IsIs

Process
Process

The Define
Stable
Stable
??

Quality Process

Improvement Select
Measures
Model
Collect &
Interpret
Data

Is Process Stable? IsIs No Investigate &

Process
Process
Fix Special
Stable
Stable
Causes
Purpose: Determine the ??

stability of key Yes

measures of the
Is
product. Improve
Process
No
Process
Capable
Capability
?

Yes
Use SPC to
Maintain
Current
Process

6-1
 IsIs
Process
Process

Types of Variation Stable

Stable
??

Common Causes
Run Chart
Causes that are inherent in the Quality
process over time, and affect all Characteristic
outcomes of the process.
 Ever-present
 Create small, random fluctuations
in the process
 Lots of them
 The sum of their effects creates
Time
the expected variability
 Predictable

6-2
 IsIs
Types of Variation Process
Process
Stable
Stable
??

Special Causes
Causes that are not present in the Run Chart
process all the time, but arise
Quality
because of specific circumstances. Characteristic
 Not always present in the process
 Can create large process
disturbances, or sustained shifts
 Relatively few in number
 Pull the process beyond the
expected level of variability Time
 Unpredictable

Control charts help identify the presence of special causes.

6-3
 IsIs
Process
Process
Stable
Stable
??

Control Chart Components

 Run chart of the data Control Chart

 Center Line (CL)
 A line at the average of the UCL
data or target of the process
 Upper Control Limit (UCL) CL
 A line at the upper limit of
expected variability LCL
 Lower Control Limit (LCL) 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32
Run Order
 A line at the lower limit of
expected variability

The control limits are based on data collected from the process.
6-4
 IsIs
Process
Process
Stable
Stable
??

Rules for Separating Common &

Special Causes
Two commonly used signals of special causes are:

Rule 1: Any point above the Upper Control Limit (UCL)

or below the Lower Control Limit (LCL)

Rule 2: 8 points in a row on the same side of the center

line (CL)

Note: Additional rules do exist.

6-5
 IsIs
Process
Process
Stable
Stable
??
Process Stability

Stable Process
A process in which the key measures of the output from
the process show no signs of special causes. Variation is a
result of common causes only.

Unstable Process
A process in which the key measures of the output from
the process show signs of special causes in addition to
common causes. Variation is a result of both common and
special causes.

6-6
 IsIs
Process
Process
Process Stability Stable
Stable
??

STABLE vs. UNSTABLE PROCESSES

STABLE

 Const ant
 Const ant

UNSTABLE

 Const ant
 Sust ained Shift

 Const ant
 Ir r egular Shift

 Const ant
 Tr end

 Incr ease
 Const ant

 Ir r egular
 Ir r egular

6-7
A Stable Process IsIs
Process
Process
Stable
Stable
??

UCL
• •
• • • •
• • • •• •
• • •• • • • • • • • •
•• • • • • • • • • • • •• • • •
•
• • • •• • • • • • •
• • • • • • • • • • •
•• • •• •• • • • • •
• • • •
LCL

Common Causes Alone Are At Work:

•Behaves in a Random Manner
•No Cycles
•No Runs
•No Trends
•No Shifts
•No Defined Patterns 6-8
Un-Stable Process IsIs
Process
Process
Stable
Stable
??

UCL • • ••
• ••
• • • • • •
• •
•• • •• • • • • • ••
•
• •
•• • • • • • • • • •• • • • •
• • • ••• • • •• • •• • • • • • •
• •• • • • •• •
• • • • •
• •
LCL

Assignable Cause(s) Are Present In Addition To

Common Cause Variation

Look For:
• Points Outside the Control Limits
• Shifts
• Cycles
• Runs
•Trends
6-9
 IsIs
Process
Process
Stable
Stable
??

Advantages of Stable Processes Are:

6-10
 IsIs
Process
Process
Stable
Stable
??
Polymer Manufacturing Data
Control Chart
5
b*
Histogram 4

LS US 3

UCL=2.2
2
Avg=1.4
1
LCL=0.5

0 1 2 3 4 5 20 40 60 80 100 120 140

b* Sample

Note: b* is a measure of yellowness

Histogram does not show whether the process is stable!

6-11
 IsIs
Process
Process
Stable
Stable
??
Histograms & Control Charts

Histograms Control Charts

 Plot past data  Real-time evaluation
 Cannot tell if process  Help identify presence
is stable of special causes
 Only useful for  Assess past and
prediction if the present stability of
process is stable process

6-12
 IsIs
Process
Process
Stable
Stable
??
Pump Maintenance Data

20
18
16
Number 14
of 12
UCL=11.4
Failures 10
8
6
Avg=4.8
4
2
0 LCL=None
2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24
Week

Are there any signals of special causes? Circle them.

6-13