Control Charts

FQA Lecture
 Control Charts
• A broken line graph proportion of defective
illustrates how a process pieces changes over time.
behaves over time.
• Samples are periodically
taken, checked, or
measured, and the results
are plotted on the chart.
• The charts can show how
the specific measurement
changes, how the variation
in measurement changes,
or how the
 Control Charts

• A control chart is a graphic display of the actual

quality performance judged against a reference
frame showing a central line representing the
average quality value and upper and lower lines
called the upper control limit (UCL) and lower
control limit (LCL).
 Control Charts

• Control charts are used to:

• find sources of special-cause variation (variation
that is caused by specific, fixable occurrences)
• measure the extent of common-cause variation
(variation that inherent in the process)
• maintain control of a process that is operating
effectively.
 Control Charts

• Types of control charts:

Control variable charts: X-bar and R charts
Attribute charts: p, np, c, and u charts

• The most commonly used of
the control charts and the
most valuable.
• They are ideal tools to
improve product quality
and process control and
help to drastically reduce
scrap and rework while
assuring the production of
only satisfactory products.
X-Bar and R-Charts
• They can be used for
controlling every step of
production process, for the
acceptance/ rejection of
lots, and for early detection
of equipment or process
failure.
 X-Bar and R Charts
• The X-bar and the R charts are used for control variables that
are expresses in the discrete numbers such as inches, pounds,
pH units, angstrom, percent solids, or degree of temperature
and so on.
• The R chart is developed from the ranges of each subgroup
data, which are calculated by subtracting the maximum and
the minimum value in each subgroup.
• Since the R chart indicates that the process variability is in
control, the X-bar chart can then be constructed. The center
line is mean of the sample means.
Example of X-Bar and R Charts
• The chart of a X-bar and R should not be used
with samples ≥10 or when the sample size is
not constant.
 Attribute Charts

• They are also used for control of defect analysis.

• They are particularly useful for controlling raw
material and finished product quality and for
analyzing quality comments in consumer letters.
• Attributes control charts are used when
measurements are too difficult to take, when
measurements do not apply to the situation (such as
visual checks for flaws), or when they are too costly
to take because of time lost.
 Attribute Charts
• c chart
The c chart tracks the number of defects in constant size
units. There may be a single type of defect or different
types, but c chart tracks the total number of defects in
each unit.
• u chart
• When samples of different size are taken, u is the
average number of defects per unit.
• The u chart is quite similar to the c hart in function.
 Attribute Charts

• p chart
• It is the most commonly used attributes chart.
• The value p is the fraction, or percentage, of the number
items checked that are defective (unacceptable).
• Large samples of 50 or more are needed.
• np chart
• The np chart is sometimes used instead of the p chart
because it is easier; np is simply the number rather than
the fraction, of defective items in the sample.
• The p and np charts differ by that constant divisor, so they
do the same job with respect to control, process analysis,
etc.
Example p chart:
Example np chart
Example c chart
 References
• Hubbard, M.R. 2003. Statistical Quality Control for the Food
Industry, 3rd Ed. Kluwer Academic/ Plenum Publisher. New York.
• Vosconcellos, A. 2004. Quality Assurance For The Food Industry.
CRC Press. Boca Raton.