Quality Management-Edward Deming’s 14 Principles

Edward Deming’s 14 principles of quality management

The concept of quality is at the core of effective management and leadership like TQM (Total Quality Management) and Six Sigma for companies’ success. Deming’s 14-Point Philosophy is a great tool that can be used to build quality at every level of business.  His message was: By improving quality businesses will reduce expenses as well as increase productivity and market share. So, After applying Deming’s management principles, Japanese businesses like Toyota, Fuji, and Sony saw great success. Thus, Japan’s quality was far superior to that of their global competitors with low costs.

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14 Principles by Edward Deming

1. Create a constant plan for improving products and services- Plan for long term quality and reject solutions that focus on short term.
2. Adopt the new philosophy– Instead of competitive pressure, focus more on customer satisfaction and embrace quality throughout the organization.
3. Stop dependence on inspection for quality– Inspections don’t improve quality but find a lack in it, also they are quite expensive. So build quality from initial point to final point.
4. Minimize total cost by working with a single supplier- Using many suppliers will increase variation and reduces consistency.
5. Improve constantly and forever every process for service delivery- Deming used Plan-Do-Check-Act approach for analysis and improvement. He said to continuously improve systems and processes.
6. Usage of training on the job- Encourage the employees to learn from one another and encourage teamwork. Train to reduce variations and improve consistency.
7. Adopt leadership- Supervisors and managers should understand the processes and workers. They should also encourage and provide resources so that everyone can give their best at the workplace.
8. Drive out fear- Allow everyone to express their ideas and thoughts without any restrictions. So, This would encourage the works and make them feel valued.
9. Break down barriers between different department areas- Implement cross functional teamwork to increase understanding between the departments.
10. Get rid of slogans and targets for the workforce- Speak in clear language so that workers can understand what is expected from them.
11. Eliminate numerical goals for management– Don’t only focus on the numerical targets but also in the processes as Deming said that production targets encourage high output and low quality.
12. Remove barriers that rob people of pride of workmanship- Ensure that the workers do not compete with colleagues for monetary and other rewards. Treat the workers equally.
13. Institute education and self-improvement for everyone- Increase skill set of the workers constantly through education and self improvement. Prepare them for future challenges and changes.
14. Make everyone work for accomplishing transformation- Encourage every person in the organization to take step towards quality and analyze every small step taken towards it.

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FAQs

Key Takeaways

• Customer focus, continuous improvement, and data-driven decision making are fundamental to achieving quality excellence.
• Effective management requires adopting a systems perspective, breaking down barriers, and nurturing long-term relationships with suppliers.
• Employee empowerment, training, and fostering a culture of pride and ownership are key drivers of quality performance.