October 6, 2009 by stevedaum
Did you know that PQ Systems maintains a robust knowledge base online? It is a repository of common problems and solutions related to using our software and practicing continuous quality improvement. If you are an SQCpack, CHARTrunner, or GAGEpack user, you might just find a solution to your problem here:
http://www.pqsystems.com/kb/activekb/
In a recently-added article, Craig Newland, addresses how to count or group data that has been accumulated during certain periods of time. If you use CHARTrunner, visit: http://www.pqsystems.com/kb/activekb/questions/543/CR%3A+Data+grouping+tardiness to learn how to group your data to make your control chart analysis more telling.
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September 14, 2009 by alisonnelson
Check out our new CHARTrunner ad currently running on page 49 of this month’s issue of Quality Progress.
Thank you to those who served on our advisory panel as we designed this ad. Your input was greatly appreciated.
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September 11, 2009 by michaelcleary
If you’re headed to Grapevine, Texas next week for the National Association for Healthcare Quality’s 34th Annual Educational Conference, watch for me in the PQ Systems booth #200 in the exhibit area. I look forward to greeting you myself, showing you some of our newest products, and hearing about what you’re up to with quality and process improvement. I’ll also have demos of our process behavior charting software available.
Seeing familiar faces and making new friends in the quality world are highlights of the conference experience for me. See you there!
Conference Link:
http://www.nahq.org/conference/
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September 10, 2009 by stevedaum
Your first response to this question might be to quote the retail price paid for your SPC software. This would be a factual answer. Fast forward and imagine answering the question after using the software for six months or a year. Would your answer be different?
When evaluating SPC software there are many considerations; price is just one of these. Many other factors will contribute to the full cost of ownership. For example, the software will have to be installed, maintained, and supported. Users will have to be trained. Questions about the software will have to be answered – not just how to use it – but how to apply it in your system.
One of the largest costs might be described as the “make it work in my world” cost. Software designers often have a vision of how work progresses through a system. This vision might or might not align with the way work flows through your organization. I have seen software with impressive feature lists fail to be used – because the workflows just can’t be wedged into the way a firm actually gets work done. A good relationship with an experienced vendor support group can make a big difference – but if the workflows are misaligned – this can prove to be expensive.
Consider also the “manageability” cost. For example, you install the software for several users. They like it, they find it easy use, and they begin using it. However, they each take their own implementation journey. After a few months, important data, and analysis might be strewn about across your network somewhat haphazardly. How will this be managed? Once again, the feature list and price might look impressive – but the long term manageability might increase the real cost of ownership way beyond your initial impression.
It can be difficult to select any software and SPC software is no exception. If you find yourself in this situation, look beyond the initial price and feature list. Take a holistic view. Think about work flows and the long term feasibility of deploying the software and continuing to get knowledgeable support from a reputable vendor. In the end, the retail price might be the least of your worries.
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September 8, 2009 by alisonnelson
We’ve just wrapped up the latest edition of Quality eLine, our monthly e-newsletter that gives you industry news, case studies, and product tips you can use to enrich your software use. Here is what you’ll see in this month’s issue:
- Filling the learning void: ‘The more you learn, the more you earn’
- Quality Quiz: Another quiz from Professor Cleary—and last month’s winners!
- Data in everyday life: Most-visited national parks
- Six Sigma and more: Pete Seeger at 90: His example still rings true
We’ll be sending it out later today, so if you’re not a subscriber yet, subscribe now to receive your free copy.
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September 2, 2009 by matthewsavage
I recently received the following question:
‘The process certification program at my company says that in order to certify a process it must be in control, be capable and be centered. Capability is measured by the process Cp and centering is measured by the Cpk. What measurement is used to determine if a process is “in control”? Is there a crisp definition of “in control”?’
“In control” is a term used to describe a process that is predictable and does not contain any special causes of variation. A special cause is something you did not expect to occur. I often refer to these as hiccups because, like a hiccup, you do not get them often.
