Joseph Moses Juran (December 24, 1904 – February 28, 2008) was a Romanian-born American engineer and management consultant. He is an evangelist for quality and quality management and wrote several influential books on those subjects.
In 1912, his family emigrated to America and settled in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Juran excelled in school, especially in mathematics. He studied in Minneapolis South High School and completed the schooling in 1920.
In 1924, with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Minnesota, Juran joined Western Electric's Hawthorne Works. His first job was troubleshooting in the Complaint Department. In 1925, Bell Labs started training Hawthorne Works personnel in its newly developed statistical sampling and control chart techniques. Juran was chosen to join the Inspection Statistical Department and learn SQC. This department has the responsibility to install SQC in all activities of the Hawthorne works. Juran became the department chief in 1928, and the following year became a division chief. He published his first quality-related article in Mechanical Engineering in 1935. In 1937, he moved to Western Electric/AT&T's headquarters in New York City.
During the Second World War, Juran served in the Lend-Lease Administration and Foreign Economic Administration. Just before war's end, he resigned from Western Electric, and his government post, and became a freelance consultant. He joined the faculty of New York University as an adjunct professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering, where he taught courses in quality control and conducted training programs for executives. He worked through a small management consulting firm on projects for Gilette, Hamilton Watch Company and Borg-Warner. Juran's own independent practice flourished, from which he made a comfortable living until his retirement in the late 1990s. His clients included Bausch & Lomb and General Foods.
The first edition of Juran's Quality Control Handbook in 1951 attracted the attention of the Japanese Union of Scientists and Engineers (JUSE), which invited him to Japan in 1952. Juran visited Japan in 1954, and held seminars in ten manufacturing companies, notably Showa Denko, Nippon Kōgaku, Noritake, and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company.He also lectured at Hakone, Waseda University, Ōsaka, and Kōyasan. During his life, he made ten visits to Japan, the last in 1990.
Subsequent to second world war, Japan had intense collaboration with American scholars. It was a continuation of earlier Japanese practice of acquiring American management innovations. In 20 years Japanese companies became know for excellence in quality. This sparked a crisis in the United States due to quality issues in the 1980s and the American experts who went to Japan and trained their company people were called by the US companies now to help them.
Special Contributions of Juran in Quality Management
Pareto principle in Quality Managemet
In 1941, Juran stumbled across the work of Vilfredo Pareto and began to apply the Pareto principle to quality issues (for example, 80% of a problem is caused by 20% of the causes). This is also known as "the vital few and the trivial many". In later years, Juran preferred "the vital few and the useful many" to signal the remaining 80% of the causes should not be totally ignored.
Quality Management theory
Juran started his quality career with tools acceptance sampling, inspection plans, and control charts.
Juran is widely credited for stressing on organization and staffing aspects of quality management. He pushed for the education and training of managers. For Juran, human relations problems were the ones to isolate and resistance to change was the root cause of quality issues. Juran credits Margaret Mead's book Cultural Patterns and Technical Change for illuminating the core problem in reforming business quality. He wrote Managerial Breakthrough, which was published in 1964, outlining the issue.
Juran's extended the application of quality management tools to nonmanufacturing processes.
The Juran trilogy
Juran was one of the first to write about the cost of poor quality. "Juran trilogy", consists of three managerial processes: quality planning, quality control, and quality improvement.
Transferring quality knowledge between East and West
During his 1966 visit to Japan, Juran learned about the Japanese concept of quality circles, which he enthusiastically evangelized in the West.
Juran Institute
Juran founded the Juran Institute in 1979. The Institute is an international training, certification, and consulting company which provides training and consulting services in quality management, Lean manufacturing management and business process management, as well as Six Sigma certification. The institute is based in Southbury, Connecticut.
Juran was active well into his 90s, He started writing his memoirs at 92, which were published two months before he celebrated his 99th birthday. In 2004, he turned 100 years old and was awarded an honorary doctor from Luleå University of Technology in Sweden.
Juran died of a stroke on 28 February 2008, at the age of 103 in Rye, New York. He was active on his 103rd birthday
Books
Quality Control Handbook, New York, New York: McGraw-Hill, 1951, 6th edition, 2010
Managerial Breakthrough, New York, New York: McGraw-Hill, 1964
Management of Quality Control, New York, New York: Joseph M. Juran, 1967,
Quality Planning and Analysis, New York, New York: McGraw-Hill, 1970
Upper Management and Quality, New York, New York: Joseph M. Juran, 1980,
Juran on Planning for Quality, New York, New York: The Free Press, 1988,
Published papers
"Universals in Management Planning and Control", Management Review (New York, New York: American Management Association), November 1954: 748–761
"Improving the Relationship between Staff and Line", Personnel (New York, New York: American Management Association), May 1956
"Industrial Diagnostics", Management Review (New York, New York: American Management Association), June 1957
"Operator Errors—Time for a New Look", ASQC Journal (New York, New York: American Society for Quality Control), February 1968
"The QC Circle Phenomenon", Industrial Quality Control (Buffalo, New York: Society of Quality Control Engineers), January 1967
"The Non-Pareto Principle: Mea Culpa", Quality Progress (New York, New York: American Society for Quality Control), May 1975
"Japanese and Western Quality—a Contrast", Quality Progress (New York, New York: American Society for Quality Control), December 1978
Interview with Quality Legend Juran - 1999 - Quality Digest
http://www.qualitydigest.com/feb99/html/body_juran.html
In 1912, his family emigrated to America and settled in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Juran excelled in school, especially in mathematics. He studied in Minneapolis South High School and completed the schooling in 1920.
