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Deming's Journey to Profound Knowledge: How Deming Helped Win a War, Altered the Face of Industry, and Holds the Key to Our Future
From the birth of modern industry, to winning WWII, to Japan’s Economic Miracle, W. Edwards Deming helped shape some of the most profound moments in modern history. Deming, an American engineer and statistician, is widely recognized for his contributions to the field of quality management. But his teachings go beyond quality management; they influence not only how we work today, but also how we can continue to succeed into the future.
Part business history, part biography, part journey into deep business sense, author John Willis captures the full picture of Deming’s life and influence. Most importantly, it reveals the experiences that led to Deming’s greatest the System of Profound Knowledge, a collection of fundamental truths that show how any system or process can be transformed into something greater.
From the real-life Rosie the Riveter to a hacker writing US cybersecurity law, Deming’s ingenuity and system of thinking changed how we think in the modern world. This book shows how we can take that influence and continue to apply it our own future.
Part business history, part biography, part journey into deep business sense, author John Willis captures the full picture of Deming’s life and influence. Most importantly, it reveals the experiences that led to Deming’s greatest the System of Profound Knowledge, a collection of fundamental truths that show how any system or process can be transformed into something greater.
From the real-life Rosie the Riveter to a hacker writing US cybersecurity law, Deming’s ingenuity and system of thinking changed how we think in the modern world. This book shows how we can take that influence and continue to apply it our own future.
367 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 8, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 31, 2024
"Deming’s Journey to Profound Knowledge" by John Willis is a revelation, intertwining Deming's life story with his groundbreaking System of Profound Knowledge. Willis takes us beyond a biography into the practical applications of Deming's theories, illustrating their transformative impact on industries from US Census data to World War II-era manufacturing and Japan's automotive industry.
The book skillfully highlights the role of statistics in the continual improvement of processes and systems, underpinning Deming's influential 14 Points for Management.
In essence, it is a powerful testament to Deming's enduring impact on modern management and systems thinking, making it a must-read for those seeking a more profound understanding of these concepts.
The book skillfully highlights the role of statistics in the continual improvement of processes and systems, underpinning Deming's influential 14 Points for Management.
In essence, it is a powerful testament to Deming's enduring impact on modern management and systems thinking, making it a must-read for those seeking a more profound understanding of these concepts.
July 18, 2023
I wanted to know more about Deming for some time, and this book is my first real introduction. It is a great book, I got a lot of inspiration. It also left me with many questions, about how to implement Deming's vision in my day-to-day job as an IT consultant, as there are so many things to improve. It also left me quite humbled. What an amazing person Deming was. What a great influencer.
A great book, well written, with a lot of research and resources. If you want to get an introduction into Deming, read this book.
A great book, well written, with a lot of research and resources. If you want to get an introduction into Deming, read this book.
April 5, 2024
This book demonstrates that Deming's life was a masterclass in cross-pollination and synthesis. I have been mentally kicking myself as I read this because if I had taken Austin Kleon's advice in steal like an artist, I would have discovered the value of Deming's work almost a decade ago when I read The Phoenix Project.
What I find fascinating is how profoundly human this paints him as having been. You read about people largely revered by megacorps and think "Wow, must have been a bastard". Then you find someone who says that the best way to motivate a workforce is to give them ennobling work. That everyone should be judged on quality of work, not amount. That problems are ultimately management's fault! Would that every business owner in America, private and public, would read Deming's work now that I know his values.
Anyway, this is effectively a biography and I tend not to really do the normal review thing for those. However, I will list some interesting facts.
- Gene Kim was inspired to write The Phoenix Project based on Eliyahu Goldratt's The Goal, which itself was inspired by Deming's work.
- Dr. Quinn, of Medicine Woman TV fame, was a real person and was Deming's protégé for years. Of course none of this made it to the show, nor her "big man of the tribe" methodology.
- Deming is the reason America has been eating other countries dust in manufacturing. As Temple Grandin put it, We don't make it anymore!
If you're into systems thinking, read this book to understand the layer above that.
What I find fascinating is how profoundly human this paints him as having been. You read about people largely revered by megacorps and think "Wow, must have been a bastard". Then you find someone who says that the best way to motivate a workforce is to give them ennobling work. That everyone should be judged on quality of work, not amount. That problems are ultimately management's fault! Would that every business owner in America, private and public, would read Deming's work now that I know his values.
Anyway, this is effectively a biography and I tend not to really do the normal review thing for those. However, I will list some interesting facts.
- Gene Kim was inspired to write The Phoenix Project based on Eliyahu Goldratt's The Goal, which itself was inspired by Deming's work.
- Dr. Quinn, of Medicine Woman TV fame, was a real person and was Deming's protégé for years. Of course none of this made it to the show, nor her "big man of the tribe" methodology.
