Quality Management in the Army

As the Army transitions towards Force XXI, it has had to balance the implementation of quality management with downsizing, budget cuts and reorganization. Moreover, because of its unique roles and missions, the Army's Total Army Quality (TAQ) office has to deal with many units either rejecting quality management or using it incorrectly. The Army, unlike the private sector and other military services, still relies heavily on its people despite the advances of technology and the Information Age. Therefore, it is important to examine whether or not quality management is right for our next generation military, in this case the Army? Furthermore, if the match is not right, can we fix it? Through a study of both the civilian and military quality management concepts, and linking it with Force XXI, this paper concludes that there are some areas where quality management works and some areas where it does not. This research focuses primarily on command and control, operations, intelligence, and logistics. Specifically, it was important to note that many people have confused the distinctions between leadership versus management, efficiency versus effectiveness, strategy versus statistical analysis, customer satisfaction, soldier capability, and others. The Army will likely be forced to address these long-term issues as it revises its Army Regulation 5-1, Army Management Philosophy.