Deming's Journey to Profound Knowledge with John Willis

John Willis is another absolute legend in software delivery and DevOps, an industry veteran working at companies such as Docker and evangelizing good technical practices. He is the co-author of The DevOps Handbook, Beyond The Phoenix Project and Investments Unlimited, and lately, he published an incredible book on Dr. William Edwards Deming called "Deming's Journey to Profound Knowledge."
I thought I knew everything there was to know about Dr. Deming - after all, what is there to know - watch out for seven data points in a row above or beyond the average and do something - and that's it! Except it's not! :)
Through his book and by hanging out with him in a weekly book club, John took me on the journey of exploring Deming, and at times, it felt like going through an escape room - just as I thought I understood everything, I'd find a new door and a whole new world. This episode is a glimpse into John's book and our ongoing conversations with the hope that we will also spark interest for Deming in others.
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Show notes:
John Willis' Ignite talk: "Devops and Dr Deming’s 14 Points" (Velocity NY 2014) - YouTube
This interview is featured in 0800-DEVOPS #57 - Deming’s Journey to Profound Knowledge with John Willis.
[Check out podcast chapters if available on your podcast platform or use links below]
(0:01)
Introduction
(1:32)
How John started exploring Dr. Deming
(11:17)
The System of Profound Knowledge
(21:25)
An example of PDSA working in an organization
(30:50)
Key experiences that shaped Dr. Deming's work
(42:14)
DevOps and Dr. Deming's 14 Points
(44:07)
Book recommendations

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