In 1980, I graduated from my MBA program and accepted a position with a small, high-tech, Japanese-owned, electronics company. I spent the next few years learning how to make really complicated products. In December of 1980, I purchased several books to facilitate the learning process. One of these books was the quality reference book, Juran’s Quality Handbook. I was told by my Japanese colleagues that this was THE book on quality that we all need to understand. It was my source for learning SQC, TQC, and other quality control tools and systems.
The edition I purchased in 1980 was the 3rd edition, and still bore the name of Joseph M. Juran as the author. Last month, the Juran Institute just released the 7th edition. Dr. Joseph A. DeFeo, who succeeded Dr. Juran as the president of the Juran Institute, is the primary author, compiler, and editor of this latest edition. Through the influence of our Director of Research at the Shingo Institute, Dr. Rick Edgeman, I was invited to join as co-author on two chapters.
• Chapter 7: “Strategic Planning and Performance Excellence”
• Chapter 14: “Lean Techniques and the Shingo Prize”
Dr. Shigeo Shingo is probably better known as the first person to share the Toyota Production System with the world, and for “flow”-related terms such as “one-piece flow” (Shingo’s original term was “non-stock production”), SMED, etc. But Shingo started as a consultant and teacher of quality. While teaching about quality, he discovered you couldn’t control quality unless you controlled flow. He preached “control quality at the source” and invented the term poka-yoke (error-prevention) as a way to keep quality problems from occurring. It is very appropriate for the Shingo Institute and the Shingo Prize to be associated with the world-renowned Juran’s Quality Handbook.
I am grateful to Dr. DeFeo and Dr. Edgeman for the great honor of participating as a co-author. Plus, it looks good on my C.V
