TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT

1. Answer any 5 questions in short: -

(a). Scatter Diagram: - The scatter diagram graphs pairs of numerical data, with one variable
on each axis, to look for a relationship between them. If the variables are correlated, the
points will fall along a line or curve. The better the correlation, the tighter the points will hug
the line. This cause analysis tool is considered one of the seven basic quality tools.
WHEN TO USE A SCATTER DIAGRAM: -
 When you have paired numerical data
 When your dependent variable may have multiple values for each value of your
independent variable
 When trying to determine whether the two variables are related, such as:
o When trying to identify potential root causes of problems
o After brainstorming causes and effects using a fishbone diagram to
determine objectively whether a particular cause and effect are related
o When determining whether two effects that appear to be related both
occur with the same cause
o When testing for autocorrelation before constructing a control chart
(b). MUDA: - A Japanese term meaning “futility; uselessness; wastefulness.” Muda is a key
removal-of-waste concept (along with Mura and Muri) in lean manufacturing that focuses on
the removal of non-value adding steps.
(c). House of Quality: - House of Quality refers to a well-known process for product development
that is inspired by customer desires for product or process development and anchored by the
capabilities and resources of the organization seeking to meet those desires. It is a process of
listening to customers, translating their desires into a written plan, prioritizing steps of execution
based on what is most important to the customer, and putting a realistic plan on paper.
(d). Assignable Variation: - A distribution of non-random results caused by a single identifiable
factor with clearly defined characteristics. Such a circumstance is imminently manageable. In
statistical process control, this is sometimes known as a special cause or exceptional variation. The
variation is due to an unusual event that is not normally part of the process.
(e). POKA – YOKE: - Mistake proofing, or its Japanese equivalent poka-yoke (pronounced PO-ka yo-
KAY), is the use of any automatic device or method that either makes it impossible for an error to
occur or makes the error immediately obvious once it has occurred. It is a common process
analysis tool.
WHEN TO USE MISTAKE PROOFING: -
 When a process step has been identified where human error can cause mistakes or defects
to occur, especially in processes that rely on the worker’s attention, skill, or experience
 In a service process, where the customer can make an error which affects the output
 At a hand-off step in a process, when output (or for service processes, the customer) is
transferred to another worker
 When a minor error early in the process causes major problems later in the process
 When the consequences of an error are expensive or dangerous

(f). Components of Juran’s quality trilogy: -

 Quality Planning: - As with all management activities and processes, Quality journey
begins with planning the activities that needs to be done to adhere to the Vision, Mission
and Goals of the organization and to comply with customer and compliance requirements.
Quality Planning comprises of i) Understanding the customer, ii) Determining their needs,
iii) Defining the product/service features, specifications iv)Designing the product/service v)
Devising the processes that will enable to meet the customer needs.
 Quality Control: - Once the processes are defined, the responsibility is now with
operations, to adhere to the processes and specifications required by the product/service.
For this purpose periodic checks and inspection has to be done, metrics need to be
tracked, to ensure that the process is in control and meets specifications and the metrics
need the set target. Wherever there is a defect a corrective and preventive action needs to
be done, and root cause has to be arrived at. Also the deviation in the metrics and process
audit results need to be monitored and corrected for meeting the required target as
specified by the processes.
 Quality Improvement: - However robust the process design and the product features are,
there are chances that it may fail to meet customer requirements and design targets. It
might be due to some special causes that are present in the system and might be due to
change in business scenarios, customer requirements, market completion and many more
forces. The role of Quality Improvement is to identify and prove the need for
improvement from the exiting performance levels even though they meet the target and
devise means and ways to achieve the new target and implement them successfully.

