W. Edwards Deming Quotes

Quality comes not from inspection, but from improvement of the production process.

Inspection with the aim of finding the bad ones and throwing them out is too late, ineffective, and costly. Quality comes not from inspection but from improvement of the process.

For much of Toyota's history, we have ensured the quality and reliability of our vehicles by placing a device called an andon cord on every production line - and empowering any team member to halt production if there's an assembly problem. Only when the problem is resolved does the line begin to move again.

Quality has to be caused, not controlled.

I think anything which improves services is in principle a good thing.

To me, error analysis is the sweet spot for improvement.

Quality will save our company.

We are constantly reviewing our processes to identify areas where we can learn and improve.

The "patron saint" of Japanese quality control, ironically, is an American named W. Edwards Deming, who was virtually unknown in his own country until his ideas of quality control began to make such a big impact on Japanese companies.

Improve constantly and forever the system of production and service, to improve quality and productivity, and thus constantly decrease costs.

Six Sigma is a quality program that, when all is said and done, improves your customers' experience, lowers your costs, and builds better leaders.

Cease dependence on inspection to achieve quality. Eliminate the need for inspection on a mass basis by building quality into the product in the first place.

We cannot rely on mass inspection to improve quality, though there are times when 100 percent inspection is necessary. As Harold S. Dodge said many years ago, 'You cannot inspect quality into a product.' The quality is there or it isn't by the time it's inspected.

Process innovation is different from product innovation. It's about how do you create a new product or develop a new product or manufacture a new product, but not a new product itself?

It is in Toyota's DNA that mistakes made once will not be repeated.

If something is not good enough, stop doing it.

Quality is everyone's responsibility.

Almost all quality improvement comes via simplification of design, manufacturing... layout, processes, and procedures.

The long and short of it is, we need more rigor in all kinds of programs.

Learning to see waste and systematically eliminate it has allowed lean companies such as Toyota to dominate entire industries. Lean thinking defines value as 'providing benefit to the customer'; anything else is waste.

That's a very critical phase in customer service because you can start to really understand what part of customer service has value to customers and what part is bothering customers.

A cardinal principle of Total Quality escapes too many managers: you cannot continuously improve interdependent systems and processes until you progressively perfect interdependent, interpersonal relationships.

The quality revolution that swept American business somehow bypassed the Federal government.

Even a small reduction in errors and rework can have a significant impact.

I think anyone who makes products has this simultaneous joy and, almost, shame looking at it. You look at it all day, and all you can see is all these things you want to make better.