Deming Award

The Method

"The customer is the end of the production line" - Dr. W. Edwards Deming

By definition, quality control is the elimination of variation. Deming said that the use of statistical controls would give manufacturers greater control over assembly lines by spotlighting flaw patterns so that the problem could be easily solved. But Deming was no mere statistician.

Deming's philosophy on quality control is simple. He believed in abolishing spot checks and emphasizing quality from the beginning, from the top. He strongly argued that most errors and defects are the result of bad systems, not bad workers. His system eliminates adversarial relationships between departments and empowers workers. It promotes the anticipation and creation of customer needs well ahead of time.

He chastised companies for rewarding higher productivity, as opposed to higher quality products.