There's nothing essentially wrong with Deming's 14 points, but collectively they do not convey the depth and structure of his ideas very well. In fact, if we examine them critically, we realize the 14 points are not a clear, concise statement of his teachings -- they are redundant, disorganized, and most seriously, incomplete. My "distillation" condenses and schematizes all the 14 points, but also includes other essential elements of his philosophy, perhaps implied, but not specified in the 14 points.

In a didactic context, trying to use the 14 points to present the fundamentals of TQM leads to an unfocused, repetitive, and boring presentation. Hopefully, by condensing the points and principles into a sequential, logical format, the introduction to TQM can be made more palatable to students, and also give a clearer conceptual foundation for all who seek to understand his important ideas.