Chapter 13

Tools for Process Improvement

MANAGING FOR QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE EXCELLENCE, 7e, 2008 Thomson Higher Education Publishing

The Deming Cycle

Act
Study

Plan
Do

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Plan (1 of 2)
1.

2.
3. 4. 5.

Define the process:. Describe the process: Describe the players:. Define customer expectations: Determine what historical data are available on process performance, or what data need to be collected to better understand the process.

MANAGING FOR QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE EXCELLENCE, 7e, 2008 Thomson Higher Education Publishing

Plan (2 of 2)
6. 7. 8.

9.

Describe the perceived problems associated with the process Identify the primary causes of the problems and their impacts on process performance. Develop potential changes or solutions to the process, and evaluate how these changes or solutions will address the primary causes. Select the most promising solution(s).

MANAGING FOR QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE EXCELLENCE, 7e, 2008 Thomson Higher Education Publishing

Do
1. 2.

Conduct a pilot study or experiment to test the impact of the potential solution(s). Identify measures to understand how any changes or solutions are successful in addressing the perceived problems.

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Study
1. 2. 3.

Examine the results of the pilot study or experiment. Determine whether process performance has improved. Identify further experimentation that may be necessary.

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Act
Select the best change or solution. 2. Develop an implementation plan: 3. Standardize the solution 4. Establish a process to monitor and control process performance.
1.

MANAGING FOR QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE EXCELLENCE, 7e, 2008 Thomson Higher Education Publishing

FADE
Focus
Analyze Develop Execute

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Jurans Breakthrough Sequence

Proof

of the need Project identification Organization for breakthrough Diagnostic journey Remedial journey Holding the gains
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Creative Problem Solving

Mess Finding identify symptoms Fact Finding gather data; operational definitions Problem Finding find the root cause Idea Finding brainstorming Solution Finding evaluate ideas and proposals Implementation make the solution work

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The Seven QC Tools

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Flowcharts Check sheets Histograms Cause-and-effect diagrams Pareto diagrams Scatter diagrams Control charts

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Key Idea
A flowchart or process map identifies the sequence of activities or the flow of materials and information in a process. Flowcharts help the people involved in the process understand it much better and more objectively by providing a picture of the steps needed to accomplish a task.

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Flowcharts

Shows unexpected complexity, problem areas, redundancy, unnecessary loops, and where simplification may be possible Compares and contrasts actual versus ideal flow of a process Allows a team to reach agreement on process steps and identify activities that may impact performance Serves as a training tool

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Run charts show the performance and the variation of a process or some quality or productivity indicator over time in a graphical fashion that is easy to understand and interpret.

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Run Chart

Monitors performance of one or more processes over time to detect trends, shifts, or cycles Allows a team to compare performance before and after implementation of a solution to measure its impact Focuses attention on truly vital changes in the process
* * * * * *
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Control Chart

Focuses attention on detecting and monitoring process variation over time Distinguishes special from common causes of variation Serves as a tool for on-going control Provides a common language for discussion process performance
* * * * *

*
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Check sheets are special types of data

collection forms in which the results may be interpreted on the form directly without additional processing.

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Check Sheet

Creates easy-to-understand data Builds, with each observation, a clearer picture of the facts Forces agreement on the definition of each condition or event of interest Makes patterns in the data become obvious quickly
xx xxxxxx x

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Histograms

provide clues about the characteristics of the parent population from which a sample is taken.
Patterns

that would be difficult to see in an ordinary table of numbers become apparent.

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Histogram

Displays large amounts of data that are difficult to interpret in tabular form Shows centering, variation, and shape Illustrates the underlying distribution of the data Provides useful information for predicting future performance Helps to answer Is the process capable of meeting requirements?

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Pareto distribution is one in which the characteristics observed are ordered from largest frequency to smallest.
A

Pareto diagram is a histogram of the data from the largest frequency to the smallest.

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Pareto Diagram

Helps a team focus on causes that have the greatest impact Displays the relative importance of problems in a simple visual format Helps prevent shifting the problem where the solution removes some causes but worsens others

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A cause-and-effect diagram is a simple graphical method for presenting a chain of causes and effects and for sorting out causes and organizing relationships between variables.

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Cause and Effect Diagram

Enables

a team to focus on the content of a problem, not on the history of the problem or differing personal interests of team members Creates a snapshot of collective knowledge and consensus of a team; builds support for solutions Focuses the team on causes, not symptoms
Effect Causes
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Scatter Diagram

Supplies the data to confirm a hypothesis that two variables are related Provides both a visual and statistical means to test the strength of a relationship Provides a good follow-up to cause and effect diagrams
* * * * *
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Key Idea
A kaizen blitz is an intense and rapid improvement process in which a team or a department throws all its resources into an improvement project over a short time period, as opposed to traditional kaizen applications, which are performed on a part-time basis.

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Poka-Yoke (Mistake-Proofing)

An approach for mistake-proofing processes using automatic devices or methods to avoid simple human or machine error, such as forgetfulness, misunderstanding, errors in identification, lack of experience, absentmindedness, delays, or malfunctions

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Three Levels of MistakeProofing

Design potential errors out of the product or process Identify potential defects and stopping a process before the defect is produced Find defects that enter or leave a process

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Common Poka-Yoke Examples

(from John Grouts Poka-Yoke Web Page)

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Key Idea
Process simulation is an approach to building a logical model of a real process, and experimenting with the model to obtain insight about the behavior of the process or to evaluate the impact of changes in assumptions or potential improvements to it.

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Engaging the Workforce in Process Improvement

Technical

skills Shared vision Behavioral skills

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Compared to the technical tools for gathering and analyzing data, the soft skills those that involve people such as project management and team facilitation, are more difficult to teach and learn.

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Skills for Team Leaders

Conflict management and resolution Team management Leadership skills Decision making Communication Negotiation Cross-cultural training

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Skills for Team Members

Effective

meetings Shared decision making

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