Statistical Process Control

Why Aren’t People Using Control Charts? A Root Cause Analysis

After a hundred years, people still aren’t using control charts. Here’s why:

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“Well hi, I’m Jay Arthur, author of “Lean Six Sigma Demystified” and QI Macros [software].

“Control charts just turned a hundred years old, but if you look at the adoption rate for control charts it’s been pretty flat. You see it mainly in manufacturing, you don’t see it much in healthcare.

“We attend two big healthcare quality conferences: At the Magnet conference, out of hundreds of posters, 89% use line and bar charts (which I consider to be last-century technology).

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Posted by Jay Arthur in Improvement Insights.

You Don’t Need to Know Statistics to Do Statistical Process Control

People think you have to know statistics to do Statistical Process Control (SPC). Not true, here’s why.

“I’m Jay Arthur, author of “Lean Six Sigma For Hospitals” and QI Macros [software].

“I’ve noticed that whenever I say the phrase “Statistical Process Control,” people start to freak out. It’s unnecessary because guess what? You don’t need to know statistics to do Statistical Process Control.

“Shewhart was a statistician, he figured out how to calculate the variances and… how to calculate the upper and lower control limits and what that all means. Then Nelson expanded all of that stuff, so the statisticians did the statistical part.

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Posted by Jay Arthur in Improvement Insights, QI Macros.

Think SPC is Too Complex?

Most people are terrified of “statistical” anything. Do you think SPC is too complex? You may not like the alternative.

“Whenever I talk to people about Statistical Process Control, first the word “statistical” scares the living crap out of them. But they say, “Well, you know, uh… I’m not that good with math and formulas,” and I say, “Well, you don’t have to know math and formulas. We’ve got software that’ll do all that for you. What you have to do is know what the chart tells you about what you should do about your process. They’re all a little surprised.

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Posted by Jay Arthur in Improvement Insights, Lean, Six Sigma, Statistics.