W. Edwards Deming Quotes

Image, One need not be eminent in any part of profound knowledge in

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One need not be eminent in any part of profound knowledge in order to understand it and to apply it. The various segments of the system of profound knowledge cannot be separated. They interact with each other. For example knowledge about psychology is incomplete without knowledge of variation.

—W. Edwards Deming

Image, Quality comes not from inspection, but from improvement of the production process.

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Quality comes not from inspection, but from improvement of the production process.

—W. Edwards Deming

Image, A rational prediction has an explanation based on theory.

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A rational prediction has an explanation based on theory.

—W. Edwards Deming

Image, Plants don’t close from poor workmanship, but from poor management.

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Plants don't close from poor workmanship, but from poor management.

—W. Edwards Deming

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Image, Management is prediction.

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Management is prediction.

—W. Edwards Deming

Image, The most important figures for management of any organization are unknown and unknowable.

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The most important figures for management of any organization are unknown and unknowable.

—W. Edwards Deming

Image, What we need to do is learn to work in the system,

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What we need to do is learn to work in the system, by which I mean that everybody, every team, every platform, every division, every component is there not for individual competitive profit or recognition, but for contribution to the system as a whole on a win-win basis.

—W. Edwards Deming

Image, A leader’s job is to help his people.

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A leader's job is to help his people.

—W. Edwards Deming

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Image, Stamping out fires is a lot of fun, but it is only putting things back the way they were.

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Stamping out fires is a lot of fun, but it is only putting things back the way they were.

—W. Edwards Deming

Image, To optimize the whole, we must sub-optimize the parts

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To optimize the whole, we must sub-optimize the parts

—W. Edwards Deming

Image, Learning is not compulsory; it’s voluntary. Improvement is not compulsory; it’s voluntary.

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Learning is not compulsory; it's voluntary. Improvement is not compulsory; it's voluntary. But to survive, we must learn.

—W. Edwards Deming

Image, Management’s job is to know which systems are stable and which are not.

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Management's job is to know which systems are stable and which are not.

—W. Edwards Deming

Image, Does experience help? NO! Not if we are doing the wrong things.

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Does experience help? NO! Not if we are doing the wrong things.

—W. Edwards Deming

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Image, Quality starts in the boardroom.

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Quality starts in the boardroom.

—W. Edwards Deming

Image, There must be consistency in direction.

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There must be consistency in direction.

—W. Edwards Deming

Image, I should estimate that in my experience most troubles and most possibilities

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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

—W. Edwards Deming

Image, Eighty percent of American managers cannot answer with any measure of confidence

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Eighty percent of American managers cannot answer with any measure of confidence these seemingly simple questions: What is my job? What in it really counts? How well am I doing?

—W. Edwards Deming

Image, The customer invents nothing. New products and new services come from the producer.

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The customer invents nothing. New products and new services come from the producer.

—W. Edwards Deming

Image, It only takes a little innovation.

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It only takes a little innovation.

—W. Edwards Deming

Image, A goal without a method is nonsense.

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A goal without a method is nonsense.

—W. Edwards Deming

Image, The problem is that most courses teach what is wrong.

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The problem is that most courses teach what is wrong.

—W. Edwards Deming

Image, The principles and methods for improvement are the same for service as

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The principles and methods for improvement are the same for service as for manufacturing. The actual application differs, of course, from one product to another, and from one type of service to another.

—W. Edwards Deming

Image, The only useful function of a statistician is to make predictions, and

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The only useful function of a statistician is to make predictions, and thus to provide a basis for action.

—W. Edwards Deming

Image, Let us ask our suppliers to come and help us to solve our problems.

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Let us ask our suppliers to come and help us to solve our problems.

—W. Edwards Deming

Image, We should be guided by theory, not by numbers.

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We should be guided by theory, not by numbers.

—W. Edwards Deming

Image, Knowledge is theory. We should be thankful if action of management is

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Knowledge is theory. We should be thankful if action of management is based on theory. Knowledge has temporal spread. Information is not knowledge. The world is drowning in information but is slow in acquisition of knowledge. There is no substitute for knowledge.

—W. Edwards Deming

Image, The job can’t be finished only improved to please the customer.

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The job can't be finished only improved to please the customer.

—W. Edwards Deming

Image, We should work on our process, not the outcome of our processes.

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We should work on our process, not the outcome of our processes.

—W. Edwards Deming

Image, Improve quality, you automatically improve productivity.

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Improve quality, you automatically improve productivity.

—W. Edwards Deming

Image, He that would run his company on visible figures alone will in

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He that would run his company on visible figures alone will in time have neither company nor figures.

—W. Edwards Deming

Image, Cease dependence on inspection to achieve quality. Eliminate the need for inspection

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Cease dependence on inspection to achieve quality. Eliminate the need for inspection on a mass basis by building quality into the product in the first place.

—W. Edwards Deming

Image, The system that people work in and the interaction with people may

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The system that people work in and the interaction with people may account for 90 or 95 percent of performance.

—W. Edwards Deming

Image, A leader is a coach, not a judge.

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A leader is a coach, not a judge.

—W. Edwards Deming

Image, I am not reporting things about people. I am reporting things about practices.

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I am not reporting things about people. I am reporting things about practices.

—W. Edwards Deming

Image, Manage the cause, not the result.

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Manage the cause, not the result.

—W. Edwards Deming

Image, Experience by itself teaches nothing.

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Experience by itself teaches nothing.

—W. Edwards Deming

Image, People are entitled to joy in work.

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People are entitled to joy in work.

—W. Edwards Deming

Image, The aim proposed here for any organization is for everybody to gain

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The aim proposed here for any organization is for everybody to gain - stockholders, employees, suppliers, customers, community, the environment - over the long term.

—W. Edwards Deming

Image, Without theory, there are no questions.

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Without theory, there are no questions.

—W. Edwards Deming

Image, All models are wrong; some models are useful.

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All models are wrong; some models are useful.

—W. Edwards Deming

Image, Meeting specifications is not enough.

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Meeting specifications is not enough.

—W. Edwards Deming

Image, Eighty-five percent of the reasons for failure are deficiencies in the systems

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Eighty-five percent of the reasons for failure are deficiencies in the systems and process rather than the employee. The role of management is to change the process rather than badgering individuals to do better.

—W. Edwards Deming

Image, Quality is made in the board room. A worker can deliver lower

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Quality is made in the board room. A worker can deliver lower quality, but she cannot deliver quality better than the system allow.

—W. Edwards Deming

Image, New product and new types of service are generated, not by asking

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New product and new types of service are generated, not by asking the consumer, but by knowledge, imagination, innovation, risk, trial and error on the part of the producer, backed by enough capital to develop the product or service and to stay in business during the learn months of introduction.

—W. Edwards Deming

Image, Eliminate slogans, exhortations, and targets for the work force asking for zero

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Eliminate slogans, exhortations, and targets for the work force asking for zero defects and new levels of productivity. Such exhortations only create adversarial relationships, as the bulk of the causes of low quality and low productivity belong to the system and thus lie beyond the power of the work force

—W. Edwards Deming