1. The 7 Basic Quality Tools ~ The DMAIC Process
Continuous Improvement and …
The 7 Basic Quality Tools ~
The DMAIC Process
To a hammer, everything’s a nail …
How many tools do you have in your improvement tool kit ?
Paul Prunty

2. 7 Basic Quality Tools
Cause-and-effect diagram
also called Ishikawa or fishbone chart
Identifies many possible causes for an effect or problem and sorts ideas into useful categories.
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3. 7 Basic Quality Tools
Check sheet
A structured, prepared form for collecting and analyzing data; a generic tool that can be adapted for a wide variety of data gathering purposes.
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4. Graphs used to study how a process changes over time
7 Basic Quality Tools
Control charts
Graphs used to study how a process changes over time
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5. 7 Basic Quality Tools Flow Chart
Visually shows sequential steps in a process using commonly accepted symbols.
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6. 7 Basic Quality Tools Histogram
The most commonly used graph for showing frequency distributions, or how often each different value in a set of data occurs.
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7. 7 Basic Quality Tools
Pareto chart
Shows on a bar graph which factors are more significant.
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8. 7 Basic Quality Tools Scatter diagram
Graphs pairs of numerical data, one variable on each axis, to look for a relationship.
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9. DMAIC Process Model DMAIC – What is it?
Define
Measure
Analyze
Improve
Control
DMAIC – What is it?
The Quality Council of Indiana, in the QMC/OE Body of knowledge defines DMAIC as a process improvement tool and discusses it under management tools.
GE summarized the DMAIC process steps as:
Define the customer’s critical-to-quality issues and core business process
Measure the performance of the core business process involved
Analyze the data and determine root causes or improvement opportunities
Improve the target process with creative solutions to fix and prevent problems
Monitor the process to sustain the improvements
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10. Define Phase Define Measure Analyze Improve Control Define
Select and define project scope
- what needs fixing
- what are project goals and objectives
Define customer critical characteristics / features
- who is the customer (internal / external)
- what product or service is provided to the customer
Select team
- champion
- leader
- members
Develop improvement / implementation plan
Create support infrastructure
Some other skills and tools
Brainstorming
Teaming
Planning / Project Management
Action Plans
Run Chart / Trend Chart
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11. Measure Phase Define Measure Analyze Improve Control Measure
Understand the process
- process map / flow chart
- determine current performance
- estimate capability of the process
Identify critical process / product impacts
- Key process input variables (KPIV) – the X’s
- Key process output variables (KPOV) – the Y’s
Determine measurement system reliability
- conduct measurement system analysis (MSA)
Determine key metrics
Understand Cause and Effect
Use selective control charting as a diagnostic
Some other skills and tools
Process Capability Study (Cp, Cpk)
MSA Studies (GR & R, Anova)
Run Chart / Trend Chart
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12. Analyze Phase Define Measure Analyze Improve Control Analyze
Assess process variation
Determine components of variation (multi-var charts)
Determine the defect cause
Identify critical process / control elements
- products
- features
- process
Assess process capability
Determine potential improvement actions
- conduct hypothesis tests
- conduct ANOVA
Some other skills and tools
Brainstorming
Process Capability Study (Cp, Cpk)
Statistical Analysis (e.g. DOE, Anova)
5 Why Root Cause Analysis
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13. Improve Phase Define Measure Analyze Improve Control Improve
Implement improvement actions
Optimize the process
Implement actions to reduce variability
- target tolerancing
- process controls
- preventive / corrective actions
Implement actions to eliminate defects
- Special cause variation
Some other skills and tools
Action Plans
Statistical Analysis (e.g. Cpk)
Statistical Analysis (e.g. DOE, Anova)
Sample Plans
Quality Control Plans
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14. Control Phase Define Measure Analyze Improve Control Control
Monitor and control the process over time
- control plans
- control charts
Mistake proof
Reduce common cause (random) variation
Rule of Thumb: Cp  2 , Cpk  1.5
Some other skills and tools
Poka-yoke (mistake proof)
Statistical Analysis (e.g. Cpk)
SPC
Sample Plans
Control Plans
PDCA (PDSA) Cycle
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15. How many tools do you have in your quality tool kit ?
Anything More?
Who said:
“The important thing is not to stop questioning.”
“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”  
Albert Einstein
How many tools do you have in your quality tool kit ?
References:
7 Basic Tools: Excerpted from Nancy R. Tague’s The Quality Toolbox, Second Edition, ASQ Quality Press, 2004, page 15.
CMQ/OE Primer 2010, Quality Council of Indiana
Learn More:
The Quality Toolbox, Second Edition, Tague, Nancy R.
Implementing Six Sigma: Smarter Solutions Using Statistical Methods, 2nd Edition, Breyfogle, Forrest W
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