W. Edwards Deming (Statistician/Consultant)
Introduction
William Edwards Deming
In addition to the recognized contribution to overall quality, Deming formulated Fourteen Points of Management, a set of principles designed to transform the organization's culture and continually improve processes. He also developed the PHVA cycle, which is the core value of continuous improvement. [1].
His approach not only transformed Japanese industry but also profoundly influenced business management around the world. Although initially more appreciated in Japan than in his country, his idea has over time gained global recognition, considered one of the fathers of modern quality management.
Deming's ideas are reflected in the Fourteen Points and Seven Deadly Diseases of Management, in which he states that every process is variable and the lower its variability, the higher the quality of the resulting product. In each process, two types of variations or deviations can be generated in relation to the initially set objective: common variations and special variations. Only by making this distinction is it possible to achieve quality. Common variations are permanently present in any process as a consequence of its design and operating conditions, generating a homogeneous pattern of variability that can be predicted and, therefore, controlled. Assignable or special variations have, for their part, a sporadic and punctual nature, causing anomalies and perfectly defined manufacturing defects, as soon as the cause that causes this type of defect is known and therefore it can be eliminated by correcting the cause that generates it. The main objective of statistical process control is to detect assignable causes of variability so that the only source of process variability is due to common or non-assignable causes, that is, purely random.
The PHVA Cycle, also known as the Deming cycle, is a fundamental quality management tool. It was introduced by W. Edwards Deming in Japan in the 1950s, based on Walter Shewhart's PDSA model. This cycle establishes four phases: Plan (define objectives and processes), Do (implement them), Verify (evaluate the results) and Act (correct and improve). It constitutes the basis of continuous improvement and is present in international standards such as ISO 9001.
Biography
He was born in Sioux City, Iowa, and his family moved to Powell, Wyoming when he was seven years old. Deming left Powell at the age of 17 for Laramie, to the University of Wyoming, where he finished his degree in 1921 with a B.Sc. in electrical engineering, in 1925 he obtained a master's degree in Physics and Mathematics from the University of Colorado and in 1928 he obtained a doctorate from Yale University in Physics where he was a professor.