1. STATISTICAL METHODS FOR QUALITY IMPROVEMENT, Hitoshi Kume, Association for Overseas Technical Scholarship, ISBN 4-906224-34-2 C0034, 1985 (1st published) – Good basic book on the methods of quality improvement. We handed out thousands of these at FPL. Has one of the best descriptions of process improvement steps wrapped up into the QC Story (Chapter 10).
2. OUT OF THE CRISIS, W. Edwards Deming, MIT Center for Advanced Engineering Study, ISBN 0-911379-01-0, 1991 (14th Printing) – Still probably the best overall treatment of the late Dr. Deming’s philosophy and practice. Get used to clipped sentences and other funny writing habits, though. It’s best to warm up to Deming by reading the next reference first.