Our "Guru of the Month" is Dorian Shainin.
Shanian specialized in creating strategies to enable engineers to
"talk to the parts" and solve "unsolvable" problems.
Born in San Francisco on September 26, 1914,
Shainin went on to earn a degree in aeronautical engineering from
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1936.
In 1975, Shainin retired from Rath and Strong as
a senior vice president to establish his own consulting practice,
Shainin Consultants
Through his career, working with more than 900
organizations, Shainin developed a discipline called statistical
engineering. The discipline of statistical engineering has been
successfully used for quality improvement, product development,
product reliability, analytical problem solving, manufacturing cost
reduction, product liability prevention, research and development.
Best known the "Shainin Technique," Shainin developed practical
tools which help manufacturers to solve problems, including
previously unsolvable problems.
Shainin's service to quality began early in his
career. Involved with American Society for Quality (ASQ) from its
beginning, Shainin was named a Fellow in 1949. He served ASQ as
executive secretary from 1953 to 1954, and as vice president from
1953 to 1956 and again from 1974 to 1976.
Shainin received the Brumbaugh Award in 1951 for
his paper, "The Lot Plot Plan." He was also awarded the Edwards
Medal in 1969 and Grant Award in 1981. He received the Shewhart
Medal in 1989. Shainin was also a member of the European
Organization for Quality Control and the International Academy of
Quality.
Throughout his career, Shainin wrote more than
100 articles. Shainin is also the author / co-author of several
books, including Managing Manpower In The Industrial Environment;
Tool Engineers Handbook; Quality Control Handbook; New
Decision-Making Tools for Managers; Quality Control for Plastics
Engineers; Manufacturing, Planning, and Estimating Handbook; and
Statistics In Action.
On May 16, 2005, the American Society for Quality
(ASQ) awarded the first Dorian Shainin Medal. The Dorian Shainin
Medal is awarded for the development and application of creative or
unique statistical approaches in the solving of problems relative to
the quality of product or service.
