Ford Motor - "Roll Me Away" 700,000+ Recalls - Updated 7/09/2026

Ford needs to reimplement Dr. Demings Teachings and Principles on Quality (See Below)!

I wrote these statements in the 1980's - I do NOT have a definition for Quality, only a comment " Q is the difference between What Is, and What Should Be. No more, no less, just stick with your customers (internal and external) and treat your suppliers as equals.

Just remember - Management owns the system, and think what I call "trickle down quality," - look up front, always start up front in both fact finding and development + bring all associated groups together that start from beginning to the end. (That include you sales types too)? And yes, everything starts and stops with the customer! qg says ...

"QUALITY IMPROVEMENT IS NOT A FAD, IT SHOULD BE PART OF EVERYDAY INTEGRATED WORK, NOT EXTERNAL OR SOMETHING THAT IS ADDED ON TO ONE'S JOB DESCRIPTION."

"Designing a Quality Program can never start to soon, but it can start too late."

Updated 7/09/2026

I always liked the Bob Seger and Silver Bullet Band song "Roll Me Away" but NOT when not when it's my car - Yikes

https://www.usatoday.com/story/cars/recalls/2026/06/30/ford-recall-rollaway-risk/90749418007/

Updated 6/16/2026 - The most recent recalls from Ford and Jeep (Don't park in a building or by other vehicles) come with Fire issues. Others, have dangerous seat belt failures (Do not Drive Order) and yet others cause the vehicle to lose steering and suddenly stop. 

https://finance.yahoo.com/sectors/technology/articles/popular-ford-model-faces-yet-174700107.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/ford-recalls-maverick-bronco-sport-some-told-not-to-drive-over-defect/ar-AA24UF9H

Updated 3/13/2026 - Two more recalls both affecting my vehicle, plus my rear liftgate continues to not close the majority of time. No recall on this as of yet even though it's an ongoing problem according to the internet. https://www.yahoo.com/autos/safety-and-recalls/articles/ford-recall-over-83-000-163546571.html

Updated 3/11/2026 - Ford is not putting on the break for recalls this year. Just a measly 4.3 million trailer brake light problems. https://www.yahoo.com/autos/safety-and-recalls/articles/ford-recalling-4-3-million-162500387.html 

Check this out - https://autos.yahoo.com/safety-and-recalls/articles/ford-just-broke-time-recall-184500966.html;_ylt=AwrFF4YmOrFpPAIA.atXNyoA;_ylu=Y29sbwNiZjEEcG9zAzEEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3Nj

Ford says it's being Proactive not Reactive. Silly me shouldn't you be upfront-active by building quality up front in your design process before cars are built. Fixing problems after the fact is very costly. Ever hear of the 1-10-100 Rule? This means Ford has NO prevention type process measures at critical points in the systemic production process to let workers/engineers know there is a problem without waiting for inspection (1-10-100 rule), think of this as dollars, $100 means end of process (Proactive by Ford's definition), $10 means caught in mid production and $1 defect caught at beginning of process. Unknowable cost is when product is shipped to customer(s) also known as warranty work and recalls.

Updated 3/09/2026 - Yep, more recalls (6000,000+) and Management is all excited about the huge bonus they will receive this month. - https://www.fox5dc.com/news/ford-recalls-600000-vehicles-wiper-defects-affected-models

And ... https://apnews.com/article/ford-car-recall-rearview-camera-display-69a846973b55f00b8e7b584c7b25cd6b - This involves 1.74 million vehicles.

Updated 2/20/2026 - Ford announced last week that Salary Workers will receive a 130% pay bonus in March 2026. The increase is based on an improved initial quality metric. It measures repairs for the first 90 days of ownership. Sorry, that is not an adequate Quality Metric for a pay incentive. 

How about recalls? Guess what car company has led the list for years? Check this out - https://www.autoblog.com/news/10-car-brands-with-the-most-recalls-in-2025 For 2025 it cost more that 1.9 billion dollars in recalls.

13 million plus! 4 times the amount of second place Toyota. Oh, Ford will blame suppliers and workers, but they don't realize Ford Management owns the system for a car from start to finish and that includes everything in between. https://www.carscoops.com/2026/02/ford-bonuses-recalls-quality-gap/

Happy New Year - 

Updated 1/22/2026 - More Recalls - Just another 108,700...  Guess What? It includes me! 

