By adopting Total Quality Management (TQM) strategies, business organizations are working smarter and gaining the competitive edge. The authors cite examples of successes of TQM in specific government agencies, including the Treasury Department, to reveal how the principles of TQM can be applied at all levels of government. The book provides numerous charts and diagrams that show concretely how to apply the concepts and techniques of TQM within any governmental organization. The authors offer case examples that detail what organizational changes are to be implemented when TQM is introduced.

Policymakers and program managers are continually seeking ways to improve accountability in achieving an entity's mission. A key factor in improving accountability in achieving an entity's mission is to implement an effective internal control system. An effective internal control system helps an entity adapt to shifting environments, evolving demands, changing risks, and new priorities. As programs change and entities strive to improve operational processes and implement new technology, management continually evaluates its internal control system so that it is effective and updated when necessary. Section 3512 (c) and (d) of Title 31 of the United States Code (commonly known as the Federal Managers? Financial Integrity Act (FMFIA)) requires the Comptroller General to issue standards for internal control in the federal government.

Second in a series of publications from the Institute of Medicine's Quality of Health Care in America project Today's health care providers have more research findings and more technology available to them than ever before. Yet recent reports have raised serious doubts about the quality of health care in America. Crossing the Quality Chasm makes an urgent call for fundamental change to close the quality gap. This book recommends a sweeping redesign of the American health care system and provides overarching principles for specific direction for policymakers, health care leaders, clinicians, regulators, purchasers, and others. In this comprehensive volume the committee offers: A set of performance expectations for the 21st century health care system. A set of 10 new rules to guide patient-clinician relationships. A suggested organizing framework to better align the incentives inherent in payment and accountability with improvements in quality. Key steps to promote evidence-based practice and strengthen clinical information systems. Analyzing health care organizations as complex systems, Crossing the Quality Chasm also documents the causes of the quality gap, identifies current practices that impede quality care, and explores how systems approaches can be used to implement change.

The principles and methods for implementing a total quality management (TQM) system in all levels of government are introduced in this best-selling book. Topics range from complete overviews of TQM, quality awards, and award criteria to quality leadership in government, implementation, and tools and techniques.

This book reports on the costs, effectiveness, and risks associated with agency and private sector inspection practices. It provides advice to senior and mid-level agency managers on the relative merits of alternative strategies in the range of projects typically encountered in federal construction programs.

Many organizations that are struggling to integrate the application of quality principles to their day-to-day operation express a desire to learn from the experiences of those who have made progress in transforming their culture. This handbook seeks to help meet that need by providing examples from Federal government agencies..