Deming, W. Edwards

Edwards Deming (October 14, 1900 – December 20, 1993) was an early thought leader on modern continuous improvement.

He is known for many things but is probably best known for two specific achievements. The first is that he is closely linked to the revival of the Japanese economy after World War II and helped position the country to be an economic powerhouse later in the century.

W. Edwards Deming

His second major accomplishment is the growth of PDCA (Plan Do Check Act), so much so that it is also known as the Deming Cycle.

Deming is also well known for his work in statistics as it relates to manufacturing.

His most famous work in the Lean community is Out of the Crisis, in which he outlines his widely cited 14 Points.