William Edwards Deming, the Father of Quality Control, died 31 years ago today. He didn’t expect to be remembered after he died, but his advancements in management practices have been studied and advanced continuously for many decades. His influence continues to be felt today with advancements in quality control for manufacturing, computer programming, project management, etc.
Deming’s process of continual improvement developed into the PDSA Cycle (an acronym representing Plan-Do-Study-Act) which is commonly referred to as the Deming Cycle. This was developed from a concept from Walter Shewart, an early pioneer in applying the scientific method to business applications. Deming and his quality control and improvement methodologies were largely responsible for helping with the economic recovery of Japan following World War II, with many successful manufacturers using his research and guidance to improve their operations and products. His attempts to share his techniques in his home country were less well received in the United States where the focus was on satisfying international demand. With much of their global competition being forced to rebuild their own manufacturing capacity, the US focused on expanding capacity rather than improving quality or efficiency.
It wasn’t until the 1970s, after high quality imports from Japan and other countries that were forced to adopt his techniques to compete, that the US started to embrace Deming’s teachings. The Ford Motor Company benefited greatly from his assistance not only in improving the quality of their products (reflected by adopting “Quality Is Job 1” as a new slogan) but also their management and company culture. This resulted in Ford overtaking GM as the most profitable American auto manufacturer within 4 years of adopting Deming’s techniques.
Deming continued to expand and share his body of knowledge over a long career that lasted into his 90s, consulting with companies around the world and publishing multiple books that are still taught in universities. His concepts and innovations can be felt today in the Toyota Production System, Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Total Quality Management, Agile Software Development, and many other business systems used around the world. The W. Edwards Deming Institute, established the same year he died, continues to share his theories and teachings to business managers of all levels as well as other students with educational events as well as partnerships and scholarships.
While Deming did not expect to be remembered, his life’s works continue to shape our world and help people today. Thank you, Dr. Deming!
- John Thrush