The Implementation of Quality Systems in the Sudan and the role of TQM in Performance Improvement : A study of National Electricity Corporation (NEC) and Azza Air Transport Company cases

Abstract

This research is about implementing Quality Systems in the Sudan and the role of TQM as a comprehensive approach to improve organizational performance. The research began with a comprehensive background on Quality, focusing on Total Quality Management (TQM), which is not well understood for many people, particularly, in the Sudan. Then, it defined TQM as a comprehensive management approach for improving performance, since there is a critical problem of unsatisfactory organizational performance, which is considered as a common problem for many organizations, particularly, in the Sudan. The research main objectives include; an evaluation of quality systems implementation in the Sudan with a special focus on TQM, introduction of a comprehensive approach for enhancing organizational performance, introduction of a comprehensive approach to define, understand, benefit from, and differentiate TQM from other quality management systems such as ISO 9000; and finally, to encourage organizations' managers to adopt TQM as a strategy. The research used the statistical, analytic, and descriptive approach to investigate and identify the status of quality systems implementations in the Sudan and the role of TQM in performance improvement. Relative TQM tools and engineering software and techniques had been applied for data collection, analysis, assessment, and to introduce the feasible improvement efforts. Initially, a general survey on a hundred Sudanese organizations was conducted. That was followed by an interview with each leader or quality manager of such organization. Then, two detailed case studies were also considered; the National Electric Corporation (NEC), and Azza Air Transport Company, respectively. And that was followed by questionnaire. This research consists of five chapters. The first is an introductory chapter that describes the research framework. The second comprised a review of the literature and studies on Quality systems and Total Quality Management (TQM). The third chapter introduced the methodology,

iv where actual data had been collected for detailed analysis and assessment of quality systems related to the two targeted organizations. The fourth chapter contained the analysis and discussion of results, where assessment and improvement for those systems were considered. Finally, the fifth chapter showed the conclusion and recommendations; where the appendixes are attached at the end of it. The research came out with certain results. The most important of these is that the implementation of quality systems in the Sudan is weak but increasing chronically, there is no TQM system implemented yet, the majority of the implemented quality systems are ISO9000 Quality Management Systems (QMS) with ineffective implementation. Accordingly, the research ended up by giving 12 recommendations for achieving high quality organizational performance.