Ensuring the Waves of Success Through Quality Control Tools and Techniques: An Exploratory Study !

Abstract:

Quality of product and services determines success or failure of the organization. Consumers expect the company to maintain high-level of quality and consider it an important aspect of satisfaction.The quality of product or service is ensuring if proper designing process is followed. This designing process needs to be backed by appropriate process design supported by a suitable technology which confirms to requirements of customers.

Quality control ensures that defects and errors are prevented and finally removed from the process or product. Therefore, quality control should include; planning, designing, implementation, gaps identification and improvisation.

Keywords:

Learning Outcomes :

After undergoing this article you will be able to understand the quality control techniques: 

Here are some quality control techniques: 

Total Quality Management (TQM)

A method that ensures maximum quality at every stage of the production process .

• Total Quality Management (TQM) emphasizes continuous improvement, involving all employees in achieving quality excellence. It fosters a culture of ingrained quality, teamwork, proactive problem-solving, and commitment to excellence, aiming to eliminate defects, reduce waste, and enhance overall performance.
• TQM focuses on customer satisfaction, employee involvement, process-oriented approaches, continuous improvement, evidence-based decision-making, supplier relationships, and leadership commitment to drive a culture of quality excellence.
• TQM requires strong leadership commitment, systematic processes, and employee engagement. Real-world examples like Toyota Production System (TPS), Motorola’s Six Sigma, and healthcare sector applications illustrate TQM’s impact on quality enhancement in various industries.

Continuous improvement

A crucial aspect of quality control that involves continuously evaluating and improving all aspects of the manufacturing process .

Among the most widely used tools for the continuous improvement model is a four-step quality assurance method—the plan-do-check-act (PDCA) cycle:

• Plan: Identify an opportunity and plan for change.
• Do: Implement the change on a small scale.
• Check: Use data to analyze the results of the change and determine whether it made a difference.
• Act: If the change was successful, implement it on a wider scale and continuously assess your results. If the change did not work, begin the cycle again.

Other widely used methods of continuous improvement, such as Six Sigma, lean, and total quality management, emphasize employee involvement and teamwork, work to measure and systematize processes, and reduce variation, defects, and cycle times.

Control charts

A basic tool for quality control that was developed in the 1920s for mass production .

havior charts, are a common tool in quality control. They are typically 2D charts that plot points to help understand how a process changes over time. Control charts can help identify process variations, find problem indicators, and forecast future performance. They can also help guide decisions about solutions or corrective actions. 

Here are some types of control charts: 

Pareto chart

A basic quality control tool that shows independent variables on the horizontal axis and dependent variables as bar heights. A point-to-point graph may also be superimposed on the bar graph to show cumulative relative frequency. 

Scatter diagram

A graphical tool that can help analyze the relationship between two variables. It can show the strength or weakness of the correlation, and whether it is positive or negative. 

X-bar chart

A common type of control chart that shows the degree of acceptability of the variance of a tested attribute on the Y-axis. The X-axis tracks the samples tested. By analyzing patterns of variation, one can determine if defects are happening randomly or systematically. 

Multivariate chart

A type of control chart that monitors two or more interrelated process variables. This can be useful in process control situations, where engineers can monitor multiple parameters together in a single chart. 

Np chart

A control chart that monitors the count of nonconforming units in fixed samples of a given size. The Y-axis shows the total count of nonconforming units, while the X-axis shows the sample group. 

Quality planning

An important part of quality control activities in the manufacturing process, such as building in automatic inspections on assembly lines 

Pareto chart analysis

A statistical quality control tool that helps project teams and decision makers identify key issues and take corrective measures to maximize output .

Quality planning is a key tool for implementing Total Quality Management (TQM), a philosophy that focuses on customer satisfaction and continuous improvement. It involves identifying quality goals, standards, and requirements, and creating a plan to meet those goals. A quality plan should also include procedures for checking that the criteria have been met. 

