1. Discuss the principal contributions of Walter Shewart to quality, including the two types of variation he described.
2. Describe the overall contribution of Deming's "Fourteen Points" to quality. Pick three that might apply to your personal experience and discuss in detail. How does each point lead to improvement?
3. Explain the difference between Juran's concepts of control and breakthrough.
4. Summarize Crosby's concept of "quality is free." From your personal knowledge and experience, what activities contribute to quality? Is quality really free?
5. What were the major contributions to quality by Ishikawa and Taguchi?
6. What are the foundation and goals of the Six Sigma approach to quality? Is this a universal approach that may be applied to all activities in all domains?
7. Describe the ISO 9000 approach to quality. What is the basic goal? What are the key elements?
8. Explain the purpose of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. How might it be used internally for an improvement effort?

Points to Ponder (continued)