Armand V. Feigenbaum
Encyclopedia
Armand Vallin Feigenbaum (born 1922) is an American quality control
expert and businessman. He devised the concept of Total Quality Control
, later known as Total Quality Management
(TQM).
Feigenbaum received a bachelor's degree from Union College
, his master's degree from the MIT Sloan School of Management
, and his Ph.D.
in Economics from MIT. He was Director of Manufacturing Operations at General Electric
(1958–1968), and is now President and CEO of General Systems Company of Pittsfield, Massachusetts
, an engineering firm that designs and installs operational systems. Feigenbaum wrote several books and served as President of the American Society for Quality
(1961–1963).
His contributions to the quality body of knowledge include:
Quality control
Quality control, or QC for short, is a process by which entities review the quality of all factors involved in production. This approach places an emphasis on three aspects:...
expert and businessman. He devised the concept of Total Quality Control
Total Quality Management
Total quality management or TQM is an integrative philosophy of management for continuously improving the quality of products and processes....
, later known as Total Quality Management
Total Quality Management
Total quality management or TQM is an integrative philosophy of management for continuously improving the quality of products and processes....
(TQM).
Feigenbaum received a bachelor's degree from Union College
Union College
Union College is a private, non-denominational liberal arts college located in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents. In the 19th century, it became the "Mother of Fraternities", as...
, his master's degree from the MIT Sloan School of Management
MIT Sloan School of Management
The MIT Sloan School of Management is the business school of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in Cambridge, Massachusetts....
, and his Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in Economics from MIT. He was Director of Manufacturing Operations at General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
(1958–1968), and is now President and CEO of General Systems Company of Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Its area code is 413. Its ZIP code is 01201...
, an engineering firm that designs and installs operational systems. Feigenbaum wrote several books and served as President of the American Society for Quality
American Society for Quality
American Society for Quality , formerly known as American Society for Quality Control , is a knowledge-based global community of quality control experts, with nearly 85,000 members dedicated to the promotion and advancement of quality tools, principles, and practices in their workplaces and in...
(1961–1963).
His contributions to the quality body of knowledge include:
- "Total quality controlTotal Quality ManagementTotal quality management or TQM is an integrative philosophy of management for continuously improving the quality of products and processes....
is an effective system for integrating the quality development, quality maintenance, and quality improvement efforts of the various groups in an organization so as to enable production and service at the most economical levels which allow full customer satisfaction." - The concept of a "hidden" plant—the idea that so much extra work is performed in correcting mistakes that there is effectively a hidden plant within any factory.
- Accountability for quality: Because quality is everybody's job, it may become nobody's job—the idea that quality must be actively managed and have visibility at the highest levels of management.
- The concept of quality costsQuality costsThe concept of quality costs is a means to quantify the total cost of quality-related efforts and deficiencies. It was first described by Armand V. Feigenbaum in a 1956 Harvard Business Review article....
Awards and honors
- First recipient of ASQ's Lancaster Award
- ASQ 1965 Edwards Medal in recognition of "his origination and implementation of basic foundations for modern quality control"
- National Security Industrial Association Award of Merit
- Member of the Advisory Group of the U.S. Army
- Chairman of a system-wide evaluation of quality assurance activities of the Army Materiel Command
- Consultant with the Industrial College of the Armed Forces
- Union College Founders Medal
- Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
- Life member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
- Life member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
- Life member of Plymouth Society of Marine Biology
External links
- http://www.asq.org/about-asq/who-we-are/bio_feigen.html