Do you know how the history of quality management has been shaped from the Middle Ages to the modern world? In this blog, you will learn how pioneers like Juran and Deming shaped today's quality systems, and how other historical figures who followed in their footsteps developed this system.
Quality management may seem like a modern profession, but its origins date back to medieval Europe. Similar forms of quality control methods have been used for centuries and were established in many businesses throughout the Industrial Revolution from the mid-1700s to the early 19th century.
The modern prototype of quality management began to take shape in the 1920s with the introduction of statistical sampling by Walter A. Shewhart. As industries face increasing demands for productivity, there is a pressing need for structured quality. Influential figures such as Joseph M. Juran and W. Edwards Deming were instrumental in the development of these techniques.
Joseph M. Juran is recognized for his significant contributions to quality management. His work emphasized the Pareto principle, which identified the root causes of defects affecting overall quality. Jura's approach went beyond product quality to include management aspects, including education and training. His influential Handbook of Quality Control, first published in 1951, still holds its place as an important source in the field. Jura's visit to Japan in 1954 led to changes in quality processes. Thus, it significantly increased the quality of Japanese exports and influenced global quality standards.
Another key figure, W. Edwards Deming, extended Shewhart's principles to apply quality control techniques to management practices. His work with the US Census Bureau and later with Japanese industry greatly influenced quality management. Deming's principles contributed to Japan's post-war economic recovery and later influenced major US companies such as Ford, leading to significant improvements in quality and profitability.
The 1970s and 1980s saw a marked rise in new quality improvement practices, including Just in Time (JIT) and Six Sigma, developed by Motorola. The evolution of quality management certification systems also marked this period with major milestones, including the release of ISO 9001 standards. These standards continue to guide organizations in achieving and maintaining high quality practices.
In addition, below you can get acquainted with other historical figures and their principles that played a role in establishing the basis of quality systems:
Philip Crosby - Defining quality by the principle of "zero defect", Crosby emphasized the importance of preventive approaches in quality management and contributed to the process by developing the concept of "quality fee".
Kaoru Ishikawa - Considered one of the important figures in the development of quality control. Ishikawa created quality tools such as the "Ishikawa Flower" (fishbone diagram).
Genichi Taguchi - Taguchi developed statistical methods and experimental design techniques to improve quality. The Taguchi method is used to optimize product and process quality.
Key dates and events in the evolution of quality management certification systems:
• 1959: The US Department of Defense created the MIL-Q 9858 Standard
• 1969: MIL-Q 9858 revised NATO's AQAP series of standards for quality assurance systems
• 1974: BSI BS 5179 “Guidelines for Quality Assurance” published
• 1979: BSI BS 5750 series of standards published
• 1987: ISO (International Organization for Standardization) created ISO 9001 standards based on the BS 5750 series
• 1994: The first revision of the ISO 9001 standards was created
• 2000: ISO 9002/3 merged into 9001 after ISO released its second revision
• 2008: The third revision of ISO 9001 was released
• 2015: ISO 9001:2015 was created and then other ISO standards were launched
Quality management systems today are built on the foundations laid by Juran, Deming and other pioneers. Techniques such as the constantly evolving ISO standards play an important role in improving quality. For more information on designing and implementing effective quality initiatives, please contact Global Management's Quality Assurance and Quality Control team. It should be noted that Global Management can assist in applying and obtaining ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001 certificates based on international management systems for your company.
