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Understanding Green Project Fundamentals • 41

term ramifications if things are not done right. Quality issues in the form
of “cost of noncompliance” are obvious: increased expenses due to having
to do that rework of scrapping, added warranty work, legal challenges, and
degradation of an organization’s reputation. Greenality issues—though
not as obvious—are just as detrimental to an organization. If greenality is
not considered in this day and age, will consumers continue to buy those
products? If greenality is not considered, in light of newer regulations and
standards will the project ever see the light of day, or will it be mired in
legal proceeding? And if greenality is not considered, and you buy into the
claims of the thousands of scientists regarding climate change, on top of
these product and enterprise issues there are the overriding environmen-
tal problems you are leaving our children and their children. Even small
delays in implementation can cost companies millions in revenues and
loss of market share. Two other thoughts that directly relate to greenality
from Philip Crosby are: “It is always cheaper to do the job right the first
time”; and “Quality is free, but it is not a gift.” 1
We also see a definite parallel between W. Edwards Deming’s qual-
ity initiatives and greenality. The first example of this was demonstrated
in the initial resistance he received when he first proposed his 14-point
business philosophy. For a full definition of that philosophy, go to http://
www.lii.net/deming.html. During the early 1950s, Deming proposed his
philosophy, whose 14 points can be distilled down to three areas: con-
stancy of purpose, continuous improvement, and removing functional
barriers. However, there was a marked resistance by American businesses
to Deming’s ideas. The businesses’ attitude was that the United States was
making the most superior products on the market, there would not be
any competitors, and the businesses knew best for their customer. Deming
tried to tell them that it wasn’t the case. U.S. businesses, he said, were
relying too much on the past, competition was on the horizon, and the
consumer would drive the market. The superior product position, he said,
was temporary.
Finding no place in the United States that would embrace his mes-
sage, Deming turned to Japan, which became a willing and eager student.
While it took some time, we all know what happened to the market for
U.S.-produced goods like consumer electronics and automobiles. It is a
different world than when Deming was trying to “sell” his quality mes-
sage. We now know how the world is inextricably tied together environ-
mentally. An explosion in population in the Pacific Rim affects Europe
and the United States, by taxing already limited worldwide resources like