In 1924, with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Minnesota, Juran joined Western Electric's Hawthorne Works. His first job was troubleshooting in the Complaint Department. In 1925, Bell Labs started training Hawthorne Works personnel in its newly developed statistical sampling and control chart techniques. Juran was chosen to join the Inspection Statistical Department and learn SQC. This department has the responsibility to install SQC in all activities of the Hawthorne works. Juran became the department chief in 1928, and the following year became a division chief. He published his first quality-related article in Mechanical Engineering in 1935. In 1937, he moved to Western Electric/AT&T's headquarters in New York City.
During the Second World War, Juran served in the Lend-Lease Administration and Foreign Economic Administration. Just before war's end, he resigned from Western Electric, and his government post, and became a freelance consultant. He joined the faculty of New York University as an adjunct professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering, where he taught courses in quality control and conducted training programs for executives. He worked through a small management consulting firm on projects for Gilette, Hamilton Watch Company and Borg-Warner. Juran's own independent practice flourished, from which he made a comfortable living until his retirement in the late 1990s. His clients included Bausch & Lomb and General Foods.
The first edition of Juran's Quality Control Handbook in 1951 attracted the attention of the Japanese Union of Scientists and Engineers (JUSE), which invited him to Japan in 1952. Juran visited Japan in 1954, and held seminars in ten manufacturing companies, notably Showa Denko, Nippon Kōgaku, Noritake, and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company.He also lectured at Hakone, Waseda University, Ōsaka, and Kōyasan. During his life, he made ten visits to Japan, the last in 1990.
Subsequent to second world war, Japan had intense collaboration with American scholars. It was a continuation of earlier Japanese practice of acquiring American management innovations. In 20 years Japanese companies became know for excellence in quality. This sparked a crisis in the United States due to quality issues in the 1980s and the American experts who went to Japan and trained their company people were called by the US companies now to help them.
Special Contributions of Juran in Quality Management
Pareto principle in Quality Managemet
In 1941, Juran stumbled across the work of Vilfredo Pareto and began to apply the Pareto principle to quality issues (for example, 80% of a problem is caused by 20% of the causes). This is also known as "the vital few and the trivial many". In later years, Juran preferred "the vital few and the useful many" to signal the remaining 80% of the causes should not be totally ignored.
Quality Management theory
Juran started his quality career with tools acceptance sampling, inspection plans, and control charts.
Juran is widely credited for stressing on organization and staffing aspects of quality management. He pushed for the education and training of managers. For Juran, human relations problems were the ones to isolate and resistance to change was the root cause of quality issues. Juran credits Margaret Mead's book Cultural Patterns and Technical Change for illuminating the core problem in reforming business quality. He wrote Managerial Breakthrough, which was published in 1964, outlining the issue.
Juran's extended the application of quality management tools to nonmanufacturing processes.
The Juran trilogy
Juran was one of the first to write about the cost of poor quality. "Juran trilogy", consists of three managerial processes: quality planning, quality control, and quality improvement.
Transferring quality knowledge between East and West
During his 1966 visit to Japan, Juran learned about the Japanese concept of quality circles, which he enthusiastically evangelized in the West.
Juran Institute
Juran founded the Juran Institute in 1979. The Institute is an international training, certification, and consulting company which provides training and consulting services in quality management, Lean manufacturing management and business process management, as well as Six Sigma certification. The institute is based in Southbury, Connecticut.
Juran was active well into his 90s, He started writing his memoirs at 92, which were published two months before he celebrated his 99th birthday. In 2004, he turned 100 years old and was awarded an honorary doctor from Luleå University of Technology in Sweden.
Juran died of a stroke on 28 February 2008, at the age of 103 in Rye, New York. He was active on his 103rd birthday
Books
Quality Control Handbook, New York, New York: McGraw-Hill, 1951, 6th edition, 2010
Managerial Breakthrough, New York, New York: McGraw-Hill, 1964
Management of Quality Control, New York, New York: Joseph M. Juran, 1967,
Quality Planning and Analysis, New York, New York: McGraw-Hill, 1970
Upper Management and Quality, New York, New York: Joseph M. Juran, 1980,
Juran on Planning for Quality, New York, New York: The Free Press, 1988,
Published papers
"Universals in Management Planning and Control", Management Review (New York, New York: American Management Association), November 1954: 748–761
"Improving the Relationship between Staff and Line", Personnel (New York, New York: American Management Association), May 1956
"Industrial Diagnostics", Management Review (New York, New York: American Management Association), June 1957
"Operator Errors—Time for a New Look", ASQC Journal (New York, New York: American Society for Quality Control), February 1968
"The QC Circle Phenomenon", Industrial Quality Control (Buffalo, New York: Society of Quality Control Engineers), January 1967
"The Non-Pareto Principle: Mea Culpa", Quality Progress (New York, New York: American Society for Quality Control), May 1975
"Japanese and Western Quality—a Contrast", Quality Progress (New York, New York: American Society for Quality Control), December 1978
Interview with Quality Legend Juran - 1999 - Quality Digest
http://www.qualitydigest.com/feb99/html/body_juran.html