This has to do with the Liftgate Hinge Cover. Mine went missing last summer (2025) and I had no idea how it could just be gone. The fix was a new part (I waited a month). I could not believe they put it on in the Service Area Bay. It is held on by VELCRO. Yep, VELCRO - no other attachment or sealant. Just clip in and push down! Is that advance engineering or what!!

Updated 8/28/25 - Two more recalls this week! Urgent - Brake Fluid Leak

More Recalls - Just another 850,000...

https://autos.yahoo.com/articles/ford-issues-urgent-recall-nearly-175744174.html;_ylt=AwrEbgNAnrFoLgIAY.5XNyoA;_ylu=Y29sbwNiZjEEcG9zAzEEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3Nj

I have owned and leased a Ford for the past 30 plus years. I have never seen it this bad. My last lease 2022 Edge had 3 recalls. I had to wait weeks for an appointment and trying to get a loaner if the work took longer than a day was near impossible.

I loved my Edge (I leased three, before that Explore's and Escapes), but Ford decided to discontinue the Edge this year. However, the 3 recalls (One not being fixed after 2 tries) led me to turn it in with 17,000 miles on a three-year lease. I recently leased a new Ford, and a part flew off (Attached with VELCRO) the car after only owning it for one month, it has almost been a month for the part to be approved for warranty (You have got to be kidding). Now I am waiting for the part to be painted (It's been over a week). You would not believe the service bay where they are working on cars, it's filled with F-150s and Mavericks.

7/11/25 - 850,000 new vehicle recalls.

https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a65367186/ford-recall-faulty-fuel-pump-850000-vehicles-mustang-bronco-f-150-f-series-super-duty/

4/18/25 - Five more in one day...

Ford continues to set the recall record.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/ford-can-t-stop-recalling-cars-drops-five-more-at-once-updated/ar-AA1D8z02

4/07/2025 - Recalls Mounting ...

https://www.carscoops.com/2025/04/ford-cant-stop-recalling-cars-drops-4-recalls-again/

Ford continues to have recall woes. Yet, I see nothing that explains the reason for so many other than the parts and suppliers they use are sending faulty parts. 

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ford-recalls-33k-bronco-sport-110900998.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall

There are no end-to-end quality measures or plans built into their processes or systems. 

qualityg says “What Gets Planned and Measured Gets Done” 

1/23/2025 - More Recalls

Ford is recalling over 272,000 Bronco Sport SUVs from the 2021 through 2023 model years and Maverick pickup trucks from the 2022 through 2023 model years. These vehicles have defective batteries that could suddenly fail while the SUV or pickup is in use. The batteries were made in China!!

1/11/2025 - Original update

Ford Motor Company needs to reimplement Dr. Demings Teachings and Principles on Quality!

 I have owned six different Ford vehicles over the past 20 years. The quality of the vehicles has gotten worse over the past five years. In fact, Ford leads all car manufactures in recalls.

In 2024, Ford ranked 2nd in Recalls. https://fordauthority.com/2024/12/ford-ranked-second-for-most-issued-recalls-of-2024/

This article was just published 1/8/25 - https://www.motorbiscuit.com/ford-recalls-f-super-duty-other-suvs-cars/

I personally have had three experiences (Recall - Power Module and Battery) this year with problems on my 2022 Ford Edge (I love the Edge and terribly disappointed that Ford will no longer make this model). My dealership is swamped with Ford Escapes (Including Hybrid), Mavericks, F -Series Trucks and Edges with many recent recalls in the past 2 months. Getting an appointment takes weeks if not months. P/S - My rear lift hatch closes on its own. I brought it in two times, and they say its fixed. I say it's not.

This has led me to remember back in the 1980's when Ford Motor company had Dr. Deming help them with their Quality efforts. 

Ford Motor Company called upon Dr. Deming to help. According to Don Petersen, former CEO and board chairman of Ford, Deming's approach was the key to the turnaround in the fortunes of Ford. Waste was reduced, labor relations improved, customer satisfaction increased, and Ford was able to stay in business and compete again. Petersen is unequivocal about the basis for Ford's success: "People want to do a good job. Dr. Deming's ideas and concepts, as we got them going through our system, gave people more and more this feeling that they had a better chance to do a good job. The rate of improvement, in many ways, was much greater than anything we could anticipate."

