A total quality management action plan assessment model in supply chain management using the lean and agile scores

Abstract

Supply chain management (SCM) and total quality management (TQM) represent two parallel approaches to improving organizational performance. Previous studies have analyzed the SCM features impacting organizational performance independently of the design of TQM practices. Similarly, the recent literature on SCM overlooks TQM when incorporating lean and agile elements in SCM practices and strategies. Scattered attempts have been made to evaluate lean and agile SCM practices and TQM action plans, but no concrete integrated approach has been developed. In particular, no study has presented a structured analysis to quantify the influence of the SCM components on achieving predetermined TQM goals. We propose a comprehensive, four-phase, integrated procedure with a total score to quantitatively assess lean and agile SCM to fill this research gap. This comprehensive score selects the most suitable TQM action plan for increasing productivity and sustainability. The four phases of the proposed procedure include an initial qualitative analysis for defining indicators, sub-indicators, and characteristics of the lean and agile approach (Phase 1), the formulation of a mathematical model for computing the total score of the whole SCM approach (Phase 2), the selection of an action plan to achieve TQM goals (Phase 3), and the validation of the proposed framework and the results obtained (Phase 4). We show the applicability of the proposed evaluation procedure in a real-life case study and demonstrate that the general formulation of the mathematical model allows for extensions of the proposed method to other evaluation contexts.