This document provides an overview of Total Quality Management (TQM). It defines quality from different perspectives such as customer-based, manufacturing-based, and value-based. TQM aims to enhance traditional business practices by focusing on quality, with an emphasis on meeting customer expectations. The document traces the origins and development of TQM, including the contributions of quality gurus like Deming, Juran, Ishikawa, and Crosby. It also discusses how American businesses adopted TQM approaches in response to quality competition from Japanese manufacturers starting in the 1980s. Key principles of TQM include top management commitment, customer focus, continuous improvement, and treating suppliers as partners.