Many Deming disciples from Ford Motor Company began distinguished quality careers based on the teachings of Dr. Dr, Deming. Most notably was Dr. Edward Baker. Perhaps it's time to bring him back!

https://deming.org/our-team/edward-martin-baker/

It's time Ford Motor company management reevaluate their Quality Principles and begin to implement for an end-to-end perspective. 

Management owns the system. For more on Dr. Deming please read - https://qualityg.blogspot.com/search/label/Dr%20W.Edwards%20Deming

Elon Musk and DOGE are using "Systems Thinking" to find waste.

Dr. Shewhart and Dr. Deming were right, and Elon Musk and his DOGE team are proving it with their systematic efforts to audit and review governmental process for inefficient and ineffective processes for waste.

In an effort to slash government spending, President Trump has asked the world’s richest (and I would say the most innovative) man, Tesla, Twitter, and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, to lead his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). https://dogegov.com/

In the 1930s   - Dr. Shewhart said “Changes that result in improvement come from application of knowledge.”

In the 1950s - Dr. Deming said, “Change comes from outside the system.” He also said - 

I would also urge you to read and study the teachings of Dr. Russell Ackoff when it comes to systems thinking. https://thesystemsthinker.com/a-lifetime-of-systems-thinking/

https://systemsthinkingalliance.org/russell-ackoff/

True and lasting change often comes from outside the system and Elon Musk not being from Washington is the perfect person with his intelligence and resources to eliminate waste within the processes of our governmental departments. He understands that you need to examine the process/system from end-o-end and implement measures throughout the process/system to identify areas of concerns and problems and stop them upfront in the process/system. Once identified you can improve or eliminate the waste or problem. 

However, it is vital "HOW" you cut and eliminate waste from a system. To concentrate only on each individual department and not to understand how it fits into the overall organization can lead to disaster when trying to improve the system. You must take in to account the people within the system and not destroy the overall fabric of what you are trying to improve.

For example, Dr. Ackoff said "

• When you get rid of something that you don't want, you don't necessarily get what you do want. So, finding deficiencies and getting rid of them is not a way of improving the performance of a system. An improvement program must be directed at what you want, not at what you don't want.

Both Dr. Drucker (Management Expert) and Dr. Ackoff both commented on Efficiency vs Effectiveness and to focus on doing the right thing for an organization. According to Peter Drucker, an organization's survival is based on the efficiency and effectiveness of the management. Dr. Ackoff said "

• Quality ought to be directed at effectiveness. The difference between efficiency and effectiveness is a difference between knowledge and wisdom.

Efficiency (Knowledge) is described as the capacity to do a task with the least amount of wasted time, money, and effort, as well as performance competency. Effectiveness (Wisdom) is defined as the degree to which something is successful in delivering the desired result.

Over my years of applying their (Shewhart, Deming, Ackoff and Drucker) statements to my everyday work and management style I developed and followed the following:

Data + Information + Application = Knowledge (D + I + A = K)

Knowledge + Listening + Observing = Wisdom (K + L+ O = W).

 Knowldege + Wisdom = Prediction (K + W = P)

For more info on 
Sytems Thinking click here: https://qualityg.blogspot.com/search?q=systems+thinking

A Tale of Two Customer Processes

 Over the past week I have experienced two types of customer processes that each in its own right was as equally bad as the other was good.

The first process was Dell Computers. I had a problem with a Screen Pop-Up that began showing up on all my screens when I attempted to get Map directions for my upcoming Cataract Surgery at an outpatient surgery center (The second Process).

My computer concern was that was I was hijacked from a website and that information was being taken from my PC or passed back to a third party through the internet.

Being a retired Quality and Process Improvement person for over 45 years I am always critical and very praiseful when I see good and bad processes.

What follows is the Email that I sent to a Dell Technician’s Supervisor after spending over seven hours on the phone with four different reps. Names are changes to initials…

I would like to commend G.G. for excellent customer Service. I spent over SEVEN hours on the phone with FOUR different Dell Reps before my problem hopefully is now resolved. 

