Ishikawa 1985, p. 198: "Elementary Statistical Method (the so-called Seven Tools) 1. Pareto chart: The principle of vital few; trivial many 2. Cause and effect diagram (This is not precisely a statistical technique) 3. Stratification 4. Check sheet 5. Histogram. 6. Scatter diagram (analysis of correlation through determination of median; in some instances, use of binomial probability paper) 7. Graph and control chart (Shewhart control chart)". Ishikawa, Kaoru (1985). What Is Total Quality Control? The Japanese Way. Translated by Lu, David J. (1st ed.). Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall. ISBN978-0-13-952433-2.
Ishikawa 1985, p. 18: "It is true that statistical methods are effective, but we overemphasized their importance. As a result, people either feared or disliked quality control as something very difficult. We overeducated people by giving them sophisticated methods where, at that stage, simple methods would have sufficed." Ishikawa, Kaoru (1985). What Is Total Quality Control? The Japanese Way. Translated by Lu, David J. (1st ed.). Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall. ISBN978-0-13-952433-2.
Ishikawa 1985, pp. 198–199: "I divide statistical methods into the following three categories according to their level of difficulty. 1. Elementary Statistical Method (the so-called Seven Tools) ... 2. Intermediate Statistical Method ... 3. Advanced Statistical Method (using computers concurrently)". Ishikawa, Kaoru (1985). What Is Total Quality Control? The Japanese Way. Translated by Lu, David J. (1st ed.). Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall. ISBN978-0-13-952433-2.