KAORU ISHIKAWA: Father of Quality Circles
BACKGROUND
Kaoru Ishikawa was the oldest of the
eight sons of Ichiro Ishikawa. He was born in 1915. After graduating from University of Tokyo in
1939 with a degree in Engineering major in
Applied Chemistry, he landed on a naval technical officer job, then
moved to Nissan Liquid Fuel company until 1947.
After that, he started his career as an associate professor at the
University of Tokyo. In 1978, he became
president of the Musashi Institute of Technology.
In 1949, he joined the the Union of
Japanese Scientist and Engineers (JUSE) quality control research group. He later mobilized a lot of people to a
“specific common goal” which was responsible for Japan’s “quality-improvement
initiatives”. As a devotee to quality
control, he “translated, integrated, and expanded the concepts of management”
of Deming and Juran into the Japanese system.
When he was declared full professor in
the Faculty of Engineering in the University of Tokyo, he initiated the use of
quality circles. This concept was
actually an experiment on the effect of
the “leading hand” on quality. “It was a
natural extension of these forms of training to all levels of an organization
(the top and middle managers having already been trained). However, only one company, Nippon Telephone
and Telegraph accepted. The Quality
Circles he advocated became popular and formed an “important link in a
company’s Total Quality Management System.
He authored two books on quality
circles (QC Circle Koryo and How to Operate QC Circle Activities).
“Among his efforts to promote quality were, the Annual Quality Control Conference for Top Management (1963) and several books on Quality Control (the Guide to Quality Control was translated into English). He was the chairman of the editorial board of the monthly Statistical Quality Control. Ishikawa was involved in international standardization activities. In 1982, the Ishikawa diagram used to determine root causes was developed. His influence on quality often go unrecognized because the principles he pointed at were so ingrained they seemed naturally a part of things.
“Among his efforts to promote quality were, the Annual Quality Control Conference for Top Management (1963) and several books on Quality Control (the Guide to Quality Control was translated into English). He was the chairman of the editorial board of the monthly Statistical Quality Control. Ishikawa was involved in international standardization activities. In 1982, the Ishikawa diagram used to determine root causes was developed. His influence on quality often go unrecognized because the principles he pointed at were so ingrained they seemed naturally a part of things.
PUBLICATION/S
1. What Is Total Quality Control?: The Japanese Way (1986)
This book describes quality control techniques which helped Japanese businesses produce higher quality goods at much lower costs. It further explains how quality standards are made, how cost savings is achieved, how the the 10 major blocks to quality control are overcome, and how quality circles are set up.
The author insists that total quality comes from team work and coined the term company-wide quality control, and although this is a slow process often destroyed by rapid implementation, it can be done by “collecting and analysing factual data.
Quality begins with the
customer, Ishikawa belives, and therefore any improvement must be based on
understanding the customer’s needs and reactions. Because of this, the
customers must be the focus of quality rather than the methods of
production. Therefore, workers need to
be trained, quality circles need to be created, and workers must be involved in
solving problems and identifying opportunities for improvement.
2.
Introduction
to Quality Control
3. QC
Circle Koryo : General Principles of the QC Circle.
(1980) [original Japanese ed. 1970].
4. How to Operate QC
Circle Activities.
5.
What is Total Quality Control? The
Japanese Way [Originally titled: TQC towa Nanika—Nipponteki Hinshitsu Kanri].
6.
Introduction to Quality Control. J.
H. Loftus (trans.).
CONTRIBUTIONS:
1.
Simple Tools. Ishikawa led out in the use of seven quality
control tools: control
chart, run chart, histogram, scatter diagram, Pareto chart, and flowchart.
2.
Quality Circles. Kaoru
Ishikawa led the concept and use of Quality Circles. The intended
purpose of a Quality Circle is to:
·
Support
the improvement and development of the company
·
Respect
human relations in the workplace and increase job satisfaction
·
Draw
out employee potential
Many, including Juran
and Crosby,
consider Kaoru Ishikawa’s teachings to be more successful in Japan than in the
West. Quality circles are effective when management understand
statistical quality management techniques and are committed to act on
their recommendations.
3.
Company-Wide Quality. To achieve
company-wide quality, these eleven points must be observed:
1. Quality begins and
ends with education.
2. The first step in
quality is to know the requirements of the customer.
3. The ideal state of
quality control is when quality inspection is no longer necessary.
4. Remove the root
cause, not symptoms.
5. Quality control is
the responsibility of all workers and all divisions.
6. Do not confuse
means with objectives.
7. Put quality first
and set your sights on long-term objectives.
8. Marketing is the
entrance and exit of quality.
9. Top management
must not show anger when facts are presented to subordinates.
10. Ninety-five
percent of the problem in a company can be solved by the seven tools of
quality.
11. Data without
dispersion information are false data.
4.
Fishbone or Cause and Effect Diagram. The
Cause and Effect diagram identifies many possible causes for an effect or a
problem.
REFERENCES:
Rose,
K. (2005). Project
quality management: Why, what, and how.
USA: J. Ross Publishing, Inc.
No comments:
Post a Comment