The first rep J.W. took information (Suspicious Pop-Up on Google Chrome) from me and I sent him a screen shot of my problem while on hold. After a half hour of waiting for him to get back to me the phone was disconnected. I sent him an Email and he responded the problem was on his end and he would get back to me. I waited over an hour and sent 2 emails asking for response/status - Nothing happened, and he did not respond.

I called back and got N.M. who spent 3-4 hours on the phone trying to fix the problem. N.M. took remote access and uninstalled and reloaded Chrome which we thought fixed the problem. She then said I had updates that needed to be done (Windows and Dell). While she ran these updates a number of problems (Waiting hours to finish) and restarts began to happen. She had me restart using F2 Key and other problems started. a BIT LOCK Recovery screen showed up and then I had no idea what to do and the laptop kept shutting down. Our phone connection was disconnected, and I waited for a call back which never came.

I again called back and talked to a gentleman (Never did get his name). I was very frustrated and asked him to contact N.M. that I needed help. He said he chatted with her, and she was now on another call with a customer (UNBELIEVABLELY Frustrated now). He said she could call me back later but did not know when. He started to help and after 15 minutes later we are disconnected. NO CALL BACK AGAIN (Even though he had my number).

I called again and got G.G. She assured me (like the others) she would help me. We spent several hours going through the problems and trying to get a 46-digit BIT Lock Recovery Code from Microsoft using my cell phone. Once this was done, she was able to see the Pop-up (It returned). She determined it was a google map “extension” and removed it promptly. She then went through the PC with me (Remote Access). We waited a long time for the PC to recover and make sure the Bit Lock Recovery was fixed (I hope). My PC is now doing another update as I write, and she said this would take a long time (I hope all goes well). 

I wanted you to know I am a Senior Citizen, and the Dell Reps were patient (Especially G.G. and N.M. before she dropped me).

I am a retired Quality and Customer Service National Director from a major communications company and former adjunct instructor of business for Central Michigan University. 

 I wanted to take the time to commend GG for a job well done. Somewhere in your process there were numerous breakdowns which has caused me grief and an uncomfortable feeling that my PC is still compromised. 

It has been 4 days since I sent the Email, and I was expecting a response from the Dell supervisor – Nothing as of yet.

Dr. Deming and other quality and process gurus would be disappointed.

Update February 14th,

I received an Email from a Dell Supervisor today expressing his apologies for himself his people and his company for the way my call was handled over two weeks ago. In addition, he said my case would be used to enhance their training process. I responded promptly thanking him for his response.

Second Process -

One of the aging issues one gets is failing eyesight due to Cataracts. My Optometrist sent me to the Ophthalmic Specialists of Michigan (OSM). I was amazed the efficiency and effectiveness of their operation. From the moment I entered the door I was greeted by two receptionists with very outgoing and bubbly attitudes for welcoming patients. After taking my information I was seated in the waiting room and within 10 minutes I was called back to the first of three eye specialist technicians that each had a process (Check current glasses and prescription, Eye Drops, Measurements, Eye Tests) for me to follow before seeing the Eye Surgeon.

The Doctor was kind and brief and explained I needed new lens in both of my eyes and that I would see great again. After he left, I saw another technician and then a scheduler who went over all of the procedures and medical information. She also set up all of my visits for surgery and post-checks.

Today, I had my first surgery at a different location and again the process was smooth, timely and very professional. As soon as I entered the surgery room, I was met by two nurses who set me up for surgery and explained the process. Next a Medical Doctor came over to check my health and vitals. Then the Nurse Anesthetist set me up and the next thing I knew I was in recovery and put in a wheelchair and my wife pulled the car around and I was on my way home.

I have a follow-up appointment tomorrow and back in 2 weeks for my other new lens. OMS has already followed-up with me today to make sure I was all right.

Time and Motion experts - Frank B. and Lillian M. Gilbreth would be proud!

When I first pulled in to the two different locations parking lots, they were extremely busy, and it looked like it was going to be a mess. Instead, they operate like and Beehive and Ant Hill with structured and the good type of chaos that every company should strive for if they want excellent customer service and most importantly returning customers’ that tell other people of their experiences (Both good and Bad).

"No one has to change, survival is optional" - The Power of Purpose

 

I had this sign made years ago and it always had a place above my desk. Dr. Deming's message and many many more like it are so relevant today when employees and employers are at odds over so many issues facing workers in today's viral work environment.

