TQM Stresses MIS: The Ache of Continuous Change

As an operating philosophy, TQM has crossed departmental and disciplinary boundaries as a way to increase productivity and improve quality. Information Systems Managers, particularly those supporting legacy systems, face substantial challenges in an organization implementing TQM. A principle philosophy of TQM is that of conÐ tinuous improvement resulting in a continuous stream of change requests for the IS department. IS managers must understand this as a source of the increase in change reÐ quests and seek ways to successfully manage them. In the short run, one method is active participation on the qualÐ ity teams suggesting such changes. The long run, however, requires a proactive stance by the IS department that inÐ cludes implementation of the TQM philosophy throughout its own ranks. Otherwise, the IS department will continue to be stressed by an avalanche of change requests and viewed as a roadblock to successful TQM implementation.