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by Chris Chiappinelli, MA Editorial Staff Posted on Friday, March 07, 2008 1:10:00 PM   The field of quality management lost one of its founding fathers last week. Joseph Juran, author of the multi-editioned Quality Control Handbook and numerous other books on the subject, died at the age of 103. A problem-solver from an early age, Juran turned his curiosity into practice in his adult years, developing and popularizing concepts of quality management and control. He coined the Pareto Principle — the rule of thumb that says that 80% of the effects will come from 20% of the causes — and named it after the Italian economist who first described it. According to his New York Times obituary, "Juran's work in quality management led to the development of the widely practiced business methodologies referred to as Six Sigma and lean manufacturing." The story credits him with introducing Japanese manufacturers to quality control principles, some of which became the bedrock of the Toyota Production System. Juran ran a consultancy and founded the Juran Institute in 1979. According to the Times article, he remained active in his work until his death. [Click to continue] |