Deming’s 14 Points Continuous Improvement, Prevention of Defects and the SDSA and PDSA cycles Essay Example

Deming’s 14 Points: Continuous Improvement, Prevention of Defects and the SDSA and PDSA cycles Essay Deming’s 14 Points for Leadership in the Western World is a well rounded guide for achieving excellence in management. The 14 points or guidelines are applicable to any domain or industry. One of the key insights offered by Deming is how a high level of quality (or even a zero-defect production record) does not pre-empt the scope for improvement. The very first point talks about creating a â€Å"constancy of purpose toward improvement of product and service†. This indicates how improvement is an ongoing engagement that is detached from prevailing production quality. Deming makes clear that ‘defect detection’ and ‘defect prevention’ are preludes to the continuous improvement process. An optimal defect detection system would not operate on the misplaced assumption that increasing the quantity of tests (mass inspection) would automatically â€Å"decrease the variability of the quality characteristics of products and services.† Likewis e, a robust defect prevention system would not consider ‘zero defects’ as the ultimate hallmark of quality. Instead it would take into account the concept of ‘entropy’ in the life-cycle of a product and device methods for mitigating it. Continuous Improvement is basically looked at as the â€Å"ongoing reduction of process (unit-to-unit) variation, even within specification limits†. It is impinged on the fact that by reducing unit-to-unit variation around the nominal value the incurred production costs are also reduced. The SDSA Cycle stands for Standardize-Do-Study-Act, which is a technique for standardization of a process. The first key step toward standardization is identification of â€Å"best practice methods with key indicators of process performance†. Consensus among employees involved in the process is important. Hence a commonly agreed flowchart of the process is followed by all to ensure consistency. In the second stage (Do) trials and experiments are run on the standardized best practice methods. Following this, in the Study stage of the SDSA Cycle, the efficacy of the best practice methods are evaluated through an analysis of key parameters. Finally, in the Act stage of the cycle, managers attempt to ‘formalize’ the best practice methods that have stood the scrutiny of trials. But in order to materialize and enhance the best practice methods thus formalized the management will have to follow through the PDSA cycle. We will write a custom essay sample on Deming’s 14 Points: Continuous Improvement, Prevention of Defects and the SDSA and PDSA cycles specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Deming’s 14 Points: Continuous Improvement, Prevention of Defects and the SDSA and PDSA cycles specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Deming’s 14 Points: Continuous Improvement, Prevention of Defects and the SDSA and PDSA cycles specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The PDSA cycle stands for Plan-Do-Study-Act. Its purpose is to aid the management in â€Å"improving and innovating performance†. In the planning stage, the formalized best practice methods developed using the SDSA cycle are reviewed. An attempt is made to ameliorate the methods formalized during the SDSA cycle. Often it results in making small adjustments to the flowchart from the SDSA cycle. Thus process improvement plans are laid out by the team. The three possible methods are: 1. Statistical analysis of key indicator data; 2. Benchmarking the process against another organization’s process; 3. Utilizing a list of tried and proven improvement concepts. The next step in PDSA is Do, whereby the outcomes of the plan are measured. In the subsequent stage (Study) the measurements thus obtained are studied from key indicators. Finally, in the Act stage, requisite corrective actions are taken. Reference: Edwards, Deming’s Theory of Management, Chapter 2, Part One, Foundations of Quality Management, pp. 38-50. Deming’s 14 Points for Leadership in the Western World is a well rounded guide for achieving excellence in management. The 14 points or guidelines are applicable to any domain or industry. One of the key insights offered by Deming is how a high level of quality (or even a zero-defect production record) does not pre-empt the scope for improvement. The very first point talks about creating a â€Å"constancy of purpose toward improvement of product and service†. This indicates how improvement is an ongoing engagement that is detached from prevailing production quality. Deming makes clear that ‘defect detection’ and ‘defect prevention’ are preludes to the continuous improvement process. An optimal defect detection system would not operate on the misplaced assumption that increasing the quantity of tests (mass inspection) would automatically â€Å"decrease the variability of the quality characteristics of products and services.† Likewis e, a robust defect prevention .

The Use of Bibliography Compared to the Use of Literature Review

The Use of Bibliography Compared to the Use of Literature Review 82% of students who take a gap year, first of all, want to rest and take a step back from the academic field. So, if you are reading this article right now, you either have already enjoyed your time free from papers and research, or dismissed this opportunity not to waste months on understanding who you are and what you want to do with your life. Anyway, all your decisions have led you to this point when you need to grasp the difference between the use of bibliography and literature review (yeah, students often get them confused while writing academic assignments). You have to get your bearings around these two notions in order not to mix them up and submit polished, flawless papers with all its parts completed correctly. Now let’s see what the fuss is all about. Purpose The annotated bibliography is compiled to give a reader a review of all the sources used in an academic piece and their relevance to the topic together with their credibility. In the meanwhile, the literature review has to provide a brief summary of the subject researched in the paper by mentioning and exploring the main written works in the field. Content Organization There are several differences that you have to take into account while comparing and creating a research thesis with these 2 elements: In the bibliography, all the articles and books are arranged as a list according to the alphabetical order whereas the literature review has a structure of a regular text with an introduction, paragraphs and conclusion. Annotated bibliography mentions the source only once giving a small description (100-200 words) of its importance. The literature review can repeat the same works several times if it’s required. In the list, each scientific article or journal has to be analyzed separately while the review presents a number of resources and sorts out whether they disagree or agree. As you can see, these 2 elements are completely different and when you know the distinctive features of each one, it’s actually difficult to mix them up. But identifying details don’t end at this point. Formatting While creating an annotated bibliography, it is significant to take into consideration that its single source contains a description together with a citation preceding it. A citation always has to be formatted following the regulations of a certain referencing style (APA, MLA, etc.). A literature review, in its turn, abides by the rules of the text and in-text citation formatting. All in all, the annotated bibliography is a list of works mentioned in the academic paper organized in alphabetical order that gives a brief account of why they are relevant to the research. The literature review, on the other hand, touches upon the topic under research and specifies the major contributions published throughout some period. Bookmark our article with these definitions and characteristic features to keep it handy whenever you need to find your way around this difference again.