- Deming is the reason America has been eating other countries dust in manufacturing. As Temple Grandin put it, We don't make it anymore!
If you're into systems thinking, read this book to understand the layer above that.
January 26, 2024
It is a fine story of the relationships and experiences from which Dr. Deming learned, taught, and learned some more. There was a lot more to the story than I thought, and it was both interesting in its own right and a source of insight.
For example, Deming's thinking and methods did not come together in postwar Japan. I had always thought that Deming went to Japan because US manufacturers would not listen to his new ideas. That would be easy to understand because they had win World War II. But according to Willis, it was Deming thinking and methods that made the US miracle of production possible! After the War, the US set Deming aside, so he went to Japan, where some of his ideas had been independently developed.
Willis is at his best when telling Deming's story, and providing mini-biographies of all of the people he collaborated with, here and in Japan. This appears well researched, with extensive footnotes. But once Willis starts extrapolating to DevOps and Cybersecurity, there's a lot of "if Deming were here..." and "I'm guessing not." I agree with what he is saying, but it is not as compelling if you are not already convinced. That, and the weaknesses and distortions in some of the supporting stories like the Maginot Line are the reason for four stars.
For example, Deming's thinking and methods did not come together in postwar Japan. I had always thought that Deming went to Japan because US manufacturers would not listen to his new ideas. That would be easy to understand because they had win World War II. But according to Willis, it was Deming thinking and methods that made the US miracle of production possible! After the War, the US set Deming aside, so he went to Japan, where some of his ideas had been independently developed.
Willis is at his best when telling Deming's story, and providing mini-biographies of all of the people he collaborated with, here and in Japan. This appears well researched, with extensive footnotes. But once Willis starts extrapolating to DevOps and Cybersecurity, there's a lot of "if Deming were here..." and "I'm guessing not." I agree with what he is saying, but it is not as compelling if you are not already convinced. That, and the weaknesses and distortions in some of the supporting stories like the Maginot Line are the reason for four stars.
February 10, 2024
Meaningful biography of Deming
As someone who didn't even hear of Deming before the author gave a presentation that led me to buy this book, I enjoyed it. It doesn't have a lot of details about Profound Knowledge itself but there was enough there for me to make sense of how Deming shaped the software engineering world. The last chapter, especially, covers the 14 principles of management and how they apply to IT operations.
If there's something I didn't like about this book, other than the fact that it doesn't go in depth into Profound Knowledge, is that there was a section of the book where the author felt like he had to defend Deming's place in history. It might be important but I couldn't relate to it at all as I had little background. Moreover, constant references to things that would make Deming frown or proud felt a little patronizing.
All in all, I like the book and I would recommend it to anyone in IT operations and software engineering.
As someone who didn't even hear of Deming before the author gave a presentation that led me to buy this book, I enjoyed it. It doesn't have a lot of details about Profound Knowledge itself but there was enough there for me to make sense of how Deming shaped the software engineering world. The last chapter, especially, covers the 14 principles of management and how they apply to IT operations.
If there's something I didn't like about this book, other than the fact that it doesn't go in depth into Profound Knowledge, is that there was a section of the book where the author felt like he had to defend Deming's place in history. It might be important but I couldn't relate to it at all as I had little background. Moreover, constant references to things that would make Deming frown or proud felt a little patronizing.
All in all, I like the book and I would recommend it to anyone in IT operations and software engineering.
August 11, 2023
Interesting history and story about W. Edwards Deming and his development of The System of Profound Knowledge (SoPK). This is partially a biography, but focused on those elements of his story that are related to the SoPK - the idea that good management should have a Theory of Knowledge, a Theory of Variation, a Theory of Psychology, and an Appreciation for Systems.
I posted a longer entry on my blog: https://www.jackvinson.com/blog/2023/...
[I received an advance copy of the book from the publisher.]
I posted a longer entry on my blog: https://www.jackvinson.com/blog/2023/...
[I received an advance copy of the book from the publisher.]
August 13, 2023
A truly great exploration of Deming
I have read both Out of the Crisis and The New Economy long before this book was written. I consider Deming a personal hero, and yet John Willis provided a view of Deming I had never seen before. This book was truly fantastic, and made me appreciate what Deming offered the world even more than I did previously.
I have read both Out of the Crisis and The New Economy long before this book was written. I consider Deming a personal hero, and yet John Willis provided a view of Deming I had never seen before. This book was truly fantastic, and made me appreciate what Deming offered the world even more than I did previously.
August 25, 2023
Great rest for students of Deming and Deming curious alike. Nice overlay with some DevOps context added for good measure.
February 1, 2024
Maybe I have a problem with history and names, but the first 3/4 of the book was very hard to follow.
The last part about Cybersecurity was great
The last part about Cybersecurity was great
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews