Life and Accomplishments of Edwards Deming

Running head: SUMMARY OF DEMINGS ACCOMPLISHMENTS

The Life and Accomplishments of W. Edwards Deming

Submitted by

Jada Cansler

For

QMS 101

Spring, 2006

Abstract

William Edwards Deming was known to many as one of the “Great Quality Pioneers.” He was born in Sioux City, Iowa and eventually became a statician. He attended school in a one room school house where he got his education early. He studied with Walter Shewhart for many years and used his theory of statistical control as the basis of his own work. He eventually went off to college and ended up with his Doctorate degree. He made an impact on Japan helping them to get their economy back together after WWII. After working in Japan he came back to the United States and was professor at many different colleges. His big break in the United States was when he did an interview on NBC showing the progress that he had made in Japan. After this he signed major contracts with major corporations like General Motors, Ford, and Florida Light & Power. He was known for his 14 Points, System of Profound Knowledge, and Seven Deadly Diseases. Deming lived a long and successful life. His life ended when he was 93 years old with his family by his side.

William Edwards Deming was known to most as one of the “Great Quality Pioneers.” He was born in Sioux City, Iowa in the 1900’s. During his lifetime Deming made quite a difference in improving production in Japan as well as the United States. He was most known for his 14 points to help improve production. With his 14 points, system of profound knowledge, and seven deadly diseases many businesses improved significantly. Deming, a statistician, popularized and put into practice the concept of quality control originated by Walter Shewhart of Bell laboratories in the 1920’s. (Current Biography Yearbook, p. 155). This concept was a forerunner for Total Quality Management or TQM.

Deming attended a one-room schoolhouse and was an errand boy when he was small. Once he graduated from high school he went to the University of Wyoming at Laramie, where he worked as a janitor. After he received his bachelor’s degree he stayed at the University of Wyoming where he became an instructor in engineering and still studied math. Deming received his master’s degree in 1924 at the University of Colorado at Boulder to become a physics teacher there. He later attended Yale to finish with his doctorate and worked at Western Electric where he learned of Walter Shewharts theory of quality control.

After studying with Shewhart for several years Deming used his theory of statistical control as the basis of his own work. (Wikipedia). Deming was able to help the United States Bureau of the Census in it first sampling experiment. Then during WWII the techniques that he used for wartime production faded away and he ended up working

in Japan after they lost the war to help rebuild their economy. While working with Japanese scientists and engineers Deming helped their production to pick up and revenues started rising and the word spread about his principles of quality control.

Deming’s 14 points for management originally started with top management. But in order to have a successful organization Deming thought that it must be taught throughout. The fourteen key principles for management for transforming business effectively are:

1. Create consistency of purpose for the improvement of product and service, with the aim to become completive, stay in business, and provide jobs.

2. Adopt a new philosophy of cooperation (win-win) in which everybody wins and put it into practice by teaching it to employees, customers and suppliers.

3. Cease dependence on mass inspection to achieve quality. Instead, improve the process and build quality into the product in the first place.

4. End the practice of awarding business on the basis of price tag alone. Instead, minimize total cost in the long run. Move toward a single supplier for anyone item, based on a long-term relationship of loyalty and trust.

5. Improve constantly, and forever, the system of production, service, planning, of any activity. This will improve quality and productivity and thus constantly decrease costs.

6. Institute training for skills.

7. Adopt and institute leadership for the management of people, recognizing