The use of the National Quality Award Criteria for self-assessment in Brazil

The Brazilian National Quality Prize was awarded for the first time in 1992. The Award is similar to the Malcolm Baldrige Prize, with yearly introduction of improvements coming both from MBNQA changes, other Awards Criteria and local inputs to cope with specific country needs. In 1993 self-assessment courses began to be offered both by the National Quality Award Foundation (NQAF) and other organizations. In the same year Petrobras, the Brazilian oil company with majority governmental participation, introduced its internal self-assessment scheme, using a simplified questionnaire based on the National Quality Award Criteria. IBM Brazil, in accordance with a corporate worldwide policy, is also using the Award Criteria for self-assessment, with consistent results towards continuous improvement. Many other Brazilian companies, both multinational and country based, are carrying out similar programs. Some examples presented are Brasmotor (the largest manufacturer of ‘white line’ home appliances), Shell Brazil and Varig Airlines. This paper presents lessons learned, with regard to the needs to adapt the basic Award model, to the actual state of the TQM application in each organization, and to its own size and peculiarities. Some suggestions and recommendations are also included.