Re: STUDENT REQUEST: The definition of quality formulated by Deming

[demingtw <demingtw@ms17.hinet.net>]

A thought after a Chinese new year for friends in DEN reference.

One of the most frequently using the word 'quality' is in the context of
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.(w/o index )
Every chapter of OOTC and TNE is dealing with one aspect of WED's
Quality Theory.( no 'quality' item in the indice.)

The student's question is at least the second time in last year den-list
and I think we need to point out to the student that the way of his
asking question might be a 'learning trap'. It is also no fun to get a
sentence of 'definition' to assume you 'know' 'it'.

We are also a 'student' of 'quality'(or in WED's before '80 terms, SQC
and Uniformity), hence unless we have our own version of 'quality
theory( an insight and understading)' like W. A. Shewhart have one for
'product quality' and Deming had another one for 'management( or
economics)', we might also be misled by ourself.

Any trial to give any  student asking this question needs to address it
in term of SoPK and his approaches in OOTC and TNE at least.

Since I am editing our WED 2000 first book, I like to recommend the
students to read WED's papers like Some Statistical Logic in the
Management of Quality which is a reflection and summary of his seminars
in Japan, Taiwan and India before 1972.

Another might be profitable approach is to refer J. M. Juran's How to
Think about Quality in his 'Quality Handbook'.

Hanching Chung
http://www.deming.com.tw
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