Total quality means:

• A. Production is responsible for quality
• B. Quality combines strict adherence to standard
• C. Quality is everybody's business
• D. All of the above

Answer: (C)

Total quality means quality is everyone's responsibility across the organization. It’s about creating a culture where every person, from top management to the shop floor and even suppliers and customers, contributes to improving processes and preventing defects. If only the production team is responsible, or if quality is seen as simply strictly following standards, the focus remains narrow—on output or compliance rather than on ongoing improvement and system-wide issues. True total quality involves shared ownership and collaboration to meet customer needs continuously, not just meeting isolated requirements. That’s why the idea that quality is everybody’s business best captures the concept.