Profound

 In part two of their discussion, John Willis engages in a deep dive with Bill Bellows on the multifaceted world of safety, quality, and systems thinking. Inspired by the pioneering work of Sydney Decker, Dr. Woods, and Erik Hollnagel, they explore the nuanced perspectives on safety and quality that transcend conventional understanding.John and Bill navigate the intricate connections between thoroughness, efficiency, and effectiveness, drawing parallels to the foundational principles of Deming and Ackoff. They dissect the Efficiency-Thoroughness Trade-Off (ETTO) principle introduced by Hollnagel, pondering its implications in the context of operational safety and quality management.The conversation further delves into Russ Ackoff’s insights on systems thinking, the DIKW (Data, Information, Knowledge, Wisdom) model, and the profound impact of understanding complex systems on improving organizational outcomes. Bill shares anecdotes from his experiences, illustrating the practical application of these concepts in real-world settings, including his work at Rocketdyne and with the Deming community.Bill's LinkedIn can be found here:https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-bellows-218435/Show Notes: 1) Ackoff videos on Deming Cooperative, https://demingcooperative.org/ackoffvideos/2) Ackoff on DIKUW - article, https://faculty.ung.edu/kmelton/Documents/DataWisdom.pdf3) Ackoff on DIKUW - video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzS5V5-0VsA&t=21s 3) Deming and Ackoff - excerpts of Volume 21 of the Deming Library, ("A Theory of a System for Educators and Managers”),https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MJ3lGJ4OFo 4) Deming and Ackoff - transcript of full recorded of Volume 21 of the Deming Library ,https://ackoffcenter.blogs.com/ackoff_center_weblog/2011/04/a-converstaion-between-russell-ackoff-and-edward-deming.html5) Ackoff - Memories, https://www.amazon.com/Memories-Hardcover-Collectors-Russell-Ackoff/dp/09565379956) Ackoff - Differences That Make a Difference, https://www.amazon.com/Differences-that-Make-Difference-Distinctions/dp/1908009012/ 

Bill Bellows discusses systemic thinking and organizational excellence, emphasizing interconnectedness within systems. He explores viewing organizations as whole systems and the ripple effects of changes. The episode delves into the philosophy of interconnectedness and quality thinking beyond superficial levels, highlighting the importance of systemic perspectives for organizational success.

A lively discussion about quality control pioneers like Walter Shewhart and W. Edwards Deming, with anecdotes, critiques, and appreciations. They explore the dynamics of recognition and credit in the field, contrasting perspectives on their contributions. Also, they discuss communication challenges in management dynamics, legacy reflections, and the contrasting mindsets of Deming and Juran.

Digital quality expert, Adam Hawkins, and the host explore Deming's perspectives on quality, connecting SLOs to acceptable loss. They discuss variation, the red bead experiment, measuring quality in software, and the challenges of conveying Deming's ideas. Quality is contextual, varying across systems. They emphasize shared mental models for applying quality in the digital landscape.

Bill Bellows and Genichi Taguchi discuss the intersection of Deming's and Taguchi's quality philosophies in Japanese manufacturing. They delve into concepts such as precision, accuracy, variation, and fit in woodworking. They also explore the importance of systems thinking, understanding the consumer, and the influence of Deming and Taguchi on Toyota's quality practices.

Bill Bellows, an engineer with experience in the jet engine industry, discusses his introduction to Genichi Taguchi's methods and quality concepts. They explore variability reduction, precision vs accuracy, process capability, and Taguchi's loss function. The conversation compares traditional quality approaches with Taguchi's perspective, using analogies of a dartboard and Deming's red bead experiment.

I geek out with Tracy Bannon in this episode. Tracy gave us a little history of MITRE and her work at MITRE. DevOps, DevSecOps, and SRE, were also discussed from words to movements. We explore QA and risk controls as well as modern governance. Our conversation ended with a great discussion about generative AI, specifically ChatGPT.  Tracy can be found on Linkedin here:https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracylbannon/

This episode features Mike Harris, a Tester at Geckoboard who self-identifies as a Tester. We discuss how vital Dr. Deming's ideas are to testing, especially around the System of Profound Knowledge, with Mike, who has worked in testing for 20 years. It is another example of Dr. Deming's ideas' relevance in the modern era. Here's a summary:Introducing Mike Harris.0:02Deming’s journey of profound knowledge and the importance of systems thinking.5:22How do we verify what we think we know?11:20Driving out fear in your team.17:36The tyranny of the prevailing style of management and how to break it.23:45What is agile? How did it start?29:31Words matter to Deming.37:42Do you find that most people in the testing community don’t have a clear operational definition?43:30Links:https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-harris-citp-mbcs-5a75733/https://testandanalysis.home.blog/

In this episode, Donna and I discuss what's wrong with the words Root Cause and Root Cause Analysis. Our original thoughts and the differences between the old and new meanings are discussed. Undoubtedly, Dr. Deming's words matter, and we try to figure out what he would have said. 

I'm John Willis (Botchagalupe). For almost ten years, I have been researching and writing a book about Dr. Deming. About two years ago, I got serious about the work, and then the pandemic struck. I should write this book if I ever intend to do so. Two years ago, I started working with a wonderful consultant, Derek Lewis. He has a phenomenal voice that you get to hear. I have worked with him for two years. After about a year of writing, I naively thought I was done. A year later, with five drafts, I could continue for another five years. However, I have finally begun working with a publisher. There will be some excellent news on that front. Hopefully, the audio, final, and Kindle versions will be available this summer. The paperback might not be available until the end of the year due to printing and supply chain issues.There are two things to note about this edition. One, it is an early version, so there will be changes when we finally produce and publish the production audio version. Two, I used a dramatic version for this edition. To add excitement, I added some voiceovers and minor sound effects. I hope you enjoy listening to this audiobook’s first three chapters. If you would like an early copy to finish the book, please contact botchagalupe@gmail.com. However, it won't be a version for distribution. The final version may or may not change. I hope you enjoy the first three chapters; the actual final book will have 20 chapters, as it stands at 350 pages.