Definition of System of Profound Knowledge (SoPK):
Deming advanced the System of Profound Knowledge (SoPK) which he said consisted of four main subheadings:
- Knowledge of variation, that is, a knowledge of common cause and special variation.
- Knowledge of Systems, that is, understanding that all the parts of a business are related in such a way that if you focus on optimizing one part, other parts may suffer.
- Knowledge of psychology, that is, what motivates people.
- Theory of knowledge, that is, how we learn things.