Deming 14

W Edwards Deming placed great importance and responsibility on management, at both the individual and company level, believing management to be responsible for 94% of quality problems. His fourteen point plan is a complete philosophy of management, that can be applied to small or large organisations in the public, private or service sectors:

1.      Create constancy of purpose towards improvement of product and service

2.      Adopt the new philosophy. We can no longer live with commonly accepted levels of delay, mistakes and defective workmanship

3.      Cease dependence on mass inspection. Instead, require statistical evidence that quality is built in

4.      End the practice of awarding business on the basis of price

5.      Find problems. It is management’s job to work continually on the system

6.      Institute modern methods of training on the job

7.      Institute modern methods of supervision of production workers, The responsibility of foremen must be changed from numbers to quality

8.      Drive out fear, so that everyone may work effectively for the company

9.      Break down barriers between departments

10.  Eliminate numerical goals, posters and slogans for the workforce asking for new levels of

            productivity without providing methods

11.  Eliminate work standards that prescribe numerical quotas

12.  Remove barriers that stand between the hourly worker and their right to pride of workmanship

13.  Institute a vigorous programme of education and retraining

14.  Create a structure in top management that will push on the above points every day