educate employees on the concept, eliminate employees' fear of the program, and motivate employees'
incentive in participating.
The next step is to develop a quality control model
with appropriate measures. This can be achieved by
identifying the most signi®cant outputs being produced and the critical characteristics of performance
for each of these. Secondly, there must be measures
that determine customer satisfaction. The project team
will also need to identify methods of collecting the
measures and design the instruments to be used in the
data collection process. After deciding on the quality
control method, it is necessary for the project team to
290
G. Au, I. Choi / Information & Management 36 (1999) 287±299
Fig. 1. Designing a TQM program.
evaluate sample outputs of the processed data with
potential users.
Simply generating statistical reports does not, however, automatically lead to continuous improvement of
an organization processes. It is important for the
information to reach management in a timely manner,
so that decisions and actions can be made to improve
the process promptly. As a TQM program often generates large volume of data and demands effective
statistical analysis, there is a need for a TQM information system (TQMIS). Its role is to capture, process,
and produce outputs that help management make these
G. Au, I. Choi / Information & Management 36 (1999) 287±299
critical decisions. The TQMIS should be designed to
minimize the amount of input efforts, analyse data
statistically, and produce accurate and easy-to-read
information.
The key driving force behind TQM was employee
empowerment and worker satisfaction based on intrinsic motivation, involving collaboration among organizational work units, emphasizing prevention rather
than detection, and measuring performance based on
goals [8]. Based upon the results, management can
design continuous improvement strategies that ensure
total quality of the processes being examined.
If the relationship between management decisions
and outputs of the TQMIS can be logically de®ned,
then a DSS can be used to simplify the output for
management. Instead of producing many tables of
numerical data or graphical charts, the system can
further interpret the results and give meaningful alternatives for the ®nal action. In this way, management
actions can be taken to correct any error effectively.
Finally, the last and most dif®cult step is to integrate
quality management into the organization's support
systems and ensure that TQM will be a way of life
rather than just another short-lived program [20]. The
project team will have to review the quality control
model periodically so that the measuring functions
and parameters can be updated and veri®ed over time.
As achieving total quality in a service procedure is
highly labour intensive, the project team must listen to
the feedback of staff involved in the program and
modify the operational logistic. Where there is a
change in the service procedure, it is also necessary
to update the quality model to maintain the validity of
the data produced.
3. A case example
Total quality management in the hospitality industry
is becoming commonplace. Hotel companies have tried
to implement service-quality-improvement programs
with varying degrees of success. Although it is not
possible to measure every aspect of the service encounter, most steps can be quanti®ed and measured [16].
291
continuous improvement of staff's service quality.
Housekeeping was chosen because it was one of the
front-line operations, where service quality and customer satisfaction are paramount. The growing cost
pressures have made the management of housekeeping more demanding than ever. Managers are
reminded that their greatest asset is the pride people
take in their areas of responsibility. The use of Deming's TQM principles will improve the pride of the
housekeeping staff [26]. The objective of the TQM
program was to enhance continuous improvement of
the service quality of the housekeeping procedure by
minimizing the cost of errors and the average process
time. The management strategy was to motivate the
staff to improve their work quality by customised
training and personal management techniques. After
de®ning the vision, several meetings were held
between management and staff at different organizational levels to ensure their support.
3.2. Assigning a project team
A project team consisting of the director of operations, a TQM expert, the training manager, a training
of®cer representative, the head of housekeeping, a
housekeeper representative and the authors was convened to carry out the strategy laid down by the senior
management. The role of the authors was to design
and implement a TQMIS based upon requirements
speci®ed by the project team. Both the training and
housekeeping departments were involved.
3.3. Implement training program on TQM for staff
concerned.
A series of training seminars was conducted on
TQM for both the managerial staff and operational
workers in the hotel. Experience gained from successful and failed implementations of the TQM program
in similar organizations were shared with the audience.
3.1. Defining the vision, objective and strategy
3.4. Identify the quality control model with
measuring functions and parameters
The management vision was to provide `zerodefect' services with maximum ef®ciency through
As the management objective is to achieve total
quality through `zero-defect' with maximum ef®-
292
G. Au, I. Choi / Information & Management 36 (1999) 287±299
ciency in its service procedure, a nature way of
measuring the outcome is by means of a set of nonconformance attributes on all the visible items inside a
hotel room in conjunction with the time it takes for the
housekeeper to complete the housekeeping task. The
objective function of the TQM program is to minimize
the total defect value and the total time it takes to
complete the housekeeping procedure:
X
i1...n
Defect
X
i1...n
XX
NCk Wk
Time
i
j
XX
Tl
i
j
where i refers to the individual housekeeper, j refers to
the room being cleaned, NC and W refers to the value
of the non-conforming item k and the corresponding
weight factor, and T refers to the time it takes for the
housekeeper to complete task l.
