Quality Control
Purpose: To assure that processes are performing in an acceptable manner
Quality Control – a process that evaluates output relative to a standard, and takes
corrective action when output doesn’t meet standards. If the results are acceptable, no
further action is required; unacceptable results call for corrective action
Quality Control Techniques – can be applied to an organization’s inputs,
transformation system, and outputs
Acceptance Sampling – quality control applied to inputs and outputs
Process Control – quality control applied to the transformation system
INSPECTION
- Is an appraisal activity that compares goods or services to a standard
- Involves determining, sometimes by testing, whether or not an input or output
conforms to organizational standards of quality
- it occur at three points:
o Before production – the logic of checking conformance is to make sure
that inputs are acceptable
o During production – the logic of checking conformance is to make sure
that the conversion of inputs into output is proceeding in an acceptable
manner
o After production – the logic of checking conformance is to make a final
verification of conformance before passing goods on to customers.
Inspection before and after production often involves ACCEPTANCE SAMPLING
procedure; monitoring during the production process is referred to as PROCESS
CONTROL
Inputs Transformation Outputs
Acceptance Sampling Process Control Acceptance Sampling
Where to Inspect in the Process?
1. UPON RECEIPT OF RESOURCES – checking the quality of raw materials and
purchased parts and supplies, testing equipment for ability to meet specifications,
verifying the skills of the staff
2. BEFORE TRANSFORMATION OPERATIONS BY THE WORKER – if an
operation is expensive, irreversible (such as mixing food ingredients), or of a
concealing nature (such as assemblies, coating, plating)
3. IMMEDIATELY BEFORE ANY BOTTLENECK OPERATION – there is no
advantage in feeding a scarce resource defective items that simply consume
more of its time
4. WHEN THE FIRST FEW ITEMS COME OUT OF AN AUTOMATIC OPERATION
5. AFTER TRANSFORMATION OPERATIONS
6. IN FIND INSPECTION
7. WHEN CUSTOMERS COMPLAIN, RETURN GOODS, OR REQUIRE SERVICE
Quality of Conformance – a product or service conforms to specifications
Statistical Process Control – to evaluate the output of a process to determine if it is
statistically acceptable
Control Chart – is a time – ordered plot of representative sample statistics, used to
distinguish between random and nonrandom variability
Variable Data – are measurable characteristic such as weight, temperature, and
diameter.
Attribute Data – are descriptive characteristic of an output such as acceptable and
defective or good and bad.
Control Limits – the dividing lines between random and nonrandom deviations from
the mean of the distribution
Purpose of Control Chart: to monitor process output to see if it is random
Random Variation – natural variation in the output of a process, created by countless
minor factors
Assignable Variation – a variation whose cause can be identified
Type I error – concluding a process is not in control when it actually is
Type II error – concluding a process is in control when it is not
Variables – generate data that are measured
Attributes – generates data that are counted
Mean Control Chart – control chart used to monitor the central tendency of a process
Range Control Chart – control chart used to monitor process dispersion
p-Chart – control chart for attributes, used to monitor the proportion of defective items
in a process
c-Chart – control chart for attributes, used to monitor the number of defects per unit
Managerial Consideration concerning Control Chart:
1. At what points in the process to use control charts
2. What size samples to take
3. What type of control chart to use (i.e., variables or attributes)
Run Test – a test for randomness
Run – sequence of observation with a certain characteristics
Specifications – a range of acceptable values established by engineering design or
customer requirements
Process Variability – natural or inherent variability in a process
Process Capability – the inherent variability of process output relative to the variation
allowed by the design specification
Acceptance Sampling
Acceptance Sampling – form of inspection applied to lots or batches of items before or
after a process, to judge conformance with predetermined standards
Sampling Plans – plans that specify lot size, sample size, number of samples, and
acceptance/rejection criteria
Single-Sampling Plan – one random is drawn from each lot and every item in the
sample is examined and classified as either “good” or “defective.”
Double-Sampling Plan – allows for a opportunity to take a second sample if the results
of the initial sample are inconclusive
Multiple-Sampling Plan – similar to a double-sampling pan except that more than two
samples may be required
Choosing a Plan – The cost and time required for inspection often dictate the kind of
sampling plan used. The two primary considerations are the number of samples needed
and the total number of observations required