Deming's 14 Points & Quality Management Fundamentals

Factors Affecting Production Quality

Process Control Issues

Errors can be caused by poor material quality or non-conformity of the materials used.

Production Variables

Key inputs include technology, human resources, processes, electricity, fuel, oil, etc.

Design Control Challenges

Problems were detected arising from the design itself, particularly when specifications were impossible to meet with available resources.

The Imperative of Continuous Improvement

In today's competitive market, achieving excellence is essential. This can only be attained through the continuous improvement of products and/or services.

Insights from Quality Management Pioneers

Great quality gurus include Crosby, Shewhart, Ishikawa, Taguchi, and others, but perhaps most notably, W. Edwards Deming and Joseph Juran.

W. Edwards Deming's Philosophy

He claimed that quality improves when costs decrease due to fewer errors, less rework, better use of machinery, equipment, and materials, and fewer delays in production and delivery. His strategy was based on fourteen key points:

Deming's 14 Points for Management

1. Create constancy of purpose toward improvement of product and service.
2. Adopt the new philosophy that eliminates previously accepted levels of mistakes.
3. Cease dependence on mass inspection by controlling the process.
4. End the practice of awarding business on the basis of price tag alone. Instead, minimize total cost by working with a single supplier based on trust and loyalty.
5. Improve constantly and forever the system of production and service, through planning and applying a specific methodology.
6. Institute training on the job.
7. Adopt and institute leadership that fosters teamwork and greater productivity.
8. Drive out fear and build trust so that everyone may work effectively.
9. Break down barriers between departments. People in research, design, sales, and production must work as a team.
10. Eliminate slogans, exhortations, and targets asking for zero defects or new levels of productivity without providing the methods.
11. Eliminate numerical quotas for the workforce. Focus on quality over quantity.
12. Remove barriers that rob the hourly worker of their right to pride of workmanship.
13. Institute a vigorous program of education and self-improvement.
14. Put everybody in the company to work to accomplish the transformation. Create a structure in top management that drives the above 13 points daily.