Total Quality Management (TQM) is a ripe field of study. Although the status of TQM as a management theory is still under discussion, there is growing consense that there exists a positive relation among firm performance and TQM recommended practices. The concept that TQM is a strategic resource for firms to secure their compatitive advantage has followed the orthodox scientific course: description-explanation-prediction. This paper surveys the existing TQM measuring literature and contributes some comparative elements on the concept description and explanation. We depart from the path foreseen by Saraph, Benson y Schroeder (1989) on the identification of TQM dimensions and their measuring through a psychometric tool.