“Confusing common causes with special causes will only make things worse.”
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Famous W. Edwards Deming Quotes
“Does experience help? NO! Not if we are doing the wrong things.”
“People care more for themselves when they contribute to the system.”
“People learn in different ways: reading, listening, pictures, watching.”
“Plants don't close from poor workmanship, but from poor management.”
“The customer invents nothing. New products and new services come from the producer.”
“Stamping out fires is a lot of fun, but it is only putting things back the way they were.”
“The individual has been crushed by our style of management today.”
“Nobody should try to use data unless he has collected data.”
“Management's job is to know which systems are stable and which are not.”
“Management of outcomes may not be any more than a skill. It does not require knowledge.”
“3% of the problems have figures, 97% of the problems do not.”
“Forces of Destruction: grades in school, merit system, incentive pay, business plans, quotas.”
“Everyone is a customer for somebody, or a supplier to somebody.”
“I am not reporting things about people. I am reporting things about practices.”
“If someone can make a contribution to the company he feels important.”
“It does not happen all at once. There is no instant pudding.”
“Judging people does not help them.”
Source: The Essential Deming: Leadership Principles from the Father of Quality
“A leader knows who is outside of the system and needs special help.”
“Let us ask our suppliers to come and help us to solve our problems.”
“There is very little evidence that we give a hoot about profit.”
“Understanding variation is the key to success in quality and business.”