Category Archives: Deming

Resources for Using the PDSA Cycle to Improve Results

Using the PDSA cycle (plan-do-study-act) well is critical to building a effective management system. This post provides some resources to help use the improvement cycle well. I have several posts on this blog about using the PDSA cycle to improve … Continue reading

Posted in Deming, Management, Process improvement, Quality tools | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

You are a Fool if You Do What I Say

Guest post from Mark Graban There’s an interesting quote from Taiichi Ohno in “Taiichi Ohno’s Workplace Management,” which I was re-reading today… “You are a fool if you do what I say. You are a greater fool if you don’t … Continue reading

Posted in Creativity, Deming, Lean thinking, Quality tools | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Experience Teaches Nothing Without Theory

Experience teaches nothing. In fact there is no experience to record without theory… Without theory there is no learning… And that is their downfall. People copy examples and then they wonder what is the trouble. They look at examples and … Continue reading

Posted in Deming, Psychology, quote | Tagged , , , , , | 9 Comments

Executive Leadership

Senior executives must lead management improvement efforts. When senior executives only give lip service to management efforts the result is normally the same: little happens. When Dr. Deming was working with companies after the 1980’s NBC white paper, If Japan … Continue reading

Posted in Deming, Management, Psychology, Systems thinking | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Lean Blog Podcast with John Hunter

Mark Graban interviewed me for the Lean Blog podcast series: Podcast #174 – John Hunter, “Management Matters” (listen using this link). Links to more information on what we discussed in the podcast. Madison, Wisconsin: William G. Hunter, George Box, Brian … Continue reading

Posted in Books, Deming, Lean thinking, Management, Respect | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

94% Belongs to the System

I should estimate that in my experience most troubles and most possibilities for improvement add up to the proportions something like this: 94% belongs to the system (responsibility of management), 6% special. Page 315 of Out of the Crisis by … Continue reading

Posted in Deming, Management, Popular, Psychology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

George Box

I would most likely not exist if it were not for George Box. My father took a course from George while my father was a student at Princeton. George agreed to start the Statistics Department at the University of Wisconsin … Continue reading

Posted in Data, Deming, Design of Experiments, Management, Manufacturing, Process improvement, Quality tools, quote, Respect, Six sigma, Statistics, Systems thinking, UK | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Software Process and Measurement Podcast With John Hunter

In my podcast with Tom Cagley, Software Process and Measurement Cast: John Hunter on Management Matters, as you might expect there was a bit of a focus on software development and agile software development as related to the ideas I … Continue reading

Posted in Books, Customer focus, Deming, Six sigma | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Podcast Discussion on Management Matters

I continue to record podcasts as I promote my new book – Management Matters: Building Enterprise Capability. This the second part, of 2, of my podcast with Joe Dager, Business 901: Management Matters to a Curious Cat. The first part … Continue reading

Posted in Books, Deming, Management, Psychology, Systems thinking | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Process Excellence Network Podcast with John Hunter

Diana Davis with the Process Excellence Network interviewed me for their podcast series, process perspective – Management Matters: Interview with author John Hunter (listen to podcast). Additional details on some of the ideas we discussed: How could they know? Deming’s … Continue reading

Posted in Books, Deming, Management | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment