Kaoru Ishikawa

Biography

Dr. Kaoru Ishikawa Photo Dr. Kaoru Ishikawa (Ishikawa Kaoru - 石川馨) was an innovator in quality and process management best known for the frequently eponymous Cause and Effect Diagram when referred to as the Ishikawa Diagram (also known as Fishbone Diagram) which is used for industrial process analysis.

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Kaoru Ishikawa was born in Tokyo, Japan the eldest son of eight to Ichiro Ishikawa. In 1939 he earned his Engineering degree in applied chemistry from University of Tokyo. Upon graduating, he was naval technical officer until 1941. After that, until 1947, he worked at the Nissan Liquid Fuel Company. Ishikawa then began his educational vocation at the University of Tokyo as associate professor. In 1978, he became Musashi Institute of Technology President.

Quotes

Quality control starts and ends with training.
Quality control is applicable to any kind of enterprise. In fact, [Quality Control] must be applied in every enterprise.
The ideas of control and improvement are often confused with one another. This is because quality control and quality improvement are inseparable.
In management, the first concern of the company is the happiness of people who are connected with it. If the people do not feel happy and cannot be made happy, that company does not deserve to exist.
Quality control which cannot show results is not quality control. Let us engage in QC which makes so much money for the company that we do not know what to do with it.