Seven basic tools of quality

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The seven basic tools of quality is a designation given to a fixed set of graphical techniques identified as being most helpful in troubleshooting issues related to quality. [1] They are called basic because they are suitable for people with little formal training in statistics and because they can be used to solve the vast majority of quality-related issues. [2]

Contents

Overview

The seven tools are: [3] [4] [5]

  1. Cause-and-effect diagram (also known as the "fishbone diagram" or Ishikawa diagram)
  2. Check sheet
  3. Control chart
  4. Histogram
  5. Pareto chart
  6. Scatter diagram
  7. Stratification (alternatively, flow chart or run chart)

The designation arose in postwar Japan, inspired by the seven famous weapons of Benkei. [6] It was possibly introduced by Kaoru Ishikawa who in turn was influenced by a series of lectures W. Edwards Deming had given to Japanese engineers and scientists in 1950. [7] At that time, companies that had set about training their workforces in statistical quality control found that the complexity of the subject intimidated most of their workers and scaled back training to focus primarily on simpler methods which suffice for most quality-related issues. [8] The Project Management Institute references the seven basic tools in A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge as an example of a set of general tools useful for planning or controlling project quality. [9]

The seven basic tools stand in contrast to more advanced statistical methods such as survey sampling, acceptance sampling, statistical hypothesis testing, design of experiments, multivariate analysis, and various methods developed in the field of operations research. [10]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Histogram</span> Graphical representation of the distribution of numerical data

A histogram is an approximate representation of the distribution of numerical data. The term was first introduced by Karl Pearson. To construct a histogram, the first step is to "bin" the range of values—that is, divide the entire range of values into a series of intervals—and then count how many values fall into each interval. The bins are usually specified as consecutive, non-overlapping intervals of a variable. The bins (intervals) must be adjacent and are often of equal size.

Ishikawa diagram Causal diagrams created by Kaoru Ishikawa

Ishikawa diagrams are causal diagrams created by Kaoru Ishikawa that show the potential causes of a specific event.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scatter plot</span> Plot using the dispersal of scattered dots to show the relationship between variables

A scatter plot is a type of plot or mathematical diagram using Cartesian coordinates to display values for typically two variables for a set of data. If the points are coded (color/shape/size), one additional variable can be displayed. The data are displayed as a collection of points, each having the value of one variable determining the position on the horizontal axis and the value of the other variable determining the position on the vertical axis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaoru Ishikawa</span>

Kaoru Ishikawa was a Japanese organizational theorist and a professor in the engineering faculty at the University of Tokyo noted for his quality management innovations. He is considered a key figure in the development of quality initiatives in Japan, particularly the quality circle. He is best known outside Japan for the Ishikawa or cause and effect diagram, often used in the analysis of industrial processes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flowchart</span> Diagram that represents a workflow or process

A flowchart is a type of diagram that represents a workflow or process. A flowchart can also be defined as a diagrammatic representation of an algorithm, a step-by-step approach to solving a task.

PDCA is an iterative design and management method used in business for the control and continual improvement of processes and products. It is also known as the Deming circle/cycle/wheel, the Shewhart cycle, the control circle/cycle, or plan–do–study–act (PDSA). Another version of this PDCA cycle is OPDCA. The added "O" stands for observation or as some versions say: "Observe the current condition." This emphasis on observation and current condition has currency with the literature on lean manufacturing and the Toyota Production System. The PDCA cycle, with Ishikawa's changes, can be traced back to S. Mizuno of the Tokyo Institute of Technology in 1959.

Pareto analysis Statistical concept

Pareto analysis is a formal technique useful where many possible courses of action are competing for attention. In essence, the problem-solver estimates the benefit delivered by each action, then selects a number of the most effective actions that deliver a total benefit reasonably close to the maximal possible one.

A quality circle or quality control circle is a group of workers who do the same or similar work, who meet regularly to identify, analyze and solve work-related problems. It consists of minimum three and maximum twelve members in number. Normally small in size, the group is usually led by a supervisor or manager and presents its solutions to management; where possible, workers implement the solutions themselves in order to improve the performance of the organization and motivate employees. Quality circles were at their most popular during the 1980s, but continue to exist in the form of Kaizen groups and similar worker participation schemes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operations management</span> In business operations, controlling the process of production of goods

Operations management is an area of management concerned with designing and controlling the process of production and redesigning business operations in the production of goods or services. It involves the responsibility of ensuring that business operations are efficient in terms of using as few resources as needed and effective in meeting customer requirements.

DMAIC refers to a data-driven improvement cycle used for improving, optimizing and stabilizing business processes and designs. The DMAIC improvement cycle is the core tool used to drive Six Sigma projects. However, DMAIC is not exclusive to Six Sigma and can be used as the framework for other improvement applications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pareto chart</span> Type of chart

A Pareto chart 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. The chart is named for the Pareto principle, which, in turn, derives its name from Vilfredo Pareto, a noted Italian economist.

Check sheet Form (document) used to collect data in real time at the location where the data is generated

The check sheet is a form (document) used to collect data in real time at the location where the data is generated. The data it captures can be quantitative or qualitative. When the information is quantitative, the check sheet is sometimes called a tally sheet.

