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A failing service center

Phones are only answered after many rings. Staff seem distracted and under pressure. Engineers do not appear to be well organized. They need second visits to bring extra parts. This means that customers have to take more holiday to be there a second time.

They

do not know what time they will arrive. This means that customers may have to be in all day for an engineer to visit. Staff members do not always seem to know what they are doing. Sometimes when staff members arrive, the customer finds that the problem could have been solved over the phone

Grouping & Scoring the problems.

Lack

of staff training: items 5 and 6: 51 complaints Too few staff: items 1, 2 and 4: 21 complaints Poor organization and preparation: item 3: 2 complaints By doing the Pareto analysis above, the manager can better see that the vast majority of problems (69%) can be solved by improving staff skills.

Once

this is done, it may be worth looking at increasing the number of staff members. Alternatively, as staff members become more able to solve problems over the phone, maybe the need for new staff members may decline. It looks as if comments on poor organization and preparation may be rare, and could be caused by problems beyond the manager's control.

By

carrying out a Pareto Analysis, the manager is able to focus on training as an issue, rather than spreading effort over training, taking on new staff members, and possibly installing a new computer system.

2. Flowcharts
Flow

charts are easy-to-understand diagrams showing how steps in a process fit together. This makes them useful tools for communicating how processes work, and for clearly documenting how a particular job is done. Furthermore, the act of mapping a process out in flow chart format helps you clarify your understanding of the process, and helps you think about where the process can be improved.

A flow chart is used to

Define

and analyze processes; Build a step-by-step picture of the process for analysis, discussion, or communication; and Define, standardize or find areas for improvement in a process

How to make a flow chart

Most

flow charts are made up of three main types of symbol: Elongated circles, which signify the start or end of a process;

Rectangles,

which show instructions or actions; and

Diamonds,

which show decisions that must be made

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Within

each symbol, write down what the symbol represents. This could be the start or finish of the process, the action to be taken, or the decision to be made. Symbols are connected one to the other by arrows, showing the flow of the process.

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Points to note
Flow

charts are simple diagrams that map out a process so that it can easily be communicated to other people. To draw a flowchart, brainstorm the tasks and decisions made during a process, and write them down in order. Then map these out in flow chart format using appropriate symbols for the start and end of a process, for actions to be taken and for decisions

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Finally,

challenge your flow chart to make sure that its an accurate representation of the process, and that that it represents the most efficient way of doing the job

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3. Check sheets
The

intent and purpose of collecting data is to either control the production process, to see the relationship between cause-and-effect, or for the continuous improvement of those processes that produce any type of defect or nonconforming product. A Check Sheet is used for the purpose of collecting data to compile in such a way as to be easily used, understood and analyzed automatically.

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The

Check Sheet, as it is being completed, actually becomes a graphical representation of the data you are collecting, thus you do NOT need any computer software, or spreadsheet to record the data. It can be simply done with pencil and paper

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The main functions Checks

Production

process distribution checks where the distribution lies. Defective item checks - to determine what kind of defects exist in the process. Defect location checks - to determine where the common defects on a part are located.

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Defective

cause checks - type of defect and thus validate the cause thereof. Check-up confirmation checks - final phase of assembly to check the finished product or work.

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4. Histograms
The

common person believes that if a part is made in mass production from a machine, all of the parts will be exactly alike.
The truth is that even with the best of machines and processes, no two parts are exactly the same. The product will have a main or "mean" specification limit, with plus/minus tolerance that states that as long as the part is produced within this range, to that range, it is an acceptable part.

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The

object is to hit the target specification, however, that is not always totally possible. The purpose of a Histogram is to take the data that is collected from a process and then display it graphically to view how the distribution of the data, centers itself around the mean, or main specification.

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The histogram will graphically show

The

center of the data. The spread of the data. Any data skewness (slant, bias or run at an angle). The presence of outliers (product outside the specification range). The presence of multiple modes (or peaks) within the data.

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5. Scatter diagrams
The

Scatter Diagram is another Quality Tool that can be used to show the relationship between "paired data", and can provide more useful information about a production process. What is meant by "paired data"? The term "cause-and-effect" relationship between two kinds of data may also refer to a relationship between one cause and another, or between one cause and several

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For

example, you could consider the relationship between an ingredient and the product hardness; between the cutting speed of a blade and the variations observed in length of parts; or the relationship between the illumination levels on the production floor and the mistakes made in quality inspection of product produced.

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6. Control charts
Control

charts are generally used in a production or manufacturing environment and are used to control, monitor and IMPROVE a process. Common causes are always present and generally attributed to machines, material and time vs. temperature.

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This

normally takes a minor adjustment to the process to make the correction and return the process to a normal output.
However, when making a change to the process, it should always be a MINOR change.

If

a plot is observed that shows a slight deviation trend upward or downward, the "tweaking" adjustment should be a slight change, and then another

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Too

often people will over-correct by making too big of an adjustment which then causes the process to dramatically shift in the other direction. For that reason, all changes to the process should be SLIGHT and GRADUAL!

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Control Lines
A

control chart is a graph or chart with limit lines, called control lines. There are basically three kinds of control lines: the upper control limit (UCL), the central line (actual nominal size of product), the lower control limit (LCL).

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The Xbar & R Control Chart

An

Xbar & R Control Chart is one that shows both the mean value ( X ), and the range ( R ). The Xbar portion of the chart mainly shows any changes in the mean value of the process, while the R portion shows any changes in the dispersion of the process.

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This

chart is particularly useful in that it shows changes in mean value and dispersion of the process at the same time, making it a very effective method for checking abnormalities within the process; and if charted while in progress, also points out a problem in the production flow in real time mode.

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7. Fishbone diagram
Cause

& Effect Diagrams Identifying the Likely Causes of Problems Also called Fish or Fishbone Diagram and Ishikawa Diagrams

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Cause

and Effect analysis helps you to think through causes of a problem thoroughly. Their major benefit is that they push you to consider all possible causes of the problem, rather than just the ones that are most obvious

Conclusion.
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