Consider donating at the Deming Institute or better yest contact them to help your company move forward and transform into a company that cares. https://deming.org/donate-2021/

Another way to donate is to do what I did and sign up at Amazon Smile. Amazon will contribute a percentage of what you buy to the Deming Institute https://smile.amazon.com/gp/chpf/homepage?orig=%2F

When I first read this quote by Dr. Deming it reminded me of one of my other favorite quotes by Charles Darwin:

" It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most adaptable to change."

Perhaps, that is why the cockroach has survived so long (320 million years) on earth.

Dr. Deming Posters

Updated 4/24/2021 

 Dr. Deming, once said, " No one can see the future, but we must try." Check out the new information, programs and highlights at https://deming.org/

Born on October 14, 1900, Dr. W. Edwards Deming was an eminent scholar and teacher in American academia for more than half a century.

I have studied Dr. Deming since 1980 when I first watched the NBC White Paper television show when a segment called “If Japan Ca… Why Can’t We?” 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcG_Pmt_Ny4

When he was alive, I attended many of his 4-day conferences. I also presented a paper at one of his conferences in 2012. 

His teachings are as relevant today as they were back in 1980. 

Following is a link where you can obtain five special posters with some of Dr. Deming’s best quotes and teachings.

https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/deming-season-of-generosity

If you would like to read more of my posts about Dr. Deming simply click on his name in my label section on the left or follow this link: http://qualityg.blogspot.com/search/label/Dr%20W.Edwards%20Deming

 I have this sign this posted in my office. It has been there for over 25 years. If you don't believe what it says just ask the companies that made the Buggy Whip, Carburetor, 8-Track Cassettes, Atari, etc... 

Next time you vote ask yourself if the people in office (Local, State and Federal) have changed or are they there for their own self-interest.

When I first read this quote by Dr. Deming it reminded me of one of my other favorite quotes by Charles Darwin:

" It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most adaptable to change."

Perhaps, that is why the cockroach has survived so long (320 million years) on earth. 

Education Reform - School of Choice

Most states  https://ballotpedia.org/School_choice_information_by_state

have had some form of school of choice since the mid-1990s.

I have written on this subject over the years and yet nothing has improved even with more and more dollars being thrown at the problem. http://qualityg.blogspot.com/search?q=school+of+choice

Seems like everyone is using the term "systemic" to define failures in a variety of areas affecting the country. One best understand what "Systems Thinking" is before using it to help them sound important or knowledgeable. http://qualityg.blogspot.com/search?q=systems+thinking

School of Choice is a sound strategy to engage in changing the education system but by itself it will not work. That has been proven since the 1990s. Systemic change requires to have all the parts of the system working together toward a common goal. I have shown the interdependencies required in the above graph.

One problem that remains with school of choice is the fact that students who come from outside a school district that do not own a home bring no tax dollars. This causes resentment from in-district homeowners and students who pay taxes and then get cut from sports teams and other school events.

Another way to explain is to understand the matrix below: Clic on Pic to ENLARGE

Dream - In a business setting you can replace Dream with "Vision"

WIIFM - What's In It For Me

Dr. Shewhart and Dr. Deming were right about True Change.

Dr. Shewhart and Dr. Deming were right and President Trump is proving it with North Korea and others.

In the 1930s   - Dr. Shewhart said “Changes that result in improvement come from application of knowledge.”

It can be said that application of knowledge could be President Trump's 40 years of making deals.

In the 1950s - Dr. Deming said “Change comes from outside the system.”

True and Lasting change often comes from outside the system like President Trump not being from Washington and when he refers to draining the swamp! It will be interesting to watch the media and listen to the Washington Swampers make negative of the meeting with North Korea. Why? Because they want the status quo and are stagnate in their thinking to try new approaches.

State of Michigan "Parent Dashboard Resources"

The online Parent Dashboard was developed by the MDE in collaboration with the Center for Educational Performance and Information (CEPI) to advance the State Board of Education’s vision of an easy-to-use dashboard filled with meaningful school-level data that offers a more balanced picture of school quality.

https://www.mischooldata.org/ParentDashboard

Purpose: The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) has developed a set of strategies to help Michigan become a Top 10 education state in 10 years. Progress toward this goal will be assessed in six broad areas: 

Early Learning, Engagement, Effective Educators, Equity, Exit Ready and Efficacy.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I must say I do like what the State has done. My only hope is they have included "process" Measures to identify problem areas before they become problems and are shown as results (Which are Dashboard Metrics (See Below). I would also suggest the State include "National" Benchmark results since the goal is to become a top ten educational state (Where are we now?).