Here are some steps that can be taken during quality

planning: 

Identify customers: Identify both internal and external customers. 

Determine customer needs: Consider what the customer needs are. 

Develop features: Develop product or service features that respond to customer needs. 

Set goals: Establish quality goals that meet the needs of customers and suppliers, while also keeping costs to a minimum. 

Determine critical factors: Consider what's most important to the project, including the resources needed, the steps to take, and any specifications that need to be met. 

Create a plan: The quality plan should include objectives, processes, roles and responsibilities, applied standards, and metrics to measure quality. 

After the quality plan is created, it can go through a quality assurance process to ensure that the required quality standards are met. Quality control then involves inspection, measurement, and testing to verify that the project outputs meet the acceptance criteria defined during quality planning. 

Six Sigma

A data-driven methodology for solving challenges in any type of operation that applies to any type of business .

Six Sigma quality is a term used to describe a process that is well controlled. It is a data-driven methodology that aims to improve processes by reducing defects and errors, minimizing variation, and increasing quality and efficiency. The goal of Six Sigma is to achieve a level of quality that is nearly perfect, with only 3.4 defects per million opportunities. 

Six Sigma uses a methodology called define, measure, analyze, improve, and control (DMAIC). It also uses unique data collection methods like check sheets, histograms, scatter diagrams, and control charts to gather and structure data efficiently. These tools help spot patterns, anomalies, and areas that need improvement. 

Some key principles of Six Sigma include: Customer focus, Use data, Improve continuously, Involve people, and Be thorough. 

By striving for Six Sigma, businesses can improve their bottom line by reducing waste, increasing customer satisfaction, and improving efficiency. 

Statistical process control (SPC)

A method that manufacturing industries use to monitor and control their quality control departments to ensure machines operate at full capacity .

Statistical process control (SPC) charts are used to help understand data over time, identify problems, and improve processes. SPC charts can help with: 

Understanding data

SPC charts can be used to visualize data and understand variation in a process. They can also help differentiate between common and special cause variation. Common cause variation is inherent to the process and will always be present, while special cause variation comes from external sources and indicates that the process is out of control. 

Identifying problems

SPC charts can help find and correct problems as soon as they occur. They can also help identify areas that need further investigation. 

Improving processes

SPC charts can help predict outcomes, determine if a process is stable, and provide information on which areas to prioritize for improvement. 

Walter Shewhart developed the control chart, a popular SPC tool, in the early 1920s. SPC is now a widely used quality tool in many industries. 

Quality improvement

A continuous process that involves analyzing quality data, information, and feedback to identify and prioritize quality problems and opportunities .

Quality improvement (QI) tools can help identify and improve business functions, and can also help alleviate employee burdens. Some examples of QI tools include: 

Cause and effect diagrams: Also known as fishbone or Ishikawa diagrams, these tools help analyze the root causes of an outcome. 

Failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA): This systematic method is used to identify potential risks and their impact. It's also used in Lean management and Six Sigma. 

Run charts: These charts help monitor performance over time. 

PDSA worksheets: These worksheets use a rapid-cycle testing process to help teams assess whether a change leads to improvement. 

Histograms: These bar graphs show the frequency distribution on each bar, and can be used to study areas of improvement in the production process. 

Pareto charts: Also known as the 80-20 rule. 

Flowcharts: Some books describe a graph instead of a flowchart as one of the seven basic tools. 

Other QI tools include: 

Driver diagrams, Project planning forms, Scatter diagrams, Control charts, Check sheets, and Stratification. 

Conclusions

Quality improvement plans are frequently measured in terms of results, employee and stakeholder satisfaction, ease of change, and cost. Quality improvement plans must also help companies understand how to meet the needs of diverse stakeholders (employees, customers, regulators, and others), find a method for prioritizing the improvement requirements of these stakeholders, comprehend the threshold of variation that will permit required change, and know how employees can succeed in a program if leadership support is inadequate.