MM 260 – Total Quality Management

UNIT XI
BASIC QUALITY CONTROL TOOLS

QUALITY CONTROL TOOLS

1) Graphs
2) Process flowcharts
3) Cause-and-effect diagrams
4) Check sheets and Histograms
5) Pareto diagram
6) Scatter diagram
7) Process Control Charts and Statistical Quality Control (Separate Chapter)

I. GRAPHS
 Visual displays of data that are used to organize and summarize data.
 The simplest and best way of analyzing, understanding, and communicating data to illustrate
the current situation, identifying a problem area, or for illustrating the new and improved
situation.

Three Major Types of Graphs

A. Line Graph is a visual display of the pattern of data. It is primarily used for comparing data,
identifying problem areas, and outlining the pattern of data.

Run Chart is a special type of line graph that plots a given variable as a function of time. It
shows variability of a variable over time. With enough data, patterns such as trends and cycles can be
identified. This chart merely displays the nature of data and no statistical conclusions can be drawn.

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B. Bar Graph (Bar Chart) is a visual illustration of data in which rectangular bars are used to
represent the quantity of the variable being studied. This chart is used primarily for
comparison purposes.

Special Types of Bar Graphs

1. Histogram
 a diagram consisting of rectangles whose area is proportional to the frequency of a
variable and whose width is equal to the class interval.
 It visually displays the variability of a product or process and shows the various
measures of central tendency (mean, median, and mode).
 It can be used to illustrate whether product specifications are being met by drawing
the specifications.
 It can also be used to study and identify the underlying distribution of the variable
being study.
 It merely illustrates the nature of the distribution and does not provide statistical proof
of a particular distribution.

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2. Pareto Diagram (Pareto Chart)

 named after Vilfredo Pareto, is a type of chart that contains both bars and a
line graph, where individual values are represented in descending order by bars, and
the cumulative total is represented by the line

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C. Circle Graph (Pie Chart) represents data as slices of a pie. The larger the slice, the larger the
percentage that item is of the whole. It is very effective tool for comparing relative
magnitude or frequency and how it contributes to the whole. This is true only if the number
of categories being compared is kept low.

II. PROCESS FLOWCHARTS

 A diagram of the steps in a job, operation or process.
 Enables everyone involved in identifying and solving quality problems to have a clear picture
of how specific operation work and a common frame of reference.
 Enables process improvement team to understand the interrelationship of the departments
and functions that constitutes the process.
 Helps focus on where the problem might occur and if the process itself needs fixing.
 Development of flowchart can help identify problems by helping the problem solvers better
understand the process.

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Example: A process flowchart of apple processing

Date: 9-30-06 Location: Apple Mountains

Analyst: TLR Process: Applesauce
Operation

Delay

Storage
Transport

Inspect

(feet)Distance
(min)Time
Steps

Description of Process

1      Unload apples from truck 20

2      Move to inspection station 100
3      Weigh, inspect, sort 30
4      Move to storage 50
5      Wait until needed 360
6      Move to peeler 20
7      Peel and core apples 15
8      Soak in water until needed 5
9      Place on conveyor 20
10      Move to mixing area 20
Page 1 of 3 Total 450 190
Source: Russel and Taylor. 2009. Operations Management Along the Supply Chain. 6 th edition.

III. CAUSE-AND-EFFECT DIAGRAM

 It is also called the fishbone diagram or Ishikawa diagram
 A graphical description of the elements of a specific quality problem and the relationship
between those elements.
 Used to identify the causes of a quality problem so it can be corrected.
 Usually developed as part of brainstorming to help a quality team of employees and
managers identify causes or quality problems.

Parts of the Cause-and-Effect Diagram

1) The “Effect” box at the end of the diagram is the quality problem that needs correction.
2) The Center Line connects the effect box to the major categories of possible problem causes,
displayed as branches off of the center line.
3) The box at the end of each branch describes the cause category.
4) Individual causes associated with each category are attached as separate lines along the
length of the line during the brainstorming process. Sometimes the causes are ranks-ordered
along the branches in order to identify those that are most likely to affect the problem.

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Example: A six-sigma project at a hospital to reduce delays in patient bed turnaround time, which
creates a patient flow problem throughout the hospital. The primary cause of the problem is
suspected to be related to the “bed tracking system” (BTS), an electronic system that indicates the
status of each bed to the registered nurse (RN) who admits patients and assigns them to a room.

Measurements Personnel Machines

(Causes)

Time of day Registered Nurses

Day of week Patients Phone

RN admissions Family BTS

Bed
BTS Patient care associates Beepers Turn-
around
Shift time
Volume Laundry
Communication (Effect)
Beds Cleaning supplies
BTS competence
Supplies Wheel chairs
BTS speed
Equipment Room cleaning

Environment Materials Methods

(Causes)

Source: Russel and Taylor. 2009. Operations Management Along the Supply Chain. 6 th edition.

Cause-and-Effect Matrix
 A complementary tool to the fishbone diagram which is used to prioritize the potential
causes of quality problems in a process that might first be identified using a cause-and-
effect diagram.

Constructing the Cause-and-Effect Matrix

1) The outputs (Y variables) are listed along the top of the matrix. These are also referred to as
Critical-to-Quality Characteristics (CTQCs or CTQs) and they are measurable characteristics
that express the key requirements defined by a customer. CTQCs or CTQs are what the
customer expects from the product, and accordingly they have a significant impact on
customer satisfaction.
2) The inputs (X variables) that might affect the outcome of process such as the potential causes
of an outcome, are listed along the left side of the matrix or grid.
3) The CTQCs are ranked or weighted in terms of importance to the customer, then, the
relationship between causes and effects (CTQs) are weighted or ranked.
4) An overall score is calculated for the causes (X variables). The causes with the highest score
should be addressed first in the improvement efforts because they will have the largest
impact on customer satisfaction.

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Example:
Rank of X
variables/
Key Outputs (Y Variables) or CTQCs Importance
to
costumers
1 2 3 4 5 6
Turnaround Patient Physician Emergency Patient Operating
Time Flow Time Dept Time Room
Customer
Key Inputs 1 3 2 5 6 4
Rank
(X variables)
Weight 10 9 9 7 7 6 Score
1 BTS 9 8 10 8 5 348 3
2 Beepers 7 5 8 5 222 7
3 Volume 7 10 6 7 5 5 338 4
4 Beds 4 9 121 10
5 Time of Day 3 4 5 4 10 209 8
6 Day of week 9 10 6 6 282 5
7 Communication 9 8 10 8 7 9 429 1
8 BTS competence 10 9 7 7 7 349 2
9 Room cleaning 7 5 3 8 4 230 6
10 Supplies 8 9 161 9
Source: Russel and Taylor. 2009. Operations Management Along the Supply Chain. 6 th edition.

Score = Weight per CTQC1 + Individual Rating per CTQC1 +…+ = Weight per CTQCn + Individual Rating per CTQCn
Score = (10 x 8) + (9 x 9) = 161

IV. CHECK SHEETS

 A list of causes of quality problems with the number of defects resulting from each cause used
to develop a bar chart called histogram

Example: Check Sheet

Number
Causes Tally Percentage
of defects
Beepers  7 5
BTS system   17 13
Family  3 2
Laundry  4 3
Patients  3 2
Room cleaning   13 10
  
Staff communication    83 64
  
TOTAL 130 100
Source: Russel and Taylor. 2009. Operations Management Along the Supply Chain. 6 th edition.

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V. SCATTER DIAGRAMS
 Graphically shows the relationship between two variables.
 It shows a pattern between the two variables and a relationship or lack of one.

Examples:

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