I would also suggest my Characteristics of an Educational Team Leader which includes my 7eee's - http://qualityg.blogspot.com/2014/08/educational-team-leader.html

Are the data being collected going to be shown as "Results" measures as opposed to also including Process Measures? 

CRITICAL POINT 1: I suggest and hope the State School Superintendent  is aware of the difference between Common and Special Cause Variation. And, Dr. Deming's System of Profound Knowledge. If you really want to improve Governor Snyder please study and adopt the System of Profound Knowledge. https://deming.org/explore/so-p-k

Do any of you reading this know what I am talking about? Some of you will, the majority will not. We are all more concerned if the changes being introduced by the governor will affect us personally. Heck, we like change as long as it is not happening to us. 

I would recommend all officials read and digest this book.

https://deming.org/store/books/the-new-economics

CRITICAL POINT 2: Before implementing these type of measure you must make sure you are using a systems thinking approach and by that I mean include all your principal people from each step of the process/system. By not including front-line/customer facing employees (Especially in the design stages) you are doomed to failure. Why? Because you will ultimately be a "Results Oriented" Leader which happens when you are surrounded by business/government bureaucratic who manage by the "Bottom Line" and do not take people in to consideration when making systemic changes be them small or large.

Dashboard Metrics 
Perhaps the picture below will give the best example of what they are and what they look like if done correctly. The pictorial illustrates a company that needs to respond to a customer inquiry for service or repair. While the charts below show bar graphs I would also add control charts when the proper amount of data are collected to make sure the process is in control (Control can be good or bad).

Click on Pic to Enlarge 

The following provides a method for setting up effective measures: 
METHODOLOGY FOR DEFINING AND ESTABLISHING CUSTOMER 

FOCUSED MEASUREMENTS

Measurements should track how well our processes are performing according to:
• Customer Expectations (including customer perception) and Organization Objectives
• Customer Satisfaction • Value Drivers
• Competitive Benchmarking • Employee Satisfaction The above stated types of measurements will help determine the overall quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of all processes.
The activities involved in defining and establishing measures include:
1. Determining effective measures
2. Reviewing and validating existing measures
3. Implementing new measurements
4. Install a measurement and reporting system
5. Establish a feedback and monitoring system
6. Monitor measurements

1. DETERMINING EFFECTIVE MEASURES
Purpose:

Effective measures provide an insightful means about the efficiency of a process. Measures of this type are meant to track and align performance (process) and results (quality) indicators of a business process. 

Establishing Effective Measurements:

Create effective measurements based upon the following:
• Customer expectations/requirements
• Practical to implement
• Easy to comprehend
• Consensus of agreement by group
• Able to help drive culture change

What to Measure:

Establish measurements based upon customer expectations and business objectives. These measurements should measure what our customers care about and what will drive our Value Drivers toward exceeding Operational business objectives.

Develop objective measures of customer satisfaction. Without measures, we have no means by objectively assessing the magnitude by which our processes are performing to customer and business requirements, and whether or not our improvement efforts and newly implemented systems have improved the process.

These types of measurements should provide objective data that will drive decisions that will produce long-term customer preference. 

If suppliers are included, be sure to measure input characteristics and services.

How to Measure:

Implement simple, easy to understand measurements whenever possible. Measurements that are complex will not be used.

It is vital that our measurements be easily defined, understood and communicated to assure common understanding.

A small amount of meaningful measures are worth 10 times more than a large amount of nice to know measures (non-value added).

It's OK to experiment with measures, if they don't tell you what you need, stop measuring and create new ones.

If at the beginning measured identification is difficult, start with customer satisfaction, every major process has a customer.

Don't just measure one aspect of a process. Your measurements should be balanced with variable, attribute and some subjective characteristics like time, cost, quantity and customer perception.

Evaluating Measures:

In the beginning it might be best to implement a few strategically based measurements. As stated before, it's best to experiment and monitor the effectiveness of few, rather than implementing a large amount and never monitor.