2. Explain the role of 5’s in improving the quality of product or service.

Ans: - The role of 5’s in improving the quality of product or service are: -
 Measure and Measure Some More: - Two key performance indicators (KPIs) you should
deploy today are quality escapes and quality captured. Determine which bucket quality
mistakes fall into. The first bucket is comprised of mistakes that were internally
"captured" by your team so the client was never aware of them. Captured quality errors
aren’t as bad because the client never knew -- maybe they suffered a delayed delivery, but
that’s it. Your client is not injured by the stumble.
 Focus on Process, Not People: - Every employee comes to work to do a good job. In most
cases, the defect is the process, not the person you trust. Remember that, and fix it by
adding process steps or new checks to the system. Don’t make it a game of "who screwed
this up?" That will deflate the team. Everyone will cower in fear and point fingers without
ever getting to the root cause.
 Meet Weekly: - Initially the meetings will be long and tedious. You need to discuss with all
the players each quality issue that occurred, and get to the root cause. Over time--less
time than you think--the meetings will get shorter, as processes are strengthened and
systems get more robust. Confidence will build as people see the systems are catching
errors and eliminating heartburn.
 Create a Quality Chart: - Sort the biggest quality issues by category and focus in on the big
issues. Work them till they get to be small issues. Don’t focus as much time on the unusual
quality issues; spend your time in the places with the most frequent problems.
 Make It Public: - Place your quality results in your lunchroom. Everyone should see this is a
company emphasis and you want to improve in a transparent way. The daily, visible
reminder will demonstrate your commitment to quality to the people who impact it every
day: your team.
 3. What are the benefits of benchmarking? Summarize the actions by Xerox, while
implementing benchmarking programmes.
Ans: - The benefits of benchmarking are: -
1. Better understand what makes a company successful: - Benchmarking can provide a better
outlook as to where you are versus where you want to be. The challenge is that successful
companies are no doubt working to widen the gap.
2. Opens minds to new opportunities: - Comparing key measures to industry targets or even
internal targets, can be incentive to drive productivity and innovation needed to exceed those
averages. This process usually raises new challenges for businesses.
3. Leads directly to an action plan: - Rather than simply highlight problem areas, it undertakes
a strong review of processes and metrics.
4. Improving productivity: - Businesses following improvement action plans can expect gains in
cost, cycle time, productivity, and quality.
5. An holistic approach: - It is both qualitative and quantitative, ensuring more accuracy in
developing a whole picture of your business.
6. Improve performance: - Benchmarking identifies methods of improving operational
efficiency and product design.
7. Gain strategic advantage: - Benchmarking helps companies focus on capabilities critical to
building strategic advantage.
8. Increase the rate of organizational learning: - Benchmarking brings new ideas into the
company and facilitates experience sharing.
Benchmarking, a term originally used by land surveyors to compare elevations, was pioneered in
the U.S. Business community by Xerox Corporation in the late 1970’s.As introduced by Xerox,
benchmarking is a process for finding the world-class standards for a product, service, or system
and then adjusting one’s own products, services, and systems to exceed those standards3.These
world-class standards can be found by looking at competitors who are recognized leaders for the
product, service, or system. Benchmarking done using competitors as models is called competitive
or strategic benchmarking. Operating units or functions within a company can also be used as the
model; this approach is called internal benchmarking.

4. What are the goals of TPM?

Ans: - The goal of TPM is to increase production while also boosting workers’ job satisfaction
and morale. Employees are empowered to take ownership and pride in maximizing the life
and use of the equipment they operate, and reducing costs in the process. They then have end
to end accountability. TPM focuses on maintenance as a necessary and vital component of the
business.
A TPM program has three major features: -
 it’s a system of productive maintenance to maximize the useful life of equipment
 the goal is to maximize equipment use and effectiveness
 it works through sharing responsibility for routine inspection, cleaning, maintenance, and
minor repairs
5. List the new seven management tools used for quality improvement. Discuss any one of
them in detail.
Ans: - The new seven management tools used for quality improvement: -

1. Stratification (Divide and Conquer): - Stratification is a method of dividing data into sub–
categories and classify data based on group, division, class or levels that helps in deriving
meaningful information to understand an existing problem.
The very purpose of Stratification is to divide the data and conquer the meaning full
Information to solve a problem.
 Un–stratified data (An employee reached late to office on following dates)
5-Jan, 12-Jan,13-Jan, 19-Jan, 21-Jan, 26-Jan,27-Jan
 Stratified data: (Same data classified by day of the week )

(Frequency – Late in office day wise)

2. Histogram: - Histogram introduced by Karl Pearson is a bar graph representing the

frequency distribution on each bars.
The very purpose of Histogram is to study the density of data in any given distribution and
understand the factors or data that repeat more often.
Histogram helps in prioritizing factors and identify which are the areas that needs utmost
attention immediately.

