The author explains what he believes managers have been doing wrong, informs them what they must do, and shows them Demings' Way Out of the crisis.

Chain reaction: quality, productivity, lower costs, capture the market -- Principles for transformation of western management -- Diseases and obstacles -- When? how long -- Questions to help managers -- Quality and the consumer -- Quality and productivity in service organizations -- Some new principles of training and leadership -- Operational definitions, conformance, performance -- Standards and regulations -- Common causes and special causes of improvement, stable system -- More examples of improvement downstream -- Some disappointments in great ideas -- Two reports to management -- Plan for minimum average total cost for test of incoming materials and final product -- Organization for improvement of quality and productivity -- Some illustrations for improvement of living.