2. REVIEWING AND VALIDATING EXISTING MEASUREMENTS

Purpose:

Once we've identified and understood what makes effective measurement, it is necessary to assess measurements that are already in place. Effective measurements provide input data that drive motivation for continuous improvement. Those that do not measure up should be changed or eliminated.

Measurement Balance:

If current measurements are only measuring internal business objectives, move to measure the effectiveness of our processes or solutions from a customer perspective.

Measure Behavior:

Implement measures that level to desired behavioral results. Verify the measures do not drive undesired behavior by our workers or to your customers. For example, many companies have found that they speculated "speed of answer" as a desirable measurement for customer satisfaction. Customer survey and interviews found that quality of service provided was more important than speed of answer.

3. IMPLEMENTING NEW MEASUREMENTS 
Purpose:

It is vital that any new measurements implemented are effective and efficient and that it is collected, analyzed, and used in a way that motivates positive behavior and not punitive threats to workers.

Data Collection:

Make sure those responsible for collecting or installing new measurements are familiar with data and are part of the implementation plan.

4. INSTALL A MEASUREMENT AND REPORTING SYSTEM
Purpose:

Installing a measurement and reporting system requires an action plan of implementation that identifies the roles and responsibilities of the Process Owner and Sub-Process Owners who will be accountable for the measures.

This also requires agreement on what measures will be reported and that method and system support is available. The Action Plan must include trend analysis and plans of who will respond to them in a timely basis.

Automation:

Whenever possible and cost effective, automate as many measurements as possible. The advantage is more accurate and timely data collection and analysis. 

Share Measurements:

Post measurements data in visible places, so that results can be shared by workers in the process. It's also a good idea to keep everyone in the process informed from end-to-end.

5. ESTABLISH A FEEDBACK SYSTEM 
Purpose:

By establishing a feedback system, employees will keep abreast of changing expectations and update the current process as required.

Sharing Feedback:

Corporate Quality, Marketing, Sales and Front Line customer facing employees must keep upper management aware of changing customer needs so that business objectives and measurements may be changed accordingly.
It's also important to share feedback with workers in the process as well as customers and suppliers.

6. MONITOR MEASUREMENTS

Purpose: 

Employees identified as measurement owners must constantly evaluate their measurements, reassess customer needs, and continuously search for new ways to use data for continuous improvement.

Evaluate Measurements:

If your measurements are not accurately reflecting process performance or drive undesirable behavior, they should be removed. Update or install new measures as needed.

Benchmark Measures:

Benchmarking your process measurement performance relative to your competitors will be vital to competition. Benchmarking provides information to leaders that helps establish performance targets based on data from the marketplace. Benchmarking is a useful method to supply additional data and information but not to be used exclusively for changes or measurements.

It's also important reminder that if you want to use Benchmarking as a means to be the best please realize you will not obtain that goal by simply Benchmarking another company (They will always be better than you).

Should we use Letter Grades for Students? It depends.

Whether we use a grading system for students in education or rate and or rank employees is always a lively discussion. Over the years I have had many in both a business and education setting and I must say my thinking was usually in the minority even though I’m Right (Ha). Here are two examples:

Education

One of my former students who is now a teacher asked what I thought was the purpose of grades.  I simply answered that grades are usually a result of some sort of testing procedure. So rather than label a student as a failure, average or success I responded that the grade was to provide me as the instructor how well I did in transferring knowledge to the student(s). So it is my evaluation in question not the student.  I need to use the results as to determine which student needs help and to what degree based on the letter grade.

Business

I have written many posts over the years http://qualityg.blogspot.com/search?q=ranking&max-results=20&by-date=true about ranking and rating employees. Never believed in it and probably never will. There is too much variation between employees and the environmental conditions that go in to one’s job (Even if they are the same) that cannot accurately predict the outcome. It is leadership's job to know their employees talents, wants and needs in order provide them a job that will instill pride of workmanship. Rating and Ranking concentrates too much on documenting failures and mishaps as opposed to proving the tools and knowledge to do the job correctly so that he/she can succeed or move the employee to a job that matches their talents.

