Able Quote by W. Edwards Deming
![“He that expects to quantify in dollars the gains that will accrue to a company year by year for a program for improvement of quality expounded in [Out of the Crisis] will suffer delusion. He should know before he starts that he will be able to quantify only a trivial part of the gain.” quote by W. Edwards Deming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/384/w-edwards-deming-1337_able_he-that-expects-to-quantify-in-dollars-t_2353677.jpg)
“He that expects to quantify in dollars the gains that will accrue to a company year by year for a program for improvement of quality expounded in [Out of the Crisis] will suffer delusion. He should know before he starts that he will be able to quantify only a trivial part of the gain.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Out of the Crisis, 1982, Management Theory
Quantifying quality‑improvement gains in dollars is largely illusory; only a small portion can be measured.
In simple terms: Quality gains are hard to fully measure financially.
Key Takeaway
Accept limits of financial metrics.
Themes
quality
measurement
business
improvement
metrics
Mood
analytical
cautious
Type
business
philosophical
When to use this quote
- process improvement
- budget planning
- performance reviews
Key Concepts
management theory
economics
systems thinking
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we value non‑financial benefits?
- What alternative metrics capture true quality?
A Different Perspective
Over‑reliance on numbers can mislead decisions.
