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Procrastination: The Thief of Time
3. The task flow is unclear or unplanned. Disorganized plans
are common grounds for procrastination. One useful approach
to attacking the problem of task flow comes from a process 49
control system called TQM.
The TQM Solution
In the late 1940s, W. Edwards Deming, a statistical control ana-
lyst, devised a process control system that came to be known
as Total Quality Management (TQM). He tried to convince sev-
eral U.S. companies to apply it to their assembly lines, but no
one seemed interested. Undaunted, Deming went to Japan,
where business leaders rapidly adopted his theories.
Many people feel that Japan’s subsequent economic suc-
cess was attributable in large measure to Deming’s system. The
truth is far more complex. Japan’s cultural values had a great

Total Quality Management (TQM) A process control
system devised by W. Edwards Deming. In his book, Out of
the Crisis (1982), Deming set out 14 points as essential.
Although devised for manufacturing, they are easily adapted to all busi-
ness situations.
1. Create constancy of purpose by investing in the future.
2. Quality must become a philosophy of total dedication.
3. Don’t inspect bad quality out; build quality in from the start.
4. Don’t award business on price alone.
5. Improve constantly on production and service.
6. Institute training.
7. Institute leadership.
8. Drive out fear.
9. Break down staff barriers.
10. Eschew slogans or targets.
11. Eliminate numerical quotas.
12. Encourage pride of workmanship.
13. Promote education and self-improvement.
14. Transform the company from the top down, involving everyone.
It is worth noting that the current management emphasis on the
concept of “Six Sigma” is basically the disciplined systemization of
many of the concepts of TQM.