TQM Implementation at EPA

GAO reviewed the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) implementation of total quality management initiatives. GAO found that: (1) as EPA invested more time and effort in TQM activities, TQM implementation matured, barriers became less difficult, and greater benefits could be achieved; (2) EPA is in the early phases of TQM implementation, but the level of TQM activity in EPA facilities is greater than the percentage for all federal facilities surveyed; (3) over half of the EPA facilities had implemented TQM initiatives and believed TQM was beneficial; and (4) EPA generally agreed with the most common barriers to successful TQM implementation reported by all federal respondents, but their ranking of barriers varied.