Using the Baldrige Criteria for Self Assessment

The basis of total quality management is continuous improvement of processes to meet and exceed current and future customer needs. Critical to this process is comparing where the organization is relative to the best practices both within and outside the industry. The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Criteria provide a set of world-class quality values against which organizations can assess their processes. The criteria offer a tool for planning and training to help a company identify its strengths and weaknesses and to form a strategy for planning company-wide improvements. This article describes how the Baldrige criteria can be used to improve an organization's overall operational performance and competitiveness.