The gurus of quality management

It's safe to say that many of the best practices for quality management started around the end of World War II and have stood the test of time. There were many gurus, if you will, of quality management who contributed their take on the best ways to not only improve quality but to maintain it. Some gleaned their knowledge through statistics and some through different tools or philosophies. It's unlikely that you will see all of these names on your exam, but you might, plus, it's interesting, I think. So let's begin.

W. Edwards Deming and Walter A. Shewhart

We'll start with W. Edwards Deming and Walter A. Shewhart. Both were well versed in statistical analysis, but Shewhart and his experiences at Bell Telephone led to the creation of the plan, do, check, act (PDCA) cycle, which was later adapted for quality management by Deming in 1950. Often this cycle is referred to as the Deming...