The Life and Accomplishments of William Edwards Deming

Abstract

William Edwards Deming was known to many as one of the "Great Quality Pioneers." He was born in Sioux City, Iowa and eventually became a statician. He attended school in a one room school house where he got his education early. He studied with Walter Shewhart for many years and used his theory of statistical control as the basis of his own work. He eventually went off to college and ended up with his Doctorate degree. He made an impact on Japan helping them to get their economy back together after WWII. After working in Japan he came back to the United States and was professor at many different colleges. His big break in the United States was when he did an interview on NBC showing the progress that he had made in Japan. After this he signed major contracts with major corporations like General Motors, Ford, and Florida Light & Power. He was known for his 14 Points, System of Profound Knowledge, and Seven Deadly Diseases. Deming lived a long and successful life. His life ended when he was 93 years old with his family by his side.

William Edwards Deming was known to most as one of the "Great Quality Pioneers." He was born in Sioux City, Iowa in the 1900's. During his lifetime Deming made quite a difference in improving production in Japan as well as the United States. He was most known for his 14 points to help improve production. With his 14 points, system of profound knowledge, and seven deadly diseases many businesses improved significantly. Deming, a statistician, popularized and put into practice the concept of quality control originated by Walter Shewhart of Bell laboratories in the 1920's. (Current Biography Yearbook, p. 155). This concept was a forerunner for Total Quality Management or TQM.

Deming ...

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...l of Technology from President Reagan in 1987. There are other awards and certificates that he earned but these are some of the important ones.

Deming was considered a quality guru. He strived to make top management and subordinates equal. Some even considered him anti-management. He just wanted equal working conditions for all. He taught that top management was important but the subordinates are what make the business run. He lectured these same points, diseases, and systems until his life ended.

References

Brundoge, Kip (1993). W. Edwards Deming. In Current Biography Yearbook (p.155-

158). New York: H.W. Wilson Co.

Gitlow, Howard (2006). W. Edwards Deming. In World Book 2005 (Vol. 5, p. 119).

Chicago, ILL: World Book Inc. a Scott Fetzer Co.

Omachonu, Vincent, & Ross, Joel. (2004). Principles of Total Quality (3rd Ed). New

York, NY: CRC Press