Dr. W. Edwards De
ming was recently re-introduced to me in my Project Performance and Quality Assurance class. I have heard of him before and touched on some of his philosophy in other classes, but focused much more in-depth this time. The majority of his philosophy around quality and organizational management resonate with me. So, I've decided to do a series of articles on Deming's 14 points, and how they relate specifically to the field of project management. I may decide to not touch on all of them or I may. I am not really sure at this point.
Here are Deming's 14 points, paraphrased in my words:
The goal of the 14 points: To help everyone enjoy their work, and produce excellence.
- Commitment from the top to continuous improvement as a way of life
- Adopt a philosophy of cooperation where everyone wins and teach it to everyone
- Inspection is a tool for improvement, not a whip
- Consider Costs and Benefits of the Entire System and Deliverable Lifetime
- Continuous improvement
- Job/task-related training for everyone
- Teach and institute leadership
- Drive out fear and create trust
- Break Down Departmental Barriers in Pursuit of a Common Goal
- No slogans or disingenuous pep talks
- Attribute results to processes
- Enable pride of workmanship
- Training Not Related to Job/Task
- Total Participation Starting From the Top
References and Resources
Managing for Quality and Performance Excellence
Deming and Goldratt
Out of the Crisis
The Deming Management Method
The New Economics
Four Days with Dr. Deming
Deming Route to Quality and Productivity
Deming The Way We Knew Him
