Basic 7 Tools of Quality

Presentation by:
Carla Scardino
The Pennsylvania State
University
September 27, 2001
Basic 7 Tools of Quality
Histograms
Pareto Charts
Cause and Effect Diagrams
Check Sheets
Scatter Diagrams
Flowcharts
Control Charts
 Kaoru Ishikawa

Ishikawa wanted to change the way people

worldwide think about work. He
developed the basic seven tools of quality
to be used company-wide as an
advancement in total quality
management.
Ishikawa believes that quality
improvement is a continuous process.
 Kaoru Ishikawa

Ishikawa invented and adapted the basic

seven visual tools of quality so that the
average person could analyze and
interpret data.
These tools have been used by thousands
of companies and by different levels of
managers and employees throughout the
world.
 Brainstorming Exercise

How can these tools be used in an

organization?
Think of some specific processes that can
be improved as a result of the basic seven
tools of quality.
Basic 7 Tools of Quality
Histograms
Pareto Charts
Cause and Effect Diagrams
Check Sheets
Scatter Diagrams
Flowcharts
Control Charts
 Histograms

A histogram is a graphical representation

of data in a bar chart format.
Histograms are also used to observe the
“shape” of data.
Histograms

The standard normal

distribution

A skewed distribution
 Histograms
Some rules for developing
histograms
The width of the histogram bars must be
consistent.
The classes must be mutually exclusive
and all inclusive.
The number of the classes is decided by
2k>=n where n is the number of data
values and k is the number of classes.
 Histograms

Histograms can be used to show the

relationships of many different
collections of data including any process
that requires random samples to
determine if the process is performing
properly.
 Pareto Charts

Vilfredo Pareto was the first to develop

the 80/20 rule.
A Pareto chart was first developed by
Joseph Juran who adapted the histogram
to be used with the 80/20 rule.
Pareto charts identify and prioritize
problems that need to be solved.
 Pareto Charts

Rules for developing Pareto

Charts
Information must be selected based on
types of defects that occur as a result of a
process.
Data must be collected and categorized.
A histogram or frequency chart is
constructed showing the number of
occurrences.
Pareto Charts
 Pareto Charts

Pareto charts can be used for a variety of

analyses.
Some examples of times when Pareto
analysis would be useful: identifying and
prioritizing complaints from customers,
store inventory, and distribution of
wealth among countries.
 Cause-and-Effect Diagrams

The cause and effect diagram is also

called the fishbone diagram or the
Ishikawa diagram.
It gets its name because the diagram looks
like the skeleton of a fish, with the
problem being the head and the causes
being the “ribs” and the sub-causes being
the smaller “bones” stemming from the
ribs.
 Cause-and-Effect Diagrams
Steps in creating a
Fishbone Diagram
State the problem clearly in the head of the
fish.
Draw the backbone and ribs.
Continue to fill out the diagram asking, “why?”
about each cause of the problem.
View the diagram and identify core causes.
Set goals to address the core causes.
 Cause-and-Effect Diagrams

example from: http://www.smartdraw.com/resources/examples/business/orgchart10.htm

 Cause-and-Effect Diagrams

Cause and effect diagrams are used as an

abstract way to depict the causes and
effects of the major problems in the
process.
Some examples of times when fishbone
diagrams may be used: causes of delayed
flight departures, broken/faulty products,
late product delivery
 Check Sheets

Check Sheets are data gathering tools

that can be used in forming histograms
and Pareto charts.
Check sheets are a form used to record
the frequency of occurrence of certain
product or service characteristics related
to quality.
Check sheets can be either tabular or
schematic.
 Check Sheets

Steps in designing a check sheet

Identify common defects occurring in the
process
Draw a table
The user places check marks on the sheet
when a defect is encountered.
 Check Sheets

Examples of when check sheets may be

helpful: tracking customer complaints at
a restaurant; slow production times;
faulty/defective products.
 Scatter Diagrams

The scatter diagram is used to examine

the relationships between variables.
Scatter diagrams are used to investigate
the possible relationship between two
variables that both relate to the same
"event." A straight line of best fit (using
the least squares method) is often
included.
Scatter Diagrams
 Scatter Diagrams

Steps in setting up a scatter plot

Determine the X (independent) and Y
(dependent) variables
Gather process data relating to the
variables identified in step 1
Plot the data
Observe the plotted data to see if there is a
relationship between the variables.
 Scatter Diagrams

Examples of when Scatter diagrams can

be used to determine if there is a
relationship: prevention costs and
conformance; overtime hours versus days
absent; determining if a particular defect
is due to run-size.
 Flowcharts
Slide 1 of 4

A flowchart is a graphical representation

of a process.
The first step in many process
improvement projects is to create a
flowchart.
Flowcharts
 Flowcharts

Steps in creating a flowchart

Develop a general process and then fill in
the elements of the process.
Observe the people doing the process.
Determine which steps add value and
which do not, to simplify work.
Determine whether the work actually
needs to be done.
 Flowcharts

An example of a process that could use a

flowchart would be a restaurant. When
the patron enters the restaurant, if there
is a table available they are seated. If
not, they can wait or sit at the bar and
have a drink. When the table becomes
available, the patron is seated. After
eating, the patron pays for the food and
can either leave or sit at the bar.
 Control Charts

A control chart is used to determine

whether a process will produce a product
or service with consistent measurable
properties.
A control chart has a nominal value, or
central line, and an upper and lower
control limit.
Control Limits
 Control Charts
Steps in forming a Control Chart

Take a random sample from the process,

measure the quality characteristics, and
calculate a variable or attribute measure.
If the statistic falls outside the control limits
look for assignable cause.
Either eliminate or incorporate the cause.
Reconstruct the control chart with the new
data.
 Control Charts

Examples of when to use control charts:

quality inspection and checking for
defects in products.
 An Exercise in Quality
A real-time histogram activity.

This activity lets you gather data while

clicking your mouse every two seconds
and creates a histogram while you are
clicking.
The module will then display the results
of the activity in a histogram.
 Summary
Basic 7 Tools of Quality

Ishikawa developed the basic seven tools of

quality so the average person could analyze
and interpret data.
These tools have been used in thousands of
companies to achieve quality in the
organization.
Quality improvement is a continuous
process that can be made easier by
applying these seven tools.
 Bibliography
Foster Thomas S. Managing Quality An Integrative Approach.
New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2001
Krajewski, Lee J., Larry P. Ritzman. Operations Management,
Strategy and Analysis. New Jersey: Prentice Hall 2002
http://www.skymark.com/resources/leaders/ishikawa.asp
http://quality.enr.state.nc.us/tools/fishbone.htm
http://www.smartdraw.com/resources/examples/business/orgchart10
.htm
http://www.robertluttman.com/Week5/page11.htm
http://www.wiley.co.uk/college/busin/icmis/oakman/outline/chap05
/slides/symbols.htm
http://www.skymark.com/resources/tools/management_tools.asp
Basic 7 Tools of Quality
Presentation by:
Carla Scardino
The Pennsylvania State University
September 27, 2001