Total Quality (tq) Model and Methodologies

Total Quality (TQ) Model and Methodologies Paper

This assignment is to select a TQ model/method and make a recommendation for improving a Dimensions International, Inc (DI) Total Quality Management issue. Propose a recommendation as if it would be presented to upper management for incorporation into the organization’s strategic planning. Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) is a collaborative effort across an organizational that enables people to benefit from an improved shared process. The CQI model selection was because of DI needs to continually provide a faster payment process for travel reimbursement. The enhanced process will provide a satisfaction their employees will benefit from as the company provides satisfy to their external customers. The management view employees’ satisfaction as the company’s lifeblood for the recruitment and retainment of highly talented individuals.

DI’s Total Quality Management issue addressed is the company’s travel reimbursement process. The company’s profile statement is to provide global and international solution. This involves traveling to a customer job site to support the customer’s mission or tasking. The company endorses and expects every employee to use the American Express Credit Card for all travel related expenses incurred during normal business travel. Normal travel expenses are defined as advanced airline bookings, hotels, meals, and any expense need to support the customer during the trip. The company’s manual requires an employee to fill out a travel claim within two working days of returning from any travel assignment. The slow reimbursement payment of travel claims have caused many employees to incur late fees or forced them to pay the credit card balance out of their own pockets until the reimbursement check arrives. The company’s current reimbursement process is outdated, heavily dependent upon the United States Mail Service. DI prides itself as a high tech company. The following quality improvement recommendation would replace the current outdated system with a high tech computerized solution, employing open software architecture. The proposal’s on-line computerized system is patterned after the Department of Defense (DoD) system. They boast reducing the claim payment period from three to four weeks to less than two weeks. The Department of Defense uses a more complex system for their travel and reimbursement requirements. They praise their systems for easy of use, a vast reduction of travel claim errors and quick direct payment to personnel bank accounts. The proposed processing improvement would be on a smaller scale and use the best features of the Department of Defense system. The improvements would start with everything computerized, thereby cutting out use of traditional mail service, except to mail required hard copy receipt to the corporate office’s Accounting Department. The removal of using just the mail service would save seven or more days. The recommended changes to the current would work in the following steps.

Step 1: Within two days of an employee returning from a travel assignment;

He or she would submit a completed computerized travel claim

reimbursement form, along with scanned travel related receipt.

Step 2: Electronic travel claim form and scanned receipts are immediately

delivered to the manager for review and approval. An electronic

delivery receipt generated and return to the sender. The manager can

either print out the electronic travel claim form to verify everything

or compare them on the screen. If errors are detected, the entire packet

can be returned to originator for error correction and re-submittal.

Step 3: Once the manager is satisfied with the electronic travel claim

completeness, the form is electronically shipped to the Accounting

Department. A delivery receipt