Goal setting has traditionally been based on past performance. This practice has tended to perpetuate the sins of the past.

...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.

It is most important that top management be quality-minded. In the absence of sincere manifestation of interest at the top, little will happen below.

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.

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