Ishikawa Research Paper

Kaoru Ishikawa Research Paper

Melanie M. Pertee

BSOP326 Total Quality Management

Dr. Anton Camarota

March 17, 2014

Kaoru Ishikawa Research Paper

This paper will examine Dr. Kaoru Ishikawa life and work to demonstrate his contributions to the total quality process through the processes he invented.

Dr. Kaoru Ishikawa was born on July 13, 1915 in the city of Tokyo, Japan, he was the oldest of eight sons. He passed away on April 16, 1989 at the age of 73. He earned an engineering degree from the University of Tokyo in 1939. In 1943, two years after leaving the Japanese Navy, the first contribution he made to the total quality process was the designing of the Cause and Effect Diagram, also known as the Ishikawa Diagram. The primary drive for crafting the illustration was to “explain to a group in engineers at Kawasaki Steel Works how various manufacturing factors could be sorted and interrelated” (Doggett, 2005). In 1949, Dr. Ishikawa became a member of the Japanese Union of Scientists and Engineers (JUSE), a group whose purpose is to promote systematic studies needed for the advancement of science and technology. Ishikawa had a goal to turn around the production market by making the philosophies of Deming to work just for Japan. Dr. Ishikawa wanted to bring Japan’s reputation back from being known for making cheap and poor quality items. Dr. Ishikawa was “instrumental in the development of the broad outlines of Japanese quality strategy.” (Evans, 2010). Dr. Ishikawa then developed Quality Circles in 1962. Quality Circles are groups trained to identify and solved work problems. They evaluate the issues and then provide solutions the upper management that will improve the performance of an organization.

Dr. Kaoru Ishikawa’s belief was dedicated to making the quality of the workplace different and employees taking pride in the work that they produce. Dr. Ishikawa’s book “What is Total Quality Control?” he mentions the fact that...