The 14 principles of quality management

The 14 principles of quality according to William Edwards Deming:
 
Dr. Deming has developed a management theory for improving quality. This theory consists of 14 principles that are applicable to all management levels.
 
1: The management has to formulate a goal for the long-term vision and create a shared vision and goal for the business
 
2: That goal has to be communicated to the entire organisation.
 
3: Don´t be dependent on inspection control to guarantee the quality of the product. Controlling is essential, but when applied wrongly, can lead to big losses.
 
4: With purchase, don´t think only about the price: lower overall costs by reducing variation in the delivered products.
 
5: Continuous improvement. Create a climate where everyone can find enjoyment in their job by:
-Innovation of processes, products and services
-Improvement of existing processes, products and services
 
6: Obtaining skills. It is the leader´s job to know who has training needs and who doesn't.
 
7: Leaders have to know the job of the people that they are putting in charge and if necessary, take measurements for improvement.
 
8: People start performing right when they feel safe. Safe to ask questions, to come up with new ideas.
 
9: Get rid of barriers between departments and work teams. Co-operation is key.
 
10: Get rid of slogans, incentives (for example: ´do it right in one go!´) and random goals. These will only lead to frustrations and irritations. You can´t expect someone to deliver flawless products if the machine isn't functioning right.
 
11: Get rid of numeric quota for staff on the shop floor. Improve the process for enhancing the productivity.
 
12: a Get rid of barriers that stand in the way of an employee taking pride in the job. When the tools are worthless or even if they aren´t there, the job cannot be properly done.
-b. Stop with annual performance grading. Assessments invoke fear and disrupt the co-operation between staff (and managers).
 
13: Education and development. This obligation relates to the general development of people. An organisation needs people who can develop their skills through education (these can also be private educational programmes).
 
14: Come up with an action plan to achieve the change. Everyone in the organisation has to cooperate with the change. The leadership will have to fight for all the points above. Some of Deming´s ´deadly diseases and obstacles´ will have to be conquered.
 
These principles clearly reflect what was happening in America during the 1950s. Because of this, some principles have persisted to the present day, whereas others may have less significance in the Netherlands.