Dr. Deming was amazing, but who was his teacher? Who produced the PDCA Cycle? Who conceived of Statistical Process Control? The modest man behind the scenes, another fascinating product of the Hawthorne Works, was none other than Walter Shewhart. This year would have marked Walter Shewhart’s 129th birthday – truly…
There was an article earlier this year with the title, “Whatever Happened to Six Sigma?” It focused on the rise and decline of the fortunes of General Electric—the most famous adopter of the Six Sigma Process Improvement method. It’s an interesting question, and the answers reveal some underlying truths about…
Toyota's 8 Steps for Practical Problem Solving are rooted in Walter Shewhart's (and Dr. Deming's) PDCA Cycle (Plan Do Check Act). Toyota expanded on "Plan" with Steps 1-5 whereas "Do-Check-Act" correspond with Steps 6, 7 and 8. Both systems are based on the Scientific Method and help support a culture…
