How Deming Helped Win a War, Altered the Face of Industry, and Holds the Key to Our Future
John Willis & Derek Lewis
Praise for this book
A thoroughly entertaining and educational look at Deming, a man whose insights are fundamental to modern software development. This book includes delightful stories of those around Deming who influenced his work and helped create the foundation for agile and DevOps.
Jim Whitehurst, Senior Advisor at IBM
John Willis has crafted a delightful and insightful book that brings to life the personal story of W. Edwards Deming and how he created a tremendous impact in the world through his theory of profound knowledge. In this book, you'll go beyond the theory and principles to discover the human experience that has led to some of the greatest organizational successes in the past century. Deming’s Journey to Profound Knowledge is a must-read for any student of Lean, Agile, quality, the Toyota Production System, and continuous improvement—or any leader who seeks to create a culture of excellence in their organization.
Katie Anderson, author of Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn
John has read everything available about Deming and has woven the many threads of Dr. Deming’s life into a work of love. The result is a very pleasant fable that will prompt the novice reader to want to know more. While experts will have differing views on Deming’s work and contribution to management science, there is no doubt that the IT community can only benefit from learning about Deming’s work. John’s book is a step in this direction.
Domenico Lepore, author of Deming and Goldratt: The Theory of Constraints and the System of Profound Knowledge
John Willis has looked deep into Dr. Deming’s history and teachings and profoundly explains his profound knowledge. Read this book and you will understand like never before the wisdom and sound advice of Dr. Deming.
Jeffrey K. Liker, author of The Toyota Way
John beautifully weaves together business and biography to tell a story as intriguing as it is insightful.
William Willis, Techstrong Group
Willis manages to achieve a rare feat: provide fresh and unique insights on a famous subject. Whether you care about improving businesses or are simply fascinated by the human condition, this book is worthy of your time.
Damon Edwards, Entrepreneur and Technology Executive
This is not a biography. This is a story of discovery.
From the birth of modern industry, to winning WWII, to Japan’s Economic Miracle, W. Edwards Deming helped shape some of the most profound moments in modern history. Deming, an American engineer and statistician, is widely recognized for his contributions to the field of quality management. But his teachings go beyond quality management; they influence not only how we work today, but also how we can continue to succeed into the future.
Part business history, part biography, part journey into deep business sense, author John Willis captures the full picture of Deming’s life and influence. Most importantly, it reveals the experiences that led to Deming’s greatest discovery: the System of Profound Knowledge, a collection of fundamental truths that show how any system or process can be transformed into something greater.
From the real-life Rosie the Riveter to a hacker writing US cybersecurity law, Deming’s ingenuity and system of thinking changed how we think in the modern world. This book shows how we can take that influence and continue to apply it to our own future.
What's inside
Cultural Touchpoint — The legacy of W. Edwards Deming has shaped the modern business world.
Future Utility — Deming’s legacy and history can help us tackle today’s biggest concerns.
Deep Dive — John Willis pulls from a decade of research and 35 years of experience in the IT management industry.
The System of Profound Knowledge — The history behind W. Edwards Deming’s greatest discovery.
John WillisAuthor, Deming’s Journey to Profound Knowledge▼▲
John Willis has worked in the IT management industry for more than 35 years. John is currently working as a Distinguished Researcher at Kosli. He is researching DevOps, DevSecOps, IT risk, modern governance, and audit compliance. Previously he was an Evangelist at Docker Inc., VP of Solutions for Socketplane (sold to Docker) and Enstratius (sold to Dell), and VP of Training & Services at Opscode where he formalized the training, evangelism, and professional services functions at the firm. Willis also founded Gulf Breeze Software, an award winning IBM business partner, which specializes in deploying Tivoli technology for the enterprise. Willis has authored six IBM Redbooks for IBM on enterprise systems management and was the founder and chief architect at Chain Bridge Systems.
Derek Lewiscoauthor of Deming's Journey to Profound Knowledge▼▲
Derek Lewis has helped authors create business books since 2009. His clients have published with McGraw-Hill, Harper Collins, Elsevier, Entrepreneur Press, and BenBella Books, among others. He released The Business Book Bible in 2014, still the publishing industry's only book on how to write business books. He holds a master's in economic development and lives in his native Louisiana with his wife and children.