A quality storyboard is a method for illustrating the quality control process. Some enterprises have developed a storyboard format for telling the QC story, for example, at Yokogawa-Hewlett-Packard in Japan, the story is told using a flip chart which is 6 feet by 6 feet. The project team uses colored markers to show the PDSA cycle plus the SDSA cycle. A QC story is an element of policy deployment. After each manager writes an interpretation of the policy statement, the interpretation is discussed with the next manager above to reconcile differences in understanding and direction. In this way, they play "catchball" with the policy and develop a consensus.

Eight Disciplines Methodology (8D) is a method or model developed at Ford Motor Company used to approach and to resolve problems, typically employed by quality engineers or other professionals. Focused on product and process improvement, its purpose is to identify, correct, and eliminate recurring problems. It establishes a permanent corrective action based on statistical analysis of the problem and on the origin of the problem by determining the root causes. Although it originally comprised eight stages, or 'disciplines', it was later augmented by an initial planning stage. 8D follows the logic of the PDCA cycle. The disciplines are:

Laboratory quality control is designed to detect, reduce, and correct deficiencies in a laboratory's internal analytical process prior to the release of patient results, in order to improve the quality of the results reported by the laboratory. Quality control (QC) is a measure of precision, or how well the measurement system reproduces the same result over time and under varying operating conditions. Laboratory quality control material is usually run at the beginning of each shift, after an instrument is serviced, when reagent lots are changed, after equipment calibration, and whenever patient results seem inappropriate. Quality control material should approximate the same matrix as patient specimens, taking into account properties such as viscosity, turbidity, composition, and color. It should be simple to use, with minimal vial-to-vial variability, because variability could be misinterpreted as systematic error in the method or instrument. It should be stable for long periods of time, and available in large enough quantities for a single batch to last at least one year. Liquid controls are more convenient than lyophilized (freeze-dried) controls because they do not have to be reconstituted, minimizing pipetting error. Dried Tube Specimen (DTS) is slightly cumbersome as a QC material but it is very low-cost, stable over long periods and efficient, especially useful for resource-restricted settings in under-developed and developing countries. DTS can be manufactured in-house by a laboratory or Blood Bank for its use.

Plot (graphics)

A plot is a graphical technique for representing a data set, usually as a graph showing the relationship between two or more variables. The plot can be drawn by hand or by a computer. In the past, sometimes mechanical or electronic plotters were used. Graphs are a visual representation of the relationship between variables, which are very useful for humans who can then quickly derive an understanding which may not have come from lists of values. Given a scale or ruler, graphs can also be used to read off the value of an unknown variable plotted as a function of a known one, but this can also be done with data presented in tabular form. Graphs of functions are used in mathematics, sciences, engineering, technology, finance, and other areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masaaki Imai</span> Japanese business theorist

Masaaki Imai is a Japanese organizational theorist and management consultant, known for his work on quality management, specifically on Kaizen.

References

Footnotes

  1. Montgomery 2005, p. 148.
  2. Ishikawa 1985, p. 198: "From my past experience as much as ninety percent of all problems within a company can be solved by means of these tools."
  3. Tague 2005, p. 15.
  4. Ishikawa 1985 , p. 198: "Elementary Statistical Method (the so-called Seven Tools) 1. Pareto chart: The principle of vital few; trivial many 2. Cause and effect diagram (This is not precisely a statistical technique) 3. Stratification 4. Check sheet 5. Histogram. 6. Scatter diagram (analysis of correlation through determination of median; in some instances, use of binomial probability paper) 7. Graph and control chart (Shewhart control chart)".
  5. Imai 1986, pp. 239–240: "The seven statistical tools used for such analytical problem-solving are: 1. Pareto diagrams ... 2. Cause-and-effect diagrams ... 3. Histograms ... 4. Control charts ... 5. Scatter diagrams ... 6. Graphs ... 7. Checksheets."
  6. Ishikawa 1990, p. 98: "They were named the Seven QC Tools after the famous seven weapons of the Japanese Kamakura-era warrior-priest Benkei which enabled Benkei to triumph in battle; so too, the Seven QC Tools, if used skillfully, will enable 95% of workplace problems to be solved. In other words, intermediate and advanced statistical tools are needed in about only 5% of cases."
  7. Moore, Matthew (30 November 2007). "The Seven Basic Tools of Quality". Improvementandinnovation.com. London. Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
  8. Ishikawa 1985, p. 18: "It is true that statistical methods are effective, but we overemphasized their importance. As a result, people either feared or disliked quality control as something very difficult. We overeducated people by giving them sophisticated methods where, at that stage, simple methods would have sufficed."
  9. Project Management Institute 2013, pp. 236–238.
  10. Ishikawa 1985, pp. 198–199: "I divide statistical methods into the following three categories according to their level of difficulty. 1. Elementary Statistical Method (the so-called Seven Tools) ... 2. Intermediate Statistical Method ... 3. Advanced Statistical Method (using computers concurrently)".

Bibliography