Hierarchical model for quality management

This paper presents a kind of hierarchical model for quality management that can provide theoretical and practical guidance for quality improvement. The concept of quality and the rules of quality management are analyzed systematically according to the theory of total quality management (TQM). Two new concepts of ‘hard quality’ and ‘soft quality’ are proposed and explained clearly. Then, a novel hierarchical model for quality management that consists of six quality management layers is set forth. In this hierarchical model, the processes of the product quality control assurance and the processes of the quality management are combined and integrated. The main contents and important supporting techniques for each quality management layer and the correlation among these six layers are analyzed and clarified. Finally, focus on the quality control assurance in the product development, the quality improvement principles and engineering application significance of the quality function deployment (QFD) and Taguchi quality design method are discussed in detail.