Quality Concepts and Statistical Applications

Dr. Edwards Deming’s management philosophy advocates for organizations to enhance the qualities of their products and services in order to optimize economic gains. Despite the philosophy benefiting many organizations that have embraced it, questions have been raised over some of its suggestions. The fact that the Deming’s philosophy discourages the need for companies to depend on inspections has led to many questioning its validity. This is because of the strict standards that companies must comply with in their products and services. Secondly, many have questioned Deming’s suggestion that companies should eliminate slogans and targets. This is because some see targets as a way of retaining focus, and slogans as a way of boosting workers’ morale. Thirdly, Deming advises companies to work with sole suppliers and avoid giving tenders to the most economic bidder. Some organizations view picking the most economic tenders as leads to high financial returns.

Deming’s concept of variation suggests that variations are inevitable in products, services, or people. In the classroom set up, a lecturer or instructor must understand that students are different and, therefore, it may necessitate the use of different approaches in teaching and giving instruction. Variations could either be a common cause or special case. Common cause variations arise due to mistakes, errors, and other problems in the products areas of focus; while special cause variations result from unique events in the products environment, including strikes and weather conditions. If applied in the college setup, Deming’s philosophy could lead to a better understanding between the students and the school’s management which could enhance overall performance.

Dr. Juran’s Philosophy consists of three essential points: quality planning, quality control, and quality improvement.  Like Deming’s philosophy, it advocates for the provision of training and the necessity to embark on problem solving in a bid to improve quality. Crosby’s philosophy advocates for companies to strive to reduce waste, and improve efficiency. Unlike Juran’s and Deming’s philosophies, it majors mostly on waste reduction.

It is important for companies to consider the strong points of all the philosophies and implement them in the areas where they yield the best results. The concept of waste reduction and improvement of efficiency, as advocated by Crosby, could be incorporated in the Juran and Deming philosophies in order to achieve optimum results.