Deming's 14 PointsGeoff Schaact notes the famous management guru W. Edwards Deming codified his philosophy in “The Fourteen Points”, "The Seven Deadly Diseases", and "The Obstacles". In this StratML rendition the 14 points are documented as goals and the "diseases" and "obstacles" are cataloged according to the values implicit in each of them.Geoff concludes his commentary with these observations: "Obviously, Dr. Deming had a number of opinions that were, and continue to be, contrary to the 'accepted' way of doing business in Western society. His approach to running an organization is at odds with the way most of us have been conditioned to view the food production process. Yet here we are, 63 years after his lectures to the engineers, scientists, and managers of Japan turned that country into the gold standard for quality manufacturing, and many of us who are trying to create safe food products still don't understand the basics of variance, or the steps that managers must take to engage their employees in producing safe products."Geoff SchaadtGS ID-1f8b8aea-2ba3-49f7-a147-0f9e238b096cM.Sc., M.B.A., consultant with Delta Partners.W. Edwards DemingWorkers are responsible for only 15 percent of the problems, the system for the other 85 percent. The system is the responsibility of management. ~ W. Edwards DemingWorkersManagersHigh-quality management ID-0f40525a-d179-4af7-8bec-a597b384e781To create lasting improvement ID-94a333cb-92db-410a-81dd-4a5ab56b02f3PurposeThe 7 Deadly Diseases: 1. Lack of constancy of purpose. ConstancyA company that is without constancy of purpose has no long-range plans for staying in business. Management is insecure, and so are employees.Quality2. Emphasis on short-term profits. ProductivityLooking to “maximize shareholder value” undermines quality and productivity.Teamwork3. Evaluation by performance, merit rating, or annual review of performance. The effects of these are devastating -- teamwork is destroyed, rivalry is nurtured. Performance ratings build fear, and leave people bitter, despondent, and beaten. They also encourage mobility of management.Understanding4. Mobility of management. Follow-ThroughJob-hopping managers never understand the companies that they work for and are never there long enough to follow through on long-term changes that are necessary for quality and productivity.Multiplier Effects5. Running a company on visible figures alone. The most important figures are unknown and unknowable -- the multiplier effect of a happy customer for example.Reasonable Costs6. Excessive medical costs. (only applies in the U.S.) 7. Excessive cost of warranty, fueled by lawyers that work on contingency fee.PlanningAnd Some Obstacles: 1. Neglect of long-range planning and transformation.Transformation2. The supposition that solving problems with automation, gadgets, and new machinery will transform industry. New technologies are rarely the solution to quality and process problems.Internal Solutions3. Searching for examples used elsewhere that can be copied, rather than finding solutions internally.Commonalities4. “Our problems are different.”Workers4. Blaming the workforce for problems.Driving Forces6. Meeting specifications. The accepted practice, but it will never drive improvements in quality or productivity.Outside Advice7. “Anyone that comes to try to help us must understand all about our business.” Continuous ImprovementIt is possible to know everything about a business except how to improve it.PurposeCreate constancy of purpose for improvement of product and service. ID-a6f31be1-738d-4e93-94c1-d8a3bf927ded1There it is, right in point one that Dr. Deming diverges from the modern, Western approach to management. While nearly every corporation lives by the ethos of “maximizing shareholder value,” Deming advanced the idea that companies worry less about making money, and concentrate on staying in business and providing jobs by focusing on innovation, research, constant improvement, and maintenance.PhilosophyAdopt the new philosophy. ID-9c87930e-42cc-4541-a0ad-b847073311152Companies are typically too tolerant of poor workmanship and service.InspectionCease dependence on mass inspection. ID-7acbba78-f271-42d4-8b12-6e0c4bc1e8883Inspecting products at the end of the process is expensive and creates unnecessary waste. Quality emerges from improved process, not from additional inspection.PriceEnd the practice of awarding business on price tag alone. ID-7a6962b1-2658-473f-8cf5-06b49b78f3054This almost always results in poor quality of inputs. And quality outputs are very difficult to generate from poor inputs.Continuous ImprovementImprove constantly and forever the system of production and service. ID-02aa38bc-42ce-4674-93e8-87087372832a5Improvement is not a one-time effort. Everyone, especially management, must be committed to ongoing improvement.TrainingInstitute training. ID-e51c6295-7b71-4dd2-889a-03ecc3fc80a76Most workers are taught their jobs by peers who don’t thoroughly understand what is happening in the system. Most have just figured things out on their own.LeadershipInstitute leadership. ID-1f944881-93f8-4ef7-a40d-f995e015f7777SupervisorsThe job of a supervisor is not to tell people what to do or to punish them. It is to state a clear vision of the future and provide the guidance and instruction to those who need help.FearDrive out fear. ID-f78e884b-583c-4e74-b184-68119d5446ba8Many employees are afraid to ask questions or to take a position, even when they do not understand what the job is or what is right or wrong. People will continue to do things the wrong way, or not do them at all. The economic loss from fear is appalling. It is necessary for better quality and productivity that people feel secure.Organizational SilosBreak down barriers between staff areas. ID-2bacabd2-ed21-4290-ace7-7ce26426fa3d9The silos that exist between departments or units often result in competition or in goals that conflict. They do not work as a team, and may actually cause trouble for each other.Slogans, Exhortations & TargetsEliminate slogans, exhortations, and targets for the workforce. ID-6201cb10-2b9f-4bbf-b695-3523d4de326510These never helped anybody do a good job. Let people put up their own slogans.QuotasEliminate numerical quotas. ID-c33f05c7-e678-4d07-8ce7-65af545b587b11Quotas take account only of numbers, not quality or methods, and are usually a guarantee of inefficiency and high cost. A person, to hold a job, meets a quota at any cost, without regard to damage to the company.BarriersRemove barriers to pride of workmanship. ID-c40fb256-65c3-449a-875d-a8ee58cf37bd12People are eager to do a good job and distressed when they can’t. Misguided supervisors, defective materials, or poor processes stand in the way.Education & RetrainingInstitute a vigorous program of education and retraining. ID-af102135-3231-451a-acd2-d9dceed6c4ac13Both managers and the workforce will have to be educated in the new methods, including teamwork and statistical methods.TransformationTake action to accomplish the transformation. ID-04705c37-c7a7-4bad-adf9-654b57864b7014It will take a special senior management team, with a plan of action, to carry out the quality mission. Neither the workers nor the managers can do it on their own. A critical mass of people must understand the Fourteen Points, the Seven Deadly Diseases and the Obstacles.2013-12-29http://www.foodsafetymagazine.com/fsm-edigest/driving-success-in-your-food-business/?goback=.gde_2970066_member_5821316532084436996#!OwenAmburOwen.Ambur@verizon.net