How do you link SPC to your quality improvement goals and initiatives?

1 Define your quality goals

Before you start applying SPC, you need to have a clear vision of what you want to achieve in terms of quality. What are the customer requirements, expectations, and preferences that you need to meet or exceed? What are the quality standards and regulations that you need to comply with? What are the quality indicators and metrics that you need to monitor and improve? How do you measure and communicate your quality performance and results? By defining your quality goals, you can set the direction and scope of your SPC activities and align them with your customer and stakeholder needs.

2 Identify your key processes

Once you have your quality goals, you need to identify the key processes that affect them. These are the processes that have the most impact on the quality of your outputs and outcomes, and that require the most attention and improvement. You can use tools such as process mapping, flowcharts, or value stream mapping to document and visualize your key processes and their inputs, outputs, activities, resources, and interactions. By identifying your key processes, you can prioritize and focus your SPC efforts on the areas that matter most for your quality goals.

3 Analyze your process variation

The next step is to analyze the variation in your key processes. Variation is the natural fluctuation or deviation that occurs in any process due to common or random causes. However, some variation may be due to special or assignable causes, such as changes in materials, methods, machines, or environment, that can affect the quality of your outputs and outcomes. You can use SPC charts, such as control charts or run charts, to collect and plot data from your key processes and detect any patterns, trends, or signals of variation. By analyzing your process variation, you can determine the stability and capability of your key processes and identify any potential problems or opportunities for improvement.

4 Implement your improvement actions

Based on your analysis of process variation, you can implement your improvement actions to reduce or eliminate the sources of special causes and enhance the quality of your outputs and outcomes. You can use tools such as root cause analysis, brainstorming, or fishbone diagrams to find and verify the causes of variation and generate possible solutions. You can also use tools such as plan-do-check-act (PDCA) cycles, Kaizen events, or Six Sigma projects to plan, execute, evaluate, and standardize your improvement actions. By implementing your improvement actions, you can achieve your quality goals and increase your customer satisfaction and loyalty.

5 Monitor and review your results

The final step is to monitor and review your results from your improvement actions and SPC activities. You can use SPC charts, quality indicators, and metrics to track and measure the changes and improvements in your key processes and their outputs and outcomes. You can also use tools such as audits, feedback, or surveys to assess and verify the compliance and effectiveness of your improvement actions and SPC activities. By monitoring and reviewing your results, you can validate and celebrate your achievements, identify and address any gaps or issues, and plan and implement further improvements.

SPC is not a one-time event, but a continuous process of learning and improvement. By linking SPC to your quality improvement goals and initiatives, you can leverage the power of data and analysis to optimize your processes and deliver value to your customers and stakeholders.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?