STATISTICAL PROCESS
CONTROL (SPC)
STATISTICAL PROCESS CONTROL
(SPC)
• Is the application of Statistical Methods to
monitor and control a process to ensure
that it operates at its full potential to
produce conforming product.
STATISTICAL PROCESS CONTROL
(SPC)
• Is an analytical decision making tool which
allows you to see when a process is working
correctly and when it is not.
• • Variation is present in any process, deciding
when the variation is natural and when it
needs correction is the key to quality control.
HISTORY
Was Pioneered By Walter .A. Shewhart In The Early 1920s.
•W. Edwards Deming Later Applied SPC Methods In The US
During World war II, Successfully Improved Quality In The
Manufacture Of Munitions And Other Strategically
Important Products.
•Deming introduced SPC Methods to Japanese Industry
After The War Had Ended.
•
HISTORY
Resulted high quality of Japanese products.
•Shewhart Created The Basis For The Control
Chart And The Concept Of A State Of Statistical
Control By Carefully Designed Experiments.
•Concluded That While Every Process
Concluded That While Every Process Displays
Variation, Some Processes Display Controlled
Variation That Is Natural To The Process
(Common Causes Of Variation), While Others
Display Uncontrolled Variation That Is Not
Present In The Process Causal System At All Times
(Special Causes Of Variation).
•
HISTORY
In 1988, The Software Engineering
Institute Introduced The Notion That
SPC Can Be Usefully Applied To Non-
manufacturing Processes
TRADITIONAL METHODS VS STATISTICAL
PROCESS CONTROL
The quality of the finished article was
traditionally achieved through post-
manufacturing inspection of the product;
accepting or rejecting each article (or samples
from a production lot) based on how well it
met its designspecifications
TRADITIONAL METHODS VS STATISTICAL
PROCESS CONTROL
SPC uses Statistical tools to observe the
performance of the production process in
order to predict significant deviations that
may later result in rejected product.
TYPES OF VARIATION
NATURAL VARIATIONS
Also called common causes
Affect virtually all production processes
Expected amount of variation
Output measures follow a probability
distribution
For any distribution there is a measure of
central tendency and dispersion
If the distribution of outputs falls within
acceptable limits, the process is said to be
“in control”
ASSIGNABLE VARIATIONS
Also called special causes of variation
Generally this is some change in the process
Variations that can be traced to a specific
reason
The objective is to discover when assignable
causes are present
Eliminate the bad causes
Incorporate the good causes
‘IN CONTROL’ AND ‘OUT OF CONTROL’
Process is said to be ‘in control’ and stable
If common cause is the only type of variation
that exists in the process It is also predictable
within set limits i.e. the probability of any future
outcome falling within the limits can be stated
approximately.
Process is said to be ‘out of control’ and
unstable
Special cause variation exists within the
process
STATISTICAL PROCESS CONTROL -BROADLY
BROKEN DOWN INTO 3 SETS OF ACTIVITIES
1. Understanding the process
2. Understanding the causes of variation
3. Elimination of the sources of special
cause variation
Understanding the process
• Process is typically mapped out and
the process is monitored using control
charts.
UNDERSTANDING THE CAUSES OF
VARIATION
Control charts are used to identify
variation that may be due to special causes,
and to free the user from concern over
variation due to common causes.
• It is a continuous, ongoing activity
When a process is stable and does not
trigger any of the detection rules for a
control chart, a process capability analysis
may also be performed to predict the
ability of the current process to produce
conforming product in the future.
•When excessive variation is identified by the control
chart detection rules, or the process capability is
found lacking, additional effort is exerted to
determine causes of that variance
• The tools used include
• Ishikawa diagrams
• Designed experiments
• Pareto charts
•Designed experiments are critical
-only means of objectively
quantifying the relative importance
of the many potential causes of
variation.
ELIMINATION OF THE SOURCES OF
SPECIAL CAUSE VARIATION
•Once the causes of variation have been
quantified, effort is spent in eliminating
those causes that are both statistically and
practically significant.
•includes development of standard work,
error-proofing and training.
•Additional process changes may
be required to reduce variation or
align the process with the desired
target, especially if there is a
problem with process capability
ADVANTAGES OF SPC
• Reduces waste
• Lead to a reduction in the time required to
produce the product or service from end to end
due to a diminished likelihood that the final
product will have to be reworked, identify
bottlenecks, wait times, and other sources of
delays within the process.
ADVANTAGES OF SPC
•A distinct advantage over other quality
methods, such as inspection - its emphasis
on early detection and prevention of
problems
•Cost reduction
•Customer satisfaction
•One method
SPC CHARTS of identifying the type of
variation present.
•Statistical Process Control (SPC) Charts are
essentially: Simple graphical tools that enable
process performance monitoring. Designed to
identify which type of variation exists within the
process. Designed to highlight areas that may
require further investigation. Easy to construct
and interpret.
Dynamic Processes A process that
is observed across time is known as
a dynamic process. oAn SPC chart
for a dynamic process - „time-
series‟ or a „longitudinal‟ SPC
chart.
Static Processes oA process that is
observed at a particular point in time is
known as a static process. oAn SPC
chart for a static process is often
referred to as a „cross sectional‟ SPC
chart.
CONTROL CHARTS
Show the variation in a measurement during the time period that the process is observed.
Monitor processes to show how the process is performing and how the process and capabilities are
affected by changes to the process. This information is then used to make quality improvements.
A time ordered sequence of data, with a centre line calculated by the mean.
Used to determine the capability of the process.
Help to identify special or assignable causes for factors that impede peak performance.
CONTROL CHARTS HAVE FOUR KEY
FEATURES:
1) Data Points: Either averages of subgroup measurements or individual measurements plotted on the x/y
axis and joined by a line. Time is always on the x-axis.
2) The Average or Center Line The average or mean of the data points and is drawn across the middle
section of the graph, usually as a heavy or solid line.
CONTROL CHARTS HAVE FOUR KEY
FEATURES:
3) The Upper Control Limit (UCL) Drawn above the centerline and annotated as "UCL". This is often called
the “+ 3 sigma” line.
4) The Lower Control Limit (LCL) Drawn below the centerline and annotated as "LCL". This is called the “- 3
sigma” line.
