The 7 Quality Tools for Steering to

True North

4 August 17

Ruth Archer, PhDDirector of Continuous ImprovementMichigan Technological University www.linkedin.com/in/rutharcherwww.mtu.edu/improvement

Welcome!

Fire exits• In case of fire, please walk to the

nearest exit.

Unsafe act or condition• If you see an unsafe act or condition,

please notify the instructor

About me…

• BSEE, MBA, PhD • Director of Continuous Improvement at

Michigan Tech• Instructor at Finlandia and Michigan Tech • 22 years in the USAF as aircraft mechanic,

radar engineer, instructor

Michigan Tech will lead as a global technological University that inspires students, advances knowledge, and innovates to create

a sustainable, just, and prosperous world.

Michigan Technological UniversityWe prepare students to create the future.

Our Vision

• Leading public research university, established in 1885• Enrollment > 7,000 students• Located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan• More than 120 degree programs in arts, humanities, and

social sciences; business and economics; computing; engineering; forestry and environmental science; natural and physical sciences; and technology.

• Education emphasizes research, cross-disciplinary study, and team learning.

Today’s Objective

• Learn how to use tools for process analysis and measurement analysis

• Discuss tool applications• Work through practical examples

The 7 Quality Tools

• Originally recommended by W. Edwards Deming• Provide information to evaluate the success of

improvements• Are not difficult or complicated to master. Some

of them are simply ways to organize and display data so it becomes easy to see what is happening.

• In most cases, any employee can collect and interpret the data they need to improve their work.

Road Map

• Measurement Tools for Process Analysis–Cause and Effect Diagrams–Flow Charts–Pareto Charts

• Measurement Tools for Analysis of Data–Histograms–Scatter Diagrams–Run Charts–Control Charts

Process Analysis

Answer questions like:• What is causing my problem?• What does my current process look like?• What problem should I be working on?

Cause-and-Effect (Fishbone) diagram

• Works well for a specific effect, problem, or condition

• Aids in organizing many potential causes• Encourages broad thinking• Best used once you have a defined the problem• May also be used to prevent future problems• Limitation: Does not identify most likely or most

important causes

Cause and Effect Diagram

http://expertbusinessanalyst.com/root-cause-analysis/

http://www.leanmanufacture.net/operations/fishboneexample.aspx

Discuss Cause and Effect Diagrams example in

7 Quality Tools Workshop Handout

Small group exercise on Cause and Effect Diagrams

Flow Charts

• A pictorial representation of the steps in a process

• Provides documentation of a process and can serve as a training aid

• Enables improvement• Limitation: The flowchart will not

be any better than the knowledge of the people who build them

Start

Stop

Process Step

Decision

Study Skills Advice Sheet: Learning Journals (2016) University of Worcester

http://www.conceptdraw.com/examples/sales-process-flow-chart

Discuss Flow Chart example in 7 Quality Tools Workshop Handout

Small group exercise on Flow Charts

Break

Take this opportunity to talk with the presenter and the other workshop participants!

Ruth Archer, Michigan Technological University

Pareto Charts

• Bar chart arranged in descending order of height from left to right

• Separates the "vital few" from the "trivial many" (Pareto Principle)

• Breaks big problem into smaller pieces• Identifies most significant factors• Shows where to focus efforts• Allows better use of limited resources

Automobile Accident Type, Japan, 2010

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/250689722_fig11_Number-of-near-miss-incidents-by-traffic-accident-type

Airplane Crash Causes

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

1980s

Per 10 Million flights

Pilot Weather Mech Failure Maintenance

0

1

2

3

4

5

1990s

Pilot Maintenance Weather Mech Failure

Fewer crashes caused by pilotsStudy: Maintenance flaws reason for 30%

Deadly mistakes by pilots—the No. 1 cause of commercial airline crashes—have decreased dramatically over the past decade. But a new concern has emerged in the government’s efforts to make air travel safer: poor maintenance.

Fewer crashes caused by pilots, Alan Levin, USA Today, March 2, 2004

Discuss Pareto Chart example in 7 Quality Tools Workshop Handout

Small group exercise on Pareto Charts

Reflection

In small groups, discuss:• Key take-aways or Aha! moments• How you might use what you’ve learned

today

We’ll report out to the group

Road Map

• Measurement Tools for Process Analysis–Cause and Effect Diagrams–Flow Charts–Pareto Charts

• Measurement Tools for Analysis of Data–Histograms–Scatter Diagrams–Run Charts–Control Charts

Analysis of Data

Answer questions like:• How frequently does this occur?• What is the relationship between two

variables?• How does my process change over time? Do I

need to investigate this issue?

Histogram

• A snapshot of data taken from a process• A bar graph that shows the distribution and

variability of data• Summarize large data sets graphically• Compare measurements to specifications• Communicate information to the team

Histogram

Enrollment Management White Paper, Michigan Tech

Discuss Histograms example in 7 Quality Tools Workshop Handout

Small group exercise on Histograms

Break

Take this opportunity to talk with the presenter and the other workshop participants!

Ruth Archer, Michigan Technological University

Scatter Diagrams

• Shows relationship between variables– Does not show Cause and Effect!

• Shows strength of the relationship

Scatter Diagrams

Enrollment Management White Paper, Michigan Tech

Lee Campe, LinkedIn post

Discuss Scatter Diagram example in 7 Quality Tools Workshop Handout

Small group exercise on Scatter Diagrams

Run Charts

• Shows changes in a process over time• Helps recognize abnormal behavior in a

process• Focus on meaningful trends or shifts in the

average• Do NOT check on every change in the data• 9 points above or below the average, 6 points steadily

increasing or decreasing

Run Charts

https://www.accountingtools.com/run-charts

Control Charts

• A run chart with Upper Control Limits and/or Lower Control Limits

• Fluctuation within limits is normal– Process is consistent (but not necessarily good!)

• Points outside of limits are abnormal and should be investigated

Control Charts

Dexcom Seven Plus Continuous Glucose Monitoring system

http://www.dexcom.com/media/dexcom-seven-plus

Discuss Run and Control Charts examples in

7 Quality Tools Workshop Handout

Small group exercise on Run and Control Charts

Reflection

In small groups, discuss:• Key take-aways or Aha! moments• How you might use what you’ve learned

today

We’ll report out to the group

Quality Tools Simulation

Reflection

In small groups, discuss:• Key take-aways or Aha! moments• How you might use what you’ve learned

today

We’ll report out to the group

Today’s Objective

• Learn how to use tools for process analysis and measurement analysis

• Discuss tool applications• Work through practical examples

• What questions or concerns do you have?

• What about this will be difficult to do?

• What about this doesn’t work for you?

References

The Deming Management Method, 1986, Mary Walton

Revisiting the Old Seven: How the Basics Can Complement More Complicated Statistical Methods, Matthew Barsalou, Quality Progress magazine, April 2017

The Memory Jogger 2: Tools for Continuous Improvement and Effective Planning, 2010, Michael Brassard and Diane Ritter