Which statement best reflects the focus of Total Quality Management on process improvement rather than product inspection?

• A. Focusing on product inspections
• B. Focusing on improving processes rather than inspecting the product
• C. Reducing quality to cut costs
• D. Ignoring customer feedback

Answer: (B)

Total Quality Management centers on building quality into how work is done, not just catching defects after the fact. The best statement reflects this by emphasizing improving processes rather than inspecting the product. When the focus is on the process, you look for where variability or waste enters the workflow and address it directly—through better training, standardized work, mistake-proofing, and continuous improvement—so defects are prevented rather than detected at the end. This preventive mindset means quality becomes part of every step, often reducing the need for extensive post-production inspections. For example, if misalignment in a line causes defects, fixing the process to ensure proper alignment every time is more effective than repeatedly inspecting finished items.

Focusing on product inspections alone catches problems after they occur and misses opportunities to prevent them. Options that imply reducing quality to save costs or ignoring customer feedback contradict the aim of delivering reliable value and continuous improvement that TQM promotes.