TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT AT WORK - DEVELOPMENT OF AN EFFECTIVE COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS PROCESS

The management team of a business unit in a global specialty chemical company wanted better incorporation of competitive information in thei r strategic business planning process. Applying the tools of total qua lity management (TQM), the members of the business ream developed a co mpetitive analysis process that simultaneously met the needs of the th e management team and incorporated the attributes that its future user s felt would insure its lasting success. The key TQM methodology appli ed in this project was a gap analysis, in which the desirable characte ristics of a process (the future state) were compared with the way in which the process is currently being performed (the current state). Th is comparison leads to the identification of new process elements or c hanges in procedures that will allow the organization to reach the des ired level of performance. The project's outcome tvas a computerized d atabase, managed by a process champion and supported by competitive te ams. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Inc.