Pareto's Principle: you generally spend 80% of your time on 20% of the project.

A good rule in organizational analysis is that no meeting of the minds is really reached until we talk of specific actions or decisions. We can talk of who is responsible for budgets, or inventory, or quality, but little is settled. It is only when we get down to the action words-measure, compute, prepare, check, endorse, recommend, approve-that we can make clear who is to do what.

Observing many companies in action, I am unable to point to a single instance in which stunning results were gotten without the active and personal leadership of the upper managers.

For many phenomena, 80% of consequences stem from 20% of the causes.

...every successful quality revolution has included the participation of upper management. We know of no exceptions.

Without a standard there is no logical basis for making a decision or taking action.

All improvement happens project by project and in no other way.