The project team initially identi®ed a list of 300
non-conformance items based upon three attributes ±
the location (e.g., entrance), item (e.g., eye viewer),
and reasons for non-conformance, such as mould, hair,
dirt, and wrinkles. A different quality weight
factor for each of these was assigned by the project
team. For example, hair in the wash basin was giving a
higher weighting than hair on the carpet. An example
of part of the non-conformance list is shown in
Appendix A.
A quality control check sheet was then designed.
This, a sample of which is shown in Appendix B,
contains a list of non-conforming items that each
housekeeper is expected to clean or tidy up. During
each inspection, the non-conformance items that fail
to conform to the standard such as wrinkles on the bed
sheet and hair in the bath tub, are recorded by a
training of®cer. Out of 800 rooms in the hotel, a
random sample of 80 was selected for daily quality
inspection.
The average process time for each housekeeper was
compiled by means of a housekeeping check sheet
(see Appendix C); this contains a list of all the tasks to
be carried out during room cleaning. The entire housekeeping procedure was divided into ®ve process cycles
± bed making and stripping, dusting, bathroom,
vacuuming and other special tasks, such as carpet
spotting or baby cot making. Each process was further
subdivided into smaller tasks and the housekeepers
were trained to perform each task with guidelines on
time allocation during training. Each housekeeper was
required to identify which tasks were performed and
the time to complete each process cycle on the check
sheet for each room being cleaned.
Statistical analysis was then carried out on a set of
sample data to produce various statistical reports and
control charts. These outputs were then evaluated by
the project team. Sample management reports were
then speci®ed for helping assess the ef®ciency, the
level of non-conformance and training needs of each
individual housekeeper.
3.5. Design and development of a TQMIS
A TQMIS was developed to support the implementation of the program. The system was designed to
enable users to monitor the performance and training
requirements of the housekeepers in an effective
manner. Badiru [2] stated that a systems approach
to TQM considers every interaction necessary
between the various elements of an organization. A
high degree of user-designer interaction was maintained throughout all system development processes.
This also helped to narrow the expectation gap
between the system functionality and the user requirements.
An entity-relationship diagram and a data ¯ow
model [4] for the housekeeping TQMIS are shown
in Figs. 2a and b, respectively.
A multi-user relational database system was
developed on a network of Apple Macintoshes
computers. In order to minimize the data input task,
information about the housekeepers, trainers, tasks,
and rooms were pre-input into the system. The user
interface of the system was designed so that the
input screen was similar to that of the housekeeping
and quality control check sheet. By using on-screen
check boxes, input operators can key in the
completed housekeeping tasks and non-conformance
items by simply clicking on the corresponding check
boxes.
Apart from the housekeeping data, the TQMIS was
also integrated with the training history of the hotel
staff. While examining the performance of a housekeeper, the training of®cer was able to obtain up-todate information about the housekeeper's background
and determine appropriate training needs.
G. Au, I. Choi / Information & Management 36 (1999) 287±299
In order to facilitate database searching, a data
inquiry screen was designed for the training manager,
training of®cers, and the head of housekeeper to
specify user-de®ned search criteria.
3.6. Design continuous improvement management
strategy
To achieve continuous improvement, it is important
for housekeepers to understand the performance goal,
how it is being measured, the current level of quality,
and the degree of improvement over time. The management strategy was to achieve continuous improvement via customised training and employee
motivation. An employee recognition reward system
was then designed.
293
report showing non-conformance in each task for each
housekeeper (see Fig. 3) is generated.
The daily summary report indicates the total number of non-conforming items, the average number of
non-conforming items per room and the percentage of
rooms in which each non-conforming item was discovered. The report is also used for generating summary data every month and over any user-de®ned time
period. Trend analysis on each housekeeper's nonconformance history has helped management in assessing whether and how quickly improvements have
been made. These results form the basis of the
employee recognition reward system.
Control charts that identify anomalies for each
housekeeper (see Fig. 4) and pareto charts that identify
major areas of non-conformance (see Fig. 5) can also
be obtained from the system.
3.7. Collect data and generate output reports
3.8. Ensure continuous improvement
The actual implementation of the TQM program
then began. Everyday, data were collected and keyed
into the TQMIS by four input operators: each responsible for keying in 200 daily housekeeping and 20
quality control check sheets. At the end of each day, a
After running a trial of the TQM program for three
months, the measuring functions and parameters were
updated and veri®ed. Several meetings were held to
review the design of the TQM program. Modi®cations
were made in the quality control model, the design of
Fig. 2. (a) An entity-relationship diagram for the housekeeping TQMIS; (b) a 0 data flow model for the housekeeping TQMIS.
294
G. Au, I. Choi / Information & Management 36 (1999) 287±299
Fig. 2. (Continued).
the TQMIS, and the implementation logistics of the
TQM program to ensure the validity of the data
generated and effectiveness of the program.
