DEMING CYCLE AND QUALITY TRILOGY:Juranâ€™s Three Basic Steps to Progress

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Total Quality Management MGT510

Lesson # 15

DEMING CYCLE AND QUALITY TRILOGY

Deming Cycle

Deming cycle is a tool for continuous improvement and it is a tool for an ongoing effort to improve

products, services or processes. These efforts can seek "incremental" improvement over time or

"breakthrough" improvement all at once.

Among the most widely used tools for continuous improvement is a four-step quality model--the plan-

do-check-act (PDCA) cycle, also known as Deming Cycle or Shewhart Cycle:

Plan: Identify an opportunity and plan for change.

Do: Implement the change on a small scale.

Check: Use data and facts to analyze the results of the change and determine whether it made a

difference.

Act: If the change was successful, implement it on a wider scale and continuously assess your

results. If the change did not work, begin the cycle again.

Deming cycle was developed to link the production of a product with consumer needs and focus the

resources of all departments (research, design, production, and marketing) in a cooperative effort to

meet those needs. The Deming Cycle proceeds as follows:

Conduct consumer research and use it in planning the product (PLAN).

Produce the product (DO).

Check the product to make sure it was produced in accordance with the plan (CHECK).

Market the product (ACT).

Analyze how the product is received in the marketplace in terms of quality, cost, and other

criteria (ANALYZE).

Plan

Analyze

The

Deming

Cycle

Check

Act

DEMING CYCLE

Total Quality Management MGT510

Other widely used methods of continuous improvement -- such as Six Sigma, Lean Production, and

Kaizen -- emphasize employee involvement and teamwork; measuring and systematizing processes;

and reducing variation, defects and cycle times.

Continuous or Continual?

The terms continuous improvement and continual improvement are frequently used interchangeably. But

some quality practitioners make the following distinction:

Continual improvement: a broader term preferred by W. Edwards Deming to refer to general

processes of improvement and encompassing "discontinuous" improvements--that is, many

different approaches, covering different areas.

Continuous improvement: a subset of continual improvement, with a more specific focus on

linear, incremental improvement within an existing process. Some practitioners also associate

continuous improvement more closely with techniques of statistical process control.

Juran's Contribution

Joseph M. Juran ranks near Deming in the contributions he has made to quality and the recognition he

has received as a result. His Juran Institute. Inc., in Connecticut, USA is an international leader in

conducting training, research, and consulting activities in the area of quality management. Quality

materials produced by Juran have been translated into 14 different languages.

Juran holds degrees in both engineering and law. The emperor of Japan awarded him the Order of the

Sacred Treasure medal, in recognition of his efforts to develop quality in Japan and to promote

friendship between Japan and the United States. Juran is best known for the following contributions to

the quality philosophy:

♦ Juran's Three Basic Steps to Progress

♦ Juran's Ten Steps to Quality Improvement

♦ The Juran Trilogy

Juran's Three Basic Steps to Progress

Juran's Three Basic Steps to Progress are broad steps that, in Juran's opinion, companies must take if

they are to achieve world-class quality. He also believes there is a point of diminishing return that

applies to quality and competitiveness. An example illustrates his observation:

Say that an automobile maker's research on its cars reveals that buyers drive them an

average of 50,000 kms before trading them in. Applying Juran's theory, this automaker

should invest the resources necessary to make this line of cars run trouble free for

perhaps 60,000 kms. According to Juran, resources devoted to improving quality

beyond this point will run the cost up higher than the typical buyer is willing to pay.

Total Quality Management MGT510

I. Achieve structured improvements on a continual basis combined with dedication and a sense of

urgency.

II. Establish an extensive training program.

III. Establish commitment and leadership on the part of higher management

Juran's Ten Steps to Quality Improvement

Examining Juran's Ten Steps to Quality Improvement, you will see some overlap between them and

Deming's Fourteen Points. They also mesh well with the philosophy of other quality experts.

Build awareness of both the need for improvement and opportunities for improvement.

Set goals for improvement.

Organize to meet the goals that have been set.

Provide training.

Implement projects aimed at solving problems.

Report progress.

Give recognition.

Communicate results.

Keep score.

10.

Maintain momentum by building improvement into the company's regular systems.

The Juran Trilogy

The Juran Trilogy summarizes the three primary managerial functions.

Quality Planning, Quality Control, and Quality Improvement

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