My first reaction to Beth's objection to my ramblings was that she had
misread my comments, because, in fact, we do not disagree on what TQM
is intended to do or on some of the methodology.  

On a second reading, it became obvious to me that we are looking at
the application of TQM  from two different perspectives.   She is
looking at processes and gives a (chilling to me) example for
improving the quality of answering phone calls.  

I am looking at it from the standpoint of the basic objective of the
museum: to present exhibitions that will educate, enlighten and
entertain the public.  You don't do this by improving phone calls, or
even by developing new and better ways to hang paintings.  Better
exhibitions come from creativity coupled by strong team effort to
transform the idea into reality.  That's why I said in my final
paragraph, that "quality" in this area starts with  defining the goal
ie: what you hope to produce in the way of an exhibition, and then for
all to work for the common goal.  Along the way one and all can
improve on the processes but, I hope, not at the expense of the goal.

I cannot believe that the rather strict setting, transcribing,
instructing, and monitoring of staff to see that they conform in
quality processes is very practical.  Especially in small museums like
Jay's with a small staff, and, I would guess, with many more
volunteers without whom most small museums would fold.  I have a
feeling that many volunteers would walk out the door if they realized
management was secretly monitoring their calls, or any other process
they are doing for the museum.  This among other things is why I
questioned   whether TQM applies to museums.    This is especially so
for small museums, if to do so requires seminars and consultants where
their costs are not insignificant.

John Bing

On Mon, 21 Jun 1999 09:34:37 -0700, Beth wrote:

>Greetings, List -
>Oh dear, I must strongly object to John Bing's comment, as follows:
>
>"5.  Project Management  is my field and it, like the museum consists
>of producing individual  activities or projects, (in my case design
>and build chemical plants).  TQM in its purest sense, does not apply,
>however, that does not mean one cannot improve quality in doing one of
>a kind projects.  "
>
>of course, I do not object that project management is his field ;-)........
>Total Quality Management most certainly applies to processes, specifically
>project management, as well as
>products and services. Museums are replete with processes, not the least of
>which  are all
>the service activities performed for the public. In fact, TQM focuses on the
>myriad processes that result in a product!
>
>The fundamentals of TQM are: establish, for your organization, what
>"Quality" looks like. Every museum has an enormous host of processes and
>outcomes that will define it as either achieving customer satisfaction...or
>not!  From exhibit fabrication to fundraising, to media presence, to phone
>answering, all the above can be done with quality. TQM requires that you, as
>an organization,  define what good performance looks like. Then write it
>down.
>
>Measurement is another plank of the TQM platform. Once you define what a
>label, a phone call, a meeting, a project management plan looks like when it
>is done with quality, then you must define meaningful measurements. For
>simplicity's sake, lets use the phone call. This one easily comes to mind
>because I called 11 museums that are members of this list last week, and the
>phone answering certainly has a wide range of quality....by my personal
>measurement :-)
>Imagine that the standard is : answer within 5 rings, voice mail present if
>no human available, if human, then answer identifying museum and department
>reached, no audible food or gum chewing, clear elocution, appropriate use of
>hold or mute such that caller does not hear museum staffer hollering around
>the office for answers to the questions.
>TQM requires that the person to perform the task is given adequate training
>on what good performance looks like.  This is vital! Notice of regular
>assessment is made.
>
>Then that assessment is in fact made, with regularity. Establishing the
>standard but not measuring performance is  wasted effort. A staff person
>calls the museum, and evaluates performance.  So, if phone answerer misses
>two of those points every week, then a performance improvement plan is
>established. Training is repeated, with an improvement schedule established.
>"You now miss two of these checkpoints at each assessment. Within 4 weeks,
>you need to have reduced it to one point, within 6 weeks, no points missed,
>or you will be considered  not meeting the performance  requirements for
>your position, which may result in termination. "
>
>Ok, that last seems a bit harsh, but it is the basic reality of TQM.  Define
>Quality, document  your agreement, create meaningful measurement, then
>plan/effect continuos improvement. ....Then set the bar a tad higher...
>
>Obviously this is vastly simplified explanation.  I have been using TQM
>practices for 12 years, and found that their application was worth the
>effort. In some cases it resulted in dramatic improvement of customer
>satisfaction,  efficient staff operation (read:improved bottom line), and
>surprisingly, after the initial resistance by employees, actually became an
>attraction to new staff. One prospective employee told me that she wanted to
>join my department because she had heard that under my management she would
>learn more about her profession and become a better employee than in any
>other position available to her!
>
>Understanding of TQM in its various flavors,  can be gained through reading
>(see list of books below), attending
>the hundred of seminars, or through hiring a consultant to facilitate
>through an initial assessment, then proposed implementation plan.
>Personally, I believe that some judicious reading, then a limited consultant
>engagement is the most efficient way to implement. Without the consultant,
>you can spin your wheels and lose focus, damaging the initial acceptance by
>management and staff.
>
>If you would like to discuss your particular circumstance and goals, please
>feel free to call  or email off list...I have had many years experience in
>bringing TQM and Demmings processes to a variety of staff types.
>Good luck to you in your search for excellence and efficiency! They are
>admirable and fulfilling objectives for any organization, certainly,
>museums, galleries and science centers among them.
>
>Beth Macdonald
>Big Head Interactive
>415/752.6511
>www.bigheadinteractive.com
>
>
>Books on TQM
>
>Quality Without Tears : The Art of Hassle-Free Management; Philip B. Crosby
> Quality Is Free : The Art of Making Quality Certain; Philip B. Crosby
>Running Things : The Art of Making Things Happen; Phillip B. Cosby,
>Juran on Leadership for Quality : An Executive Handbook; Joseph M. Juran
>A History of Managing for Quality : The Evolution, Trends, and Future
>Directions of Managing for Quality ~
>J.M. Juran
>Keeping Score : Using the Right Metrics to Drive World-Class Performance by
>Mark Graham Brown
>Vital Signs : Using Quality, Time, and Cost Performance Measurements to
>Chart Your Company's Future; Steven M. Hronec
>The Balanced Scorecard : Translating Strategy into Action; Robert S. Kaplan,
>David P. Norton
> Measuring Performance; Bob Frost
>The Basics of Performance Measurement; Jerry L. Harbour
>
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