Deming's 14 Points for Management: Framework for Success

Dr W. Edwards Deming modestly describes himself as a 'consultant in statistical studies'. Others have called him the father of the third wave of the Industrial Revolution. It is now becoming widely accepted that the dramatic turnround in Japan's industrial fortunes dates from Dr Deming's visit, at the invitation of JUSE, in mid-1950. His philosophy combines widespread use of statistical ideas and methods throughout organisations with an approach to management which is, in most part, diametrically opposed to traditional and current practice in the Western world. The management approach creates an environment where the importance of statistical practice is recognised to an otherwise unprecedented extent. This approach is not normally taught in management and business schools, and so the statistical consultant, needs to become familiar with, and to encourage the adoption of, the management philosophy as much as the statistical aspects. In this paper, a summary of Dr Deming's crucial 14 Points for Management is presented, abstracted and adapted from a number of versions which have appeared over the years.