There are many out-of-control or special cause tests you can use to help identify if the system you are evaluating appears to have special causes of variation. In general, if one of the out-of-control test rules is broken, you have license to investigate the hiccup or out-of-control point. Upon investigation, you will make a determination if the anomaly is a special cause. Then, if it is a special cause, you will determine what action to take.
In short, if you look at a control chart and it shows only common cause variation, it is said to be in-control and you should be comfortable predicting the future based on the past (“in control”) process.
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August 21, 2009 by stevedaum
Most of our customers use charts as part of their work. Depending on their job, they may review charts every hour, day, week, or at some other interval. Creating and reviewing these charts is almost never a primary job. Instead, the charts are used as decision support tools; they support the primary job and help a user make better decisions.
Different types of charts have different usage patterns. For example, when looking at a chart of sales, the usage pattern is something like this:
- View the chart
- Ask this question: Are we on target, above target, or below target?
- Depending on the answer, take appropriate action to move towards the desired outcome.
- At some later date, repeat.
Statistical process control (SPC) charts have a similar usage pattern with a narrower focus. For example, you might chart the wait time between a customer posting an order and receiving an order acknowledgement.
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August 11, 2009 by alisonnelson
As usual, we’ve been working hard on wrapping up the latest edition of Quality eLine, our monthly e-newsletter that gives you industry news, case studies, and product tips you can use to enrich your software use. Here is what you’ll see in this month’s issue:
- Use flow charts to simplify processes and advance learning
- Quality Quiz: Another quiz from Professor Cleary—and last month’s winners!
- Data in everyday life: The evolution of the minimum wage
- Six Sigma and more: ‘Hire good people and treat them like family’
We’ll be sending it out later today, so if you’re not a subscriber yet, subscribe now to receive your free copy.
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August 4, 2009 by stevedaum
Among our healthcare customers we find substantial use of Microsoft Excel. A recent survey of CHARTrunner customers found that 68% of them use data in Excel to produce their SPC charts and other analysis related to quality improvement. Excel is powerful and flexible and well suited to this job. However, this power can lead to complicated worksheets that are difficult to use and even more difficult to maintain. Once designed and deployed, a spreadsheet template may be in use for several years. Who will be around to debug an error or correct a formula that is discovered a year later?
To improve the situation requires well designed spreadsheets. Today, spreadsheets are so easy to setup and start to use – that we tend to gloss over using a design process to get started. Here are some tips to think about as you design your next quality improvement spreadsheet:
- Decide the primary purpose of the spreadsheet
- Make the primary purpose easy to accomplish
- Use the simplest possible sheet that accomplishes the purpose
- Don’t create future work for yourself
- Keep the data “pure”
- Be consistent among your sheets
- Favor traditional arrangements over weird arrangements
- Use a “notes” worksheet to document complex sheets
For a more detailed look at these tips see the following article in the PQ Systems knowledge base:
http://www.pqsystems.com/kb/activekb/questions/541/Excel+tips
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July 14, 2009 by pqsystems
by David Schwinn
Guest Author
Bankruptcy? General Motors? Are you kidding?
When I started at General Motors in the 1960s, we were the biggest and best company in the United States and most of the world. As a matter of fact, I believe that only a couple of state industries in Russia surpassed the number of people GM employed. Many of us, observing the poor quality of work done in the factories as we first entered them, found it hard to believe that GM could be so good. One of my friends and colleagues, Mark Horvath, captured the situation insightfully: “We (GM) can depend on the stupidity of our competition.”
As time went on and we became more a part of the GM culture, we began to think of Mark’s observation in a different way. We began to unconsciously believe that the reason we were so large, powerful, and successful was that we really were smart. As a matter of fact, in those days, one of the criteria we used for making decisions was “Will this enhance our market position so much that the anti-trust guys will try to break us up?” We thought we had to be careful not to be too good. So what happened to this most omnipotent company?
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