W. Edwards Deming, who died in 1993, was an American engineer, statistician, professor, author, lecturer, and management consultant. He came up with this phrase that provided the foundation for his management style and ultimately his success in the business world.
How can you control or manage something that has no parameters of quantitative value or numerical measure?
In other words, we manage a business by looking at the numbers from the accounting department. We direct and understand the health of a church by looking at membership rolls and conversions. We buy or sell stock based upon the historical values and numbers (measurements!) that determine if it’s a good investment or not. We ascertain the strength of a country by evaluating their exports/imports, gross domestic product, national debt, and revenues from income and sales.
On a more down-to-earth example, we see how many days are left in the month, compare that to our bank account and then determine if we will be eating noodles or BBQ ribs!!
In order for your families, businesses, church organizations, and other entities to be managed properly, you must have systems, programs, and policies in place to help “measure” or quantify your work or efforts. Managing anything is impossible unless you have the right information, the right “measurements”, and tools to help you evaluate, make important decisions, and chart the course to success.
No seamstress would ever make you an item of clothing before first taking some measurements. No builder would ever start a building without having first a plan and budget. Jesus Christ talked about this over 2000 years ago!
Deming, in post-war Japan, made a significant contribution to their reputation for innovative, high-quality products, and for their economic power. He is regarded as having had more impact on Japanese manufacturing and business than any other individual—not of Japanese heritage.
So how are you managing? Are you able to make informed decisions? Perhaps it’s time to institute some “measuring” elements: a bank statement, a spread sheet, a monthly report, a business plan, or an up-to-date profit and loss statement. Then and only then, will you have the power to effectively manage!
“Get out the tape measure, honey! Daddy’s comin’ home!!
Let us help you measure your successes. At ActsCo Printing, we are ready to help propel you and your organization to the next level with high quality print products. Check out options for printing and multimedia on our page!