(Histogram: Defects day wise)

3. Check sheet (Tally Sheet): - A check sheet can be metrics, structured table or form for
collecting data and analysing them. When the information collected is quantitative in nature,
the check sheet can also be called as tally sheet.
The very purpose of checklist is to list down the important checkpoints or events in a
tabular/metrics format and keep on updating or marking the status on their occurrence which
helps in understanding the progress, defect patterns and even causes for defects.

(Check Sheet: Defect types with their occurrence on day of the week)

4. Cause-and-effect diagram. (“Fishbone” or Ishikawa diagram): - Cause–and–effect diagram

introduced by Kaoru Ishikawa helps in identifying the various causes (or factors) leading to an
effect (or problem) and also helps in deriving meaningful relationship between them.
The very purpose of this diagram is to identify all root causes behind a problem.
Once a quality related problem is defined, the factors leading to the causal of the problem are
identified. We further keep identifying the sub factors leading to the causal of identified
factors till we are able to identify the root cause of the problem. As a result we get a diagram
with branches and sub branches of causal factors resembling to a fish bone diagram.
In manufacturing industry, to identify the source of variation the causes are usually grouped
into below major categories:
 People
 Methods
 Machines
 Material
 Measurements
 Environment

(Fishbone Diagram: Missed deadline in manufacturing of product)

5. Pareto chart (80 – 20 Rule): - Pareto chart is named after Vilfredo Pareto. Pareto chart
revolves around the concept of 80-20 rule which underlines that in any process, 80% of
problem or failure is just caused by 20% of few major factors which are often referred as Vital
Few, whereas remaining 20% of problem or failure is caused by 80% of many minor factors
which are also referred as Trivial Many.
The very purpose of Pareto Chart is to highlight the most important factors that is the reason
for major cause of problem or failure.
Pareto chart is having bars graphs and line graphs where individual factors are represented by
a bar graph in descending order of their impact and the cumulative total is shown by a line
graph.
Pareto charts help experts in following ways:
 Distinguish between vital few and trivial many.
 Displays relative importance of causes of a problem.
 Helps to focus on causes that will have the greatest impact when solved.

(Pareto Chart: Causes for defects in supplied items)

6. Scatter diagram: - Scatter diagram or scatter plot is basically a statistical tool that depicts
dependent variables on Y – Axis and Independent Variable on X – axis plotted as dots on their
common intersection points. Joining these dots can highlight any existing relationship among
these variables or an equation in format Y = F(X) + C, where is C is an arbitrary constant.
Very purpose of scatter Diagram is to establish a relationship between problem (overall effect)
and causes that are affecting.
The relationship can be linear, curvilinear, exponential, logarithmic, quadratic, polynomial etc.
Stronger the correlation, stronger the relationship will hold true. The variables can be
positively or negatively related defined by the slope of equation derived from the scatter
diagram.

(Scatter Diagram: Types of correlation in Scatter Plot)

7. Control Chart (Shewhart Chart): - Control chart is also called as Shewhart Chart named
after Walter A. Shewhart is basically a statistical chart which helps in determining if an
industrial process is within control and capable to meet the customer defined specification
limits.
The very purpose of control chart is to determine if the process is stable and capable within
current conditions.
In Control Chart, data are plotted against time in X-axis. Control chart will always have a
central line (average or mean), an upper line for the upper control limit and a lower line for
the lower control limit. These lines are determined from historical data.
By comparing current data to these lines, experts can draw conclusions about whether the
process variation is consistent (in control, affected by common causes of variation) or is
unpredictable (out of control, affected by special causes of variation). It helps in differentiating
common causes from special cause of variation.
Control charts are very popular and vastly used in Quality Control Techniques, Six Sigma
(Control Phase) and also plays an important role in defining process capability and variations
in productions. This tool also helps in identifying how well any manufacturing process is in line
with respect to customer’s expectation.
Control chart helps in predicting process performance, understand the various production
patterns and study how a process changes or shifts from normally specified control limits over
a period of time.

(Process Control Chart)

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