Benchmarking is an ongoing process that entails quantitative and qualitative measurement of the difference between the company's performance of an activity and the performance by a best-in-class organization. The benchmarking organization against which a firm is comparing itself need not be a direct competitor. The important consideration is that the benchmarking organization be an outstanding performer in its industry.

Quality-related costs can be subdivided into four categories: external failure costs, internal failure costs, prevention costs, and appraisal costs. Appraisal costs embrace such activities as statistical quality control programs, inspection, and testing. Thus, the cost of detecting nonconforming individual products is an appraisal cost.

This separation is an organizational control. Organizational controls concern the proper segregation of duties and responsibilities within the information systems department.
Although proper segregation is desirable, functions that would be considered incompatible if performed by a single individual in a manual activity are often performed through the use of an information systems program or series of programs. Thus, compensating controls may be necessary, such as library controls, effective supervision, and rotation of personnel. Segregating test programs makes concealment of unauthorized changes in production programs more difficult.

TQM is a comprehensive approach to quality. It treats the pursuit of quality as a basic organizational function that is as important as production or marketing. TQM is the continuous pursuit of quality in every aspect of organizational activities through (1) a philosophy of doing it right the first time; (2) employee training and empowerment; (3) promotion of teamwork; (4) improvement of processes; and (5) attention to satisfaction of customers, both internal and external. TQM emphasizes the supplier's relationship with the customer, identifies customer needs, and recognizes that everyone in a process is at some time a customer or supplier of someone else, either inside or outside of the organization.