Quality Tools and Techniques Standards in Action Quality Tools and Techniques Practicing quality techniques Author:

Quality Tools and Techniques

Standards in Actionwww.bsieducation.org/standardsinaction


Practicing quality techniques

Author: Dr Rhys Rowland-Jones



Session plan– Demonstrate the differing types of quality tools/techniques

attributed to the Japanese.– Illustrate the applicability of tools and techniques of quality

improvement.– Describe individual applications of appropriate quality tools.



Continual improvement • Continual improvement is a type of change that is focused on

increasing the effectiveness and/or efficiency of an organization to fulfil its policy and objectives.

• It is not limited to quality initiatives.• Improvement in business strategy, business results, customer,

employee and supplier relationships can be subject to continual improvement.

Source: IQA. 2007



Basic steps in problem solving

1. Define the problem and establish an improvement goal.2. Collect data.3. Analyze the problem.4. Generate potential solutions.5. Choose a solution.6. Implement the solution.7. Monitor the solution to see if it accomplishes the goal.



Traditionally, a Japanese Samurai carried seven tools into battle.

• After World War II the Japanese adopted 'quality' as a philosophy for economic recovery and, in line with this traditional approach, sought seven tools to accomplish the economic rejuvenation. The seven tools chosen were:

– Histograms – Cause and Effect Diagrams – Check Sheets – Pareto Diagrams – Graphs – Control Charts – Scatter Diagrams



Control ChartPareto Chart

Data CollectingScatter Plot Ishikawa Chart

HistogramStratification

* *****

** *

The seven tools



Techniques For Improvement.

Inputs Outputs

Input-Output analysisFlow Charts

x

xx

xx

xx

x

Scatter Diagrams

Cause-Effect DiagramsPareto Analysis Why - why analysis

Why?

Why?

Why?



Cause-and-Effect Diagram

Effect

MaterialsMethods

EquipmentPeople

Environment

Cause

Cause

Cause

Cause

Cause

CauseCause

Cause

CauseCause

Cause

Cause



Check Sheet

Billing Errors

Wrong Account

Wrong Amount

A/R Errors

Wrong Account

Wrong Amount

Monday



Pareto Analysis

80% of the problems may be

attributed to 20% of the

causes.

80% of the problems may be

attributed to 20% of the

causes.

Smearedprint

Nu

mb

er o

f d

efec

ts

Offcentre

Missinglabel

Loose Other



Statistical Process Control (SPC)• A process by which a product/service is checked during its creation using

certain set parameters and statistical techniques to measure and analyze the variation within the process.

• WHAT IS IT USED FOR:

• To monitor the consistency of product/service quality and maintain processes to a fixed target as designed.

• To drive improvement actions within an organization.



Control Chart

970

980

990

1000

1010

1020

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

UCL

LCL



Run Chart

Time (Hours )

0.440.460.480.5

0.520.540.560.58

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Time (Hours)

Dia

met

er



Tracking Improvements

UCL

LCL

LCLLCL

UCLUCL

Process not centredand not stable

Process centredand stable

Additional improvementsmade to the process



Process Variation

Process Variability Variations due to:

Natural Causes:• Temperature variation• Material variation• Customer differences• Operator performance

Special Causes:• Machine is breaking• Untrained operative• Machine movement• Process has changed

Must be monitored Early and visible warning required



What can be controlled using SPC?

• VARIABLES.

• Variable Measures are those that can be measured on a continuous scale, for example length, time, weight....

• ATTRIBUTES.

• Attributes are characteristics that are assessed by judgment and are dichotomous, i.e. have two states such as right or wrong, looks OK or not OK.



Quality at the source

The philosophy of making each worker responsible for the quality

of his or her work.



– Quality is a predictable degree of uniformity and dependability, at low cost and suited to the market.

– Losses begin to accrue as soon as a quality characteristic of a product or service deviates from the nominal value.

– Once the specification limits are reached the loss suddenly becomes positive and constant, regardless of the deviation from the nominal value beyond the specification limits.

Genichi Taguchi’s theory of Quality loss



Taguchi Loss Function

Cost

TargetLowerspec

Upperspec

Traditionalcost function

Taguchicost function



strong (3)

Quality Function Deployment

Absolute Weight

Sales PointsFeasibilityEvaluation

attribute weights x relationship strength

1= weak; 10 = strong

1=easy, 10=difficult

(AW x SP) / Feasibility

weak (1)

very strong (9)

KEY

Cus

tom

er

Att

ribut

es

Customer Perceptions

Design Characteristics

2 3 41 5

The House of Quality



En

gin

ee

ring

Ch

ara

cte

ristic

s

Parts Characteristics

Pa

rts

Ch

ara

cte

ristic

s

Key ProcessOperations

Cu

sto

me

r R

eq

uire

me

nts

Engineering

Characteristics

Ke

y P

roce

ssO

pe

ratio

ns

ProductionRequirements

QFD The House Of Quality.

The QFD methodology has been developed into a continuous process, and it can be applied equally well to service or manufacturing environments



Summary

• We have looked at a range of quality tools/techniques for improvement.

• Statistical process control.• Taguchi’s theory of quality loss.• Quality Function deployment.

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Quality Tools and Techniques Standards in Action Quality Tools and Techniques Practicing quality techniques Author: