Considered the father of quality management, Juran, 98, recounts the significant events of his life with a perspective honed by age and wisdom. He begins his story in Romania, where he was born into abject poverty, and the first part of the book traces his early years, his move to the U.S. with his family, and his education through college. He describes his early career at Western Electric and his work for the government during World War II, after which he embarked upon various efforts to teach quality principles to manufacturers worldwide. His
Quality Control Handbook, first published in 1951, became the bible for quality management. Juran lectured widely, and his numerous books, papers, training programs, and videocassettes on managing for quality distinguished him in the field. As renowned management authority Peter Drucker remarked, "Whatever advances American manufacturing has made in the last 30 to 40 years, we owe to Joe Juran."
Mary WhaleyCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
No one in the last hundred years has had more influence on the worldwide practice of quality in business than Dr. Joseph Juran. His work is the foundation for much of the quality movement of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries--everything from Total Quality Management to Six Sigma. The teachings and writings of Dr. Juran have had a profound impact on the products we use every day, and his books are considered fundamental references by quality professionals.
In this revealing autobiography, Juran retraces his inspiring life journey--from an impoverished, tragic childhood in a tar-papered shack to the revered man who helped invent and champion quality management systems, quality tools, and teams long before they became standard practice. Architect of Quality delves deep into Juran's motivations, sharing for the first time how the early hardships he faced and his relentless, aggressive spirit shaped his character and fueled his determination to succeed.
Born in Braila, Romania, in 1904, Juran left his native country as a child with his impoverished family for the Land of Opportunity, settling in Minneapolis. During the Depression his shoemaker father took up bootlegging, while Juran worked for the Minnesota State Prohibition Committee. After Juran's mother died his family fell apart, leaving his sisters in an orphanage. Young Juran moved with his father to the Minneapolis red light district and lived among "the bums." Somehow, despite these abject beginnings, Juran became the first in his family to earn a college degree--and went on to achieve more than he could have ever dreamed possible.
Juran describes his rapid success and dramatic failure in his early years at Western Electric's famed Hawthorne plant, relives his experiences working on the war effort in Washington D.C. in the 1940s, and reveals how he developed the core ideas behind the quality movement. He also helped advise postwar Japan--which would subsequently become the world quality, leader, and an economic superpower--on how to rebuild itself. As the world revolution in managing for quality accelerated, Juran contributed extensively to that revolution--and cemented his role as the world's seminal leader of the quality movement.
Brimming with rich details of family history, personal tragedies and triumphs, and the birth and development of the quality movement, Architect of Quality is a reflective, moving account of a remarkable life.
The compelling autobiography of the father of the worldwide quality revolution
Recognized as the world's seminal leader of the quality movement, Dr. Joseph Juran has earned the highest respect for his consulting, teaching, and, most especially, his writings--where the roots of Six Sigma, TQM, ISO 9000, and other major quality movements can all be found. His books are considered fundamental for anyone interested in better understanding the meaning of quality and how best to integrate these principles in any organization.
In Architect for Quality, Juran recounts his fascinating life story, revealing how he overcame dire poverty and childhood tragedy to make a profound impact on business and society. In this frank memoir, Juran explores his motivations, the challenges he faced, and his choices in life, which led to his eventual development of the basic principles of quality. He offers a rare, personal behind-the-scenes look at his first jobs (which included manufacturing snake oil and scabbing during a railroad strike), his professional consulting years, and his work to spread the quality movement around the world--which influenced millions and shaped the future of business.
