Total
Quality Management
MGT510
VU
Lesson
# 39
STATISTICAL
PROCESS CONTROL (SPC) FOR
CONTINUAL QUALITY
IMPROVEMENT
Variation
and Process
Control
In
a total quality setting,
consistency and predictability
are important. When a
process runs
consistently,
efforts
can begin to improve it by
reducing process variations, of
which there are two
kinds:
·
Common-cause
variation is the result of the sum of
numerous small sources of
natural variation
that
are always part of the
process.
·
Special-cause
variation is the result of factors that
are not part of the process
and that occur
only
in
special circumstances, such as a shipment of
faulty raw material or the
involvement of anew,
untrained
operator.
The
performance of a process that operates
consistently can be recorded and plotted
on a control chart
such
as the one in Figure below. The
sources of the variation in this
figure that fall within the
control
limits
are likely to be common causes.
The sources of variation in
this figure that fall
outside the control
limits
are likely to be special-causes
sources. In making decisions about the
process in question, it is
important
to separate common and special causes of
variation.
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Control
Chart
If
you react to common-cause
variation as if it were due to special causes,
you will only make
matters
worse
and increase variation,
defects, and mistakes. If you
fail to notice the appearance of a
special
cause,
you will miss an opportunity
to search out and eliminate a
source of problems
Control
charting in SPC utilizes
in-process (sometimes called
on-line) sampling techniques to
help
monitor
a process. The purpose is to
indicate when the process is
functioning as intended
i.e.
statistically
under control and when to
take corrective action of
some type is necessary. Hence
SPC can
be
taken as a proactive and preventive
approach of quality improvement. An
in-control process is
considered
stable and out-of-control process is said
to be un-stable. Improvement in stable
system can
occur
only through system changes,
which are the responsibility of
management and empowered
employees.
Instability is created when a special
cause or disturbance is present. Once an
indication of a
process
shift is detected it is up to the operators,
engineers, and other technical people to
locate the
special
cause/s and take corrective
action.
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