THE DEMING INSTITUTE BLOG

Applying Understanding of Variation to Large Datasets

By John Hunter, founder of CuriousCat.com. Understanding Variation by Thomas Nolan, Rocco J. Perla and Lloyd Provost. There have been large changes in the use of data since the publication of Understanding Variation, by Thomas Nolan and Lloyd Provost. The new article discusses how to use an understanding of variation when working with large datasets […]

Optimize the Overall System Not the Individual Components

By John Hunter, author of the Curious Cat Management Improvement Blog (since 2004). From Dr. Deming’s last interview; published in Industry Week magazine. The results of a system must be managed by paying attention to the entire system. When we optimize sub-components of the system we don’t necessarily optimize the overall system. This is true […]

Change the Situation – Get a Different Result

By John Hunter, founder of CuriousCat.com. David Langford’s presentation at the 2015 Deming in Education conference starts with a clip from Clare Crawford Mason’s PBS presentation on Mt. Edgecumbe High School, in Sitka, Alaska. Deming was a champion of the individual. He would go into companies and he would just berate management, but he loved […]

Toyota’s Management History

By John Hunter, author of the Curious Cat Management Improvement Blog (since 2004). One of the items Toyota highlights on their web site is winning the Deming Prize in 1965. From the Toyota website: Receiving the Deming Application Prize strengthened Toyota Motor Co., Ltd.’s resolve to push ahead with further TQC initiatives, and based on […]

Developing Software Using Deming’s Ideas

By John Hunter, founder of CuriousCat.com. Deming Institute podcast with TJ Gokcen, CEO of Acquate on “Joy in Software Development” (download the podcast). Describing the importance of creating software using Deming’s ideas as expressed in agile software development, TJ says so it is a set of methods and practices that is more catered to change. […]

Deming Lecture by Dr. Jeff Wu on Quality Improvement from Autos to Nanotechnology

By John Hunter, author of the Curious Cat Management Improvement Blog (since 2004). Deming Lecture at the 2012 ASA Joint – Quality Improvement: From Autos and Chips to Nano and Bio” by Jeff Wu, Georgia Institute of Technology. One of the points Dr. Wu mentioned is Shewhart called common causes, chance causes, and special causes, […]

Leadership and the New Science

By John Hunter, author of the Curious Cat Management Improvement Blog. Leadership and the New Science: Learning about Organizations from an Orderly Universe by Margaret Wheatley does a good job of exploring how to view organizations as a system. A quote by Meg Wheatley from an interview long after the publication of the book does […]
graphic with photos of the speakers

Deming Scholars Seminar, November 9, 2016 in Cheyenne, Wyoming

The Wyoming Business Alliance, in partnership with The W. Edwards Deming Institute®, presents the Deming Scholars Seminar on November 9, 2016 in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Dr. Bill Bellows, new Deputy Director of The Deming Institute

I am thrilled to announce an exciting new chapter for The W. Edwards Deming Institute — one which will open tremendous possibilities for our future. We welcome Dr. Bill Bellows to The Deming Institute staff as our new Deputy Director! Bill has been a long time member of The Deming Institute’s Board of Trustees; a […]

Understanding Data is Often Challenging

By John Hunter, author of the Curious Cat Management Improvement Blog. Using data to understand the system and validate our theories and successful improvements is an important part managing well. In some cases it is fairly easy to understand and collect data that provides a clear and accurate measure of what we care about. But […]
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