CHAPTER 10.

Quality Control

CASE STUDY: Process Capability

Driving in a Construction Area

Imagine you are driving on a highway that is undergoing

construction. The width of your vehicle – and because you are a

successful Six Sigma practitioner, you have many vehicles

available to you – is the variability of your process (i.e., the

± 3 sigma from the mean in a normal distribution). The lines

defining you’re driving lane are your specification limits.

Monday

On this day you are driving a motorcycle. You are greeted by one

narrow lane with modular concrete barriers on both sides. Driving

in the middle of your lane you have plenty of room on either

side. You can even wander from side to side and still have room

without getting too close to the barriers.

Tuesday

On Tuesday, you take your compact car. This time you do not have

as much room between the barriers – only a couple of feet on

either side of the vehicle. This is not a problem, but you do

have to be a bit more careful of going into and beyond the

barriers or, in process capability speak, out of specification.

Wednesday

Now the fun begins. On Wednesday you hop into an 18-wheeler for

the same trip. This time you have hardly any room on either side

of your vehicle. If you do not stay centered in your lane you run

the risk of causing damage to you and your vehicle.

Thursday

Just when you are feeling better about getting through

Wednesday’s drive, you are asked to drive the same 18-wheeler,

but this time you will be towing a manufactured home behind you!

You are extremely nervous now – not only do you have almost no

room on either side of your vehicle but you also must tow

something that takes up more room than the entire driving lane.

You are outside the lane (out of specification) before you start

to drive. It’s clear now why the 18-wheeler will be accompanied

by a vehicle with warning signs and lights on it – its job is not

only to warn oncoming traffic, but also to help identify

potential hazardous situations (like the barriers). Today you

have to find an alternate route. Consider the warning vehicle to

be a company’s quality department. It is looking out for both you

and your customer.

Friday

You take the day off to recover from all the stress of this

week’s driving.

1. What day would you prefer to drive and why?

2. Which vehicle would you prefer to drive?

3. In Wednesday would you try to go the speed limit through

these barriers or would you slow down?

4. In Wednesday process speak, if you are filling your

tolerance zone with process variation even when your process

is centered might it also be a good idea to slow your

process down?