Everyday, the names of the best housekeepers were
posted on the hotel training notice board. Based on the
daily results, the best housekeeper for every month is
selected and US$150 is awarded to that housekeeper
by senior management.
Continuous improvement was also ensured by
enabling housekeepers to understand their own
strengths and weaknesses. Each housekeeper receives
a monthly summary report showing the housekeeper's
individual performance relative to the best housekeeper.
Personal attention by the head of housekeeping
was also given to the individual housekeeper when
performance anomalies were tracked in the daily
and monthly quality control reports. The trainers were
then able to arrange customised training to help the
housekeeper to improve her work quality in speci®c
areas. In addition, the quality control reports were
incorporated into the appraisal system so as to ensure
integration of the TQM program into the hotel's daily
operation.
G. Au, I. Choi / Information & Management 36 (1999) 287±299
295
Fig. 3. A daily summary quality control report.
Fig. 4. A typical control chart output.
4. Lessons learnt
The effective design of a TQMIS to support the
implementation of the TQM program is valuable. A
good design must support the users from data input to the
delivery of meaningful and useful information to the
management. Indeed, the TQMIS is the main mechanical force for driving the daily operational program.
296
G. Au, I. Choi / Information & Management 36 (1999) 287±299
To solve these problems, we recommended either
the use of forms scanning technology with optical
character recognition features or hand-held pen-based
computers for simultaneous quality inspection and
data input.
4.3. Information must reach the management in an
effective manner
Fig. 5. A pareto chart output.
4.1. Early involvement with IT professionals is
essential
Early involvement of the IT professionals during
the design phase of the TQM program is essential.
Throughout the design process, we were able to
receive training by the TQM expert. This helped us
to understand the users' needs and why the information was needed. We were then able to give advice on
the input and outputs of the program.
4.2. Avoid delays and errors during data input
Delays in the input process could cause a halt to the
entire TQM program. During the initial trial period,
the number of input operators was increased from two
to four. It took the operators two weeks before they
could achieve enough speed to complete data input
everyday; however there has been high turnover of
employees and a high percentage of human input
errors.
Training has to be given for every new employee.
Moreover, time has to be allowed for the new person
gain experience with the job. This has inevitably
increased the cost of the program. A daily sample
set of data is quality checked to ensure reasonable
accuracy.
One signi®cant modi®cation that we made in the
TQMIS was to integrate the system with the hotel's
electronic mail so that summary reports are sent to the
housekeeping and training department electronically.
Every morning, an electronic message identifying
the three best housekeepers is sent to the head of
housekeeping. Other exceptional reports, such as sudden decline of housekeeper's performance or high
percentage of non-conforming errors were also automatically generated and forwarded by electronic mail.
This seamless integration has improved user acceptance of system.
4.4. Synchronization between results generated by
the TQMIS and management's continuous
improvement actions
As suggested by Smith [23], TQM succeeds best
when a continuous improvement culture is instilled
into the employees. A basic tenet of TQM is that
employees are eager to succeed if they understand the
de®nition of a good job and are given the information
and tools to complete it. Although the TQMIS was
designed with that purpose in mind [12], continuous
improvement can only be achieved if appropriate
management actions are taken in time. Training and
education are effective ways to implementing performance management systems [11].
4.5. Outputs from the TQMIS must be thoroughly
tested and validated
In the ®nal implementation of the hotel housekeeping TQM program, the number of non-conforming
items has been reduced from 300 to 230. Changes in
the quality weight factor for each non-conforming
297
G. Au, I. Choi / Information & Management 36 (1999) 287±299
item were also made in order to improve the validity of
the results.
Appendix A. An Example of the list of nonconformance items
4.6. Listen to employees' feedback and initiate
positive changes
Location
Item
Nonconforming
reason
Quality
weights
The introduction of the TQM program has caused
an increase in the daily workload of the housekeepers
and trainers: they now have to provide more information. This increase of workload has caused some
reluctant employees to be disgruntled: lack of employees' support can cause a TQM program to fail. It is
therefore important for management to listen to the
employees' feedback. One useful change proposed by
the housekeepers was to increase the varieties in the
prize awarded to the best housekeeper of the month.
This has helped to make the quality control process
more relaxed and enjoyable.
