Deming Chain Reaction

You took a mystery and made me want it
You got a pedestal and put me on it
You made me love you out of feeling nothing
Something that you do

These are the words to the song, Chain Reaction. However, this post is about the Deming Chain Reaction … something entirely different!

In a nutshell: One of the main purposes of having quality products and processes is less rework. Definitions of what is acceptable and what is unacceptable make the worker’s job possible. Clear operational definitions are critical.

In fact:

Creating true quality metrics is the basis behind Taguchi’s loss function and Deming’s chain reaction. The ability to create true quality metrics has been one of the biggest differentiators between successful and unsuccessful Six Sigma initiatives.

As quality improves your productivity improves because you have less rework, fewer in process delays, better use of machine time and manpower. This means that your costs are less and you are able to go to the market with a higher quality produce that costs a less to produce. You now have a competitive advantage in the marketplace, which enables you to capture the market, grow the company, and create jobs and more jobs. Deming stressed worker pride and satisfaction and considered it management’s job to improve the process, not the worker.

To address the first box in the chain reaction (improve quality), management must adopt the 14 principles of management and understand the statistical approach to process improvement. To appreciate fully the meaning of improving quality in Deming’s chain reaction, an understanding of the concept of variation is required.

There is no doubt that this model works. We see evidence of it all around us and in those markets where head to head competition is seen, this model dominates in every case. Note that. Not half the time; but every time.