<![CDATA[ABSTRACT The quality management of Islamic boarding school education has become an important issue in responding to the demands for improving the quality of Islamic educational institutions that are excellent, adaptive, and competitive in the midst of contemporary developments. This study aims to analyze the implementation of Total Quality Management (TQM) in educational quality management at Daarul Muttaqiin Islamic Boarding School, Empang, Sumbawa, and to identify various managerial problems that hinder the optimization of institutional quality. This research employed a descriptive qualitative approach using a single case study method. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 18 key informants, participant observation, and documentation studies conducted over four months. Data analysis was carried out systematically through the stages of data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing. The findings reveal that Daarul Muttaqiin Islamic Boarding School faces several managerial problems, including weak documentation and administrative systems, limited managerial competence of human resources, suboptimal internal supervision and quality assurance mechanisms, the emergence of disciplinary cases among students, and increasing competitive pressure from other formal educational institutions. The study found that the implementation of TQM integrated with the values of Panca Jiwa Pesantren serves as a contextual and sustainable strategy for strengthening educational quality. Furthermore, this research produced the TQM-Daarul Muttaqiin Model as a quality management framework that is relevant for implementation in Islamic educational institutions located in 3T areas (Frontier, Outermost, and Disadvantaged Regions) ABSTRAK Manajemen mutu pendidikan pesantren menjadi isu penting dalam menghadapi tuntutan peningkatan kualitas lembaga pendidikan Islam yang unggul, adaptif, dan kompetitif di tengah perkembangan zaman. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis implementasi Total Quality Management (TQM) dalam manajemen mutu pendidikan di Pondok Pesantren Daarul Muttaqiin Empang, Sumbawa, serta mengidentifikasi berbagai problem manajerial yang menghambat optimalisasi mutu lembaga. Penelitian menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif deskriptif dengan metode studi kasus tunggal. Data dikumpulkan melalui wawancara mendalam terhadap 18 informan kunci, observasi partisipan, dan studi dokumentasi selama empat bulan. Analisis data dilakukan melalui tahapan reduksi data, penyajian data, dan penarikan kesimpulan secara sistematis. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa Pondok Pesantren Daarul Muttaqiin menghadapi sejumlah persoalan manajerial, meliputi lemahnya sistem dokumentasi dan administrasi, keterbatasan kompetensi manajerial sumber daya manusia, belum optimalnya sistem pengawasan dan penjaminan mutu internal, munculnya kasus indisipliner santri, serta meningkatnya tekanan kompetitif dari lembaga pendidikan formal lainnya. Penelitian ini menemukan bahwa implementasi TQM yang diintegrasikan dengan nilai-nilai Panca Jiwa Pesantren mampu menjadi strategi penguatan mutu pendidikan secara kontekstual dan berkelanjutan. Penelitian ini juga menghasilkan Model TQM-Daarul Muttaqiin sebagai kerangka manajemen mutu pesantren yang relevan untuk diterapkan pada lembaga pendidikan Islam di kawasan 3T (Terdepan, Terluar, dan Tertinggal).]]>
