7 Management Tools For Quality Control
1. Flowchart
Flowcharts are also used to document work process flows.
This tool is used when trying to determine where the bottlenecks or breakdowns are in work processes.
Flow-charting the steps of a process provides a picture of what the process looks like and can shed light on issues within the process.
Flowcharts are also used to show changes in a process when improvements are made or to show a new workflow process.
2. Check Sheet
A check sheet is a basic quality tool that is used to collect data.
3. Cause and Effect (fish bone) Diagram
A cause and effect diagram, also known as a fish-bone diagram shows the many possible causes of a problem.
Causes are typically separated into categories of people, process, materials and equipment.
Causes are then identified through brainstorming with a group familiar with the problem.
Once all of the possible causes are identified, they can be used to develop an improvement plan to help resolve the identified problem.
4. Pareto Chart
A Pareto chart is a bar graph of data showing the largest number of frequencies to the smallest
5. Control Charts
Control charts or run charts are used to plot data points over time and give a picture of the movement of that data.
It focuses on monitoring performance over time by looking at the variation in data points. And it distinguishes between common cause and special cause variations.
6. Histograms
Histograms are bar chart pictures of data that shows patterns that fall within typical process conditions.
Changes in a process should trigger new collection of data.
A minimum of 50-75 data points should be gathered to ensure an adequate number of data points have been collected.
The patterns that are detected demonstrate an analysis that helps understand variation.
7. Scatter Diagrams
Scatter diagrams are graphs that show the relationship between variables. Variables often represent possible causes and effect.
Credit: Thriving Small Business