Re: Deming 2005 - Question 2 of 2 (SoPK)

[Mike Townes <townesmd@earthlink.net>]

One definition of "quality" is "fitness for use," i.e., able to serve the need.

So, when I ask myself about the "quality" of Deming philosophy in 2005, I
ask myself, "Is it fit for the use of guiding CEOs and managers in their work?"
My answer is that it does not seem to fit as well as it did 50, 40, 30 or even
20 years ago BECAUSE the world changes.

In discussing the current pressures for democratiztion in the Middle East, the
reporter this morning said how what gets built as "democracy" might not be
what we think of as democracy because democracy keeps changing.

Quality systems are not meant to be political, but to be usefult musn't they also
adapt to the changing political/economic climate?

The people I think of as the Q Gurus were sent to Japan to help them recover from
devastation after WWII.  Today's devastation is very different than 60 years ago, 
but there is no less need for methods and processes to address the issues.

Maybe the question is not SHOULD the Deming body of knowledge be added to
and adapted, but rather are the current stewards of Deming's work ABLE to 
develop the changes necessary to maintain the value/utility of the body of
knowlege to it's current and potential users?

Mike Townes
US Postal Service, Dallas, TX