Bill,

You hit it. The understanding of the word "statistical" was the very reason I made this post.

At first when I glanced it I thought of the same as you immediately did. But later I realized that the statistical thinking and methods for quality improvement are never limited within "collecting and data analysis, developing control charts, and defining control limits".

Let me quote the following from ASM Metals HandBook Volume 17, Statistical Quality Design and Control

"
Quality and Productivity Fundamentals

Dr. W. Edwards Deming is the man largely responsible for bringing statistical thinking and methods for quality
improvement to Japan after World War II. An eminent statistician in America during the 1930s and 1940s, Deming was
one of the men in the forefront of the statistical quality control scene during World War II. After the war, Deming's
philosophies and teachings fell on the deaf ears of American management, and the quality effort fires that burned so
brightly during the war years slowly went out. However, the Japanese became aware of Deming's work and invited him to
Japan, where he met with and caught the attention of top management.

When Deming first traveled to Japan in the late 1940s, he found a climate that was quite conducive to the promotion of
his concepts and methods. On the one hand, Japan appeared to have a solid base of statistical expertise, although its
energies had been directed primarily toward mathematical theory and the application of that theory in nonmanufacturing
environments such as agriculture. On the other hand, Deming found an industrial leadership base in Japan very eager to
listen to what he had to say. With the lessons learned from his experience in attempting to promote quality improvement
in America, Deming's first order of business when he arrived in Japan was to conduct a series of top management training
seminars in which he laid out what needed to be done to place quality improvement on an institutional basis within any
organization. The obligations and responsibilities of management that he spelled out in these seminars came to be known
as his Fourteen Points for management.

Perhaps it is the combination of upper management perspective and a firmly rooted background in mathematical statistics
that has enabled Deming to sustain his efforts in a leadership position over more than 50 years. He has been able to tell
management what they ought to do and then to provide the rigorous analytical tools and methods needed to carry out his
directions. His teachings are heavily oriented toward the use of statistical thinking and methods to identify opportunities
for quality and productivity improvement. Deming has developed a road map for management to follow to enhance
competitive position over the long run. This road map, referred to as his Fourteen Points (management's obligations), is
summarized below. It should be noted that in the spirit of his Fourteen Points, Deming continues to this day to refine and
improve these tenets. As a result they themselves are continually changing. An excellent discussion of Deming's Fourteen
Points is provided in Ref 1. Deming's Fourteen Points are listed below:

· Create constancy of purpose for the improvement of product or service
· Adopt the new philosophy of process control and variation reduction
· Cease dependence on mass inspection for quality control
· End the practice of awarding business on the basis of price
· Improve constantly and forever the system of production and service in order to improve quality and productivity and thus continuously decrease costs
· Institute thorough and better job-related trainings
· Institutionalize leaderships
· Drive out fears, so that everyone may work effectively for the company
· Break down barriers between departments
· Eliminate slogans, exhortations, and targets for the workforce that ask for zero defects and new levels of productivity
· Eliminate work standards on the factory floor
· Remove the barriers that rob employees at all levels in the company of their right to pride of workmanship
· Institute a vigorous program of education and self-improvement
· Put everybody in the organization to work to accomplish the transformation

The Fourteen Points are clearly the responsibility of management. They define the essential elements of the
institutionalization of quality and productivity improvement through statistical thinking and methods. Other pioneers in
quality planning and management include Dr. J.M. Juran (Ref 2) and Dr. A.V. Feigenbaum (Ref 3).

"

Now do you agree that "Authority and Responsibility" is a part of statistical thinking for quality management?

Thanks,

Jovi

Jovi,

First, I would like to welcome you to the forum.

Second, I have also stayed away as this seemed a strange thread. 

Now, there have been some interesting comments as well as quotes.  I personally would like to see more personal opinion and experience instead of so much quoting of resources.  Granted, the study of the resource was what sparked the interest in the topic and desire to share that with others. 

Now, perhaps one other observation, this may have been better suited for the 'Management' section of the forum as, as you pointed out, the scope of this topic tends to be more a management issue.  Not that some here would have kept away from it.  But it may have been more noticed by some who may only look at areas they see as appropriate to them.

Your original post here just didn't strike a chord with many and is not necessarily up our ladder of interest in areas of study. 

Have a Great Day,  Brent