OUTCOME! That is the key that most people fail to see. We use students and employees as the outcomes (Scapegoats) when they are the product of the system/process. We want to fire or lay-off employees when a company fails when in fact it’s the system or process that determine the outcome. In schools we want to label or demote students and blame teachers for the failure of the system/process.

We want to uses employees and students as the end-result indicators when in fact they are the value-added inputs in each and every process/system. Yes, we need to monitor and measure employees and students but not for pass/fail we need to monitor and measure to help the overall process get better and to provide them with a sense of purpose.

We used to call this inspecting quality at the end of the line after the product is finished/produced. Amazing we still have this mind-set when it comes to students/employees.

Heed These Words...

Democrats and Republicans and all else in between. Heed these words...

 

Dr. Deming taught that profound knowledge generally comes from outside the system and is only useful if it is accepted and received with an enthusiasm to learn and improve. A system cannot understand itself without help from outside the system, because previous experiences will stifle objectivity, preventing vital analysis of the organization (i.e, Government). Serious self-examination is difficult without impartial analysis from outside the organization.

Perhaps Newt Gingrich can explain to the Washington Bureaucrats...

https://www.fedsmith.com/2016/12/19/new-administration-real-improvement-this-time/

Updated - 6/1/17

I'm reading a new book (Highly Recommend) about the teachings of Dr. Deming by Edward Martin Baker, one of Dr. Deming's most valued associates, Mr.  Baker shares his deep understanding of Dr. Deming's System of Profound Knowledge. https://www.amazon.com/Symphony-Profound-Knowledge-Edward-Martin/dp/1532002394

Numbers do lie, they do dance and they do often mislead. Yes they DO!

Let me provide some wisdom provided by Dr. W. Edwards Deming on this subject – “Dr. Deming spoke of 3 ways to improve (Does not imply "good") the figures: distort the data, distort the system and improve the system. Improving the system is the most difficult.” 

Following is a prime example of distorting the data: High Schools

Here is a statement from a local high school (Many do this to attract parents to their school):

"In the past five years, our graduates earned over $20 million in scholarships."

OK – I know for a fact this school averages around 100 students that graduate per year. I’m not a math wizard and I’m not making these numbers dance but this statement would mean 20 million divided by 500 = $40,000 per student.

What this really means is the old Pareto Principle at work - The Pareto Principle is very simple, yet very important. It is named after Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, who, in 1906, found that 80% of the land in Italy was owned by 20% of the population.

What was most important about Pareto’s finding was that this 80/20 distribution occurs extremely frequently. For example, in general, 20% of your customers represent 80% of your sales.

In the scholarship numbers used by many high schools this really means your top ten students are getting offers from multiple schools to attend and get scholarship dollars. Let’s say I apply to 5 colleges and they each offer me a full ride equaling $60,000. The school will now put in $300,000 in the pot. I can only go to one school the actual scholarship dollars are $60,000. So if you really want to know the numbers ask the counselor to be specific and show you the scholarship winner and the schools they are to attend. I guarantee you it will be a much smaller number.

http://qualityg.blogspot.com/search?q=pareto

Following is a prime example of distorting the system: Wells Fargo

The phony accounts earned the bank unwarranted fees and allowed Wells Fargo employees to boost their sales figures and make more money.

"Wells Fargo employees secretly opened unauthorized accounts to hit sales targets and receive bonuses," Richard Cordray, director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, said in a statement.

http://money.cnn.com/2017/03/31/investing/wells-fargo-investigations-fake-account-scandal/

Whom do you blame? Management owns the system and sets the policies. Employees follow these rules in order to save their jobs or to make more money. It all comes down to the dangers of Management By Objectives (MBO), Quotas and Rating and Raking. I have posted about this numerous times since 2005. http://qualityg.blogspot.com/search?q=Ratings

There are so many examples day in and day out. The most popular today is “FAKE NEWS.” Everyone is distorting the facts to gain viewer and readership and this is very dangerous. Social Media only compounds the problem.

Dr. Deming wrote about these dangers/diseases many years ago and people continue to abuse them:
https://deming.org/management-system/deadlydiseases

Dr. Deming did not just tell about the diseases he provided a prescription for preventing (not fixing) them. We would all do well to take a good dose of learning and applying these concepts.
https://deming.org/management-system

Oh - by the way - I DO realize numbers don't actually lie it's the people manipulating them for their own gain or protection.