Historical Background

The principle of a Continuous Cycle of Improvement lies at the very heart of a Quality Management System. To remain competitive, companies need to find a way to continuously improve their performance. Dr Edward Deming, an American Professor and farther or the “Total Quality Movement” of the 1960s developed a cycle, called the Continuous Improvement Wheel. The principles of this wheel have enabled Toyota in Takaoka to set world-class benchmarks in the motor industry. This plant was able to implement over 60 improvement ideas per person per year.

Click here to view a video that explains Deming's cycle.

The Deming Cycle or Continuous Improvement Cycle looks as follows:

Although most quality management systems seem much more complicated than this wheel, the wheel always forms the basis for each product, system, policy, procedure etc. in a company to be: Planned, done (executed), Checked and Adjusted.