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
Entrance
door bell sign
door bell sign
master switch
master switch
master switch
eye-viewer
eye-viewer
door frame
door frame
door strayer
door strayer
doublelock
carpet
carpet
carpet
carpet
ceiling paper
ceiling paper
ceiling paper
ceiling paper
ceiling paper
ceiling paper
ceiling board
ceiling board
ceiling board
ceiling board
entrance ceiling
spot light
Entrance ceiling
spot light
door mirror
door mirror
door mirror
door mirror
hangers
hangers
hangers
light
ceiling board
ceiling board
±
±
d
r
d
r
f
d
r
d
r
d
r
r
k
m
r
s
d
f
k
m
r
s
b
d
f
m
d
1
6
2
5
7
2
1
1
4
1
3
6
2
2
4
1
1
2
4
4
1
1
1
1
4
1
1
r
4
a
d
k
r
d
p
q
r
k
r
±
±
2
1
4
5
4
1
1
4
1
1
±
±
4.7. Further use of the TQMIS
The TQMIS can potentially be transformed into a
`knowledge-based information system' [7,13]. For
example, the Ritz-Carlton hotel chain has installed
a system to track customer preferences and needs and
automatically transmit the information worldwide; if a
customer in Boston asks for six hypoallergenic pillows, for instance, she will ®nd them in her room next
time she checks in to a Ritz-Carlton hotel elsewhere.
In the housekeeping case, complaints from customers
can be fed into the TQMIS to inform the hotel that
extra attention is required.
5. Conclusions
Entrance
We have provided empirical evidence of the application of TQM theory to improve the IT implementation process. Contrary to the old training methods, the
TQMIS provides a systematic mechanism for trainers
to assess requirements based on quantitative analysis.
Training thus becomes more cost effective: unnecessary training is eliminated and programs are designed
proactively. TQM plays a signi®cant role in supporting
and driving a continuous improvement culture.
Keeping systems aligned with continuous improvement strategies will be the challenge of the next
decade.
Closet
Closet
Closet
Closet
Closet
Closet
Closet
Closet
Closet
Closet
±
±
298
G. Au, I. Choi / Information & Management 36 (1999) 287±299
Appendix B. Quality control check sheet
Appendix C. Housekeeping check sheet
Schedule No.
Schedule No.
Room No.
Housekeeper ID
Date
Start time
(tick tasks
performed)
Room No.
Trainer ID
Date
Start time
End time
Entrance
Room no plate:
Master switch:
Eye viewer:
Entrance door
Door lock
Ceiling paper
Spot light:
A/c exhaust grill
Bed
Bedding
Bed
Closet
Door mirror
Hangers (12)
Spare blanket &
pillow
Light
Ceiling board
Wallpaper
Safe
Mini Bar and fridge
Mini bar marble
counter
Miniture bottles (15)
Nuts & raisins (3)
Mini bar voucher
non-conforming
reasons
a ± appearance
b ± black mark
c ± condemned
d ± dust
e ± expired
f ± fingerprints
h ± hair
i ± wrinkles
k ±dirt
l ± locked
m ± mould
d
d
d
b
r
d
d
d
fr
r
m
dr
kfmrs
r
mr
abid
c
adkr
dpq
cdpq
r
kr
abdfhkm
r
total
no.
Entrance
Polish room
plate
Clean entrance
door
Dust ceiling
Clean A/C
exhaust grill
Bed making &
stripping
Bed stripping
Bed making
Closet
Clean door mirror
Check safety box
Clean closet light
Report
missing items
Bathroom
Remove all
soiled linen
Clean wash basin
Clean bath tub
Clean bath room
floor
Clean mirror
End time
Total time
cycle time
check master
switch
check door lock
check ceiling
spot light bulbs
cycle time
report
maintenance
remove rubbish
cycle time
count hangers
check spare
blanket
& pillow
dust ceiling
board
report
maintenance
cycle time
clean counter
replenish
bath room
amenities
clean bath room
wall
clean toilet
bowl
report
maintenance
cycle time
replace glass
complete
& replace
mini bar voucher
dkrs
Minibar & fridge
Clean bar counter
Replenish drinks
& other supplies
cdeklpq
acdlpqs
ipqw
Total no. of tasks
completed in room:
Record room exit time and reasons
No. exit time
return time
total room exit time
total time reason
G. Au, I. Choi / Information & Management 36 (1999) 287±299
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Dr. Grace Au is currently Director of
Centre for Enhanced Learning and
Teaching at the Hong Kong University
of Science and Technology responsible
for developing tools and techniques in
enhancing learning and teaching at the
tertiary level. Prior to this, she was a
lecturer at the Department of Information and Systems Management where
she has taught and conducted research in
the areas of multimedia and learning for
many years. She has published various papers in this area. She was
instrumental in setting up the multimedia research laboratory
within the department whereby students can learn and experiment
multimedia applications.
Ivan Choi is a Chartered Management
Accountant and Associate Director of
the Poon Kam Kai Institute of Management at the University of Hong Kong.
He is currently a part time Ph.D.
candidate at Brunel University. Ivan's
research interest is also in multimedia
technologies and their applications in
learning, particularly executive education and lifelong learning. Within the
Institute, he is involved in both management consulting and management training where Total Quality
Management and other management tools are being practised.