A Second Life for SPC: From Control to Management Webinar

Statistical Process Control (SPC) is a fundamental technique in quality management and one of the first successful applications of statistics in the control of industrial processes. Until today it is a mandatory tool in the automotive industry and a vital element in many quality courses. A large number of people are going through SPC courses, from quality and process engineers to machine operators

But the industrial environment has changed drastically compared to the time when SPC was developed. Today we see customer requirements expressed in single digit ppm values, ever reducing lot sizes, extremely accurate machines, Poka-Yoke control systems and production lines containing 100 % automated inspection on all product characteristics. The general view within quality is that quality control will be replaced by technology.

Within that technology there may still be some SPC used, but it will be hidden. At best, statistical rules will be built into machines but it is more likely that new developments like machine learning and artificial intelligence will take over.

However, the conceptual knowledge of SPC can still have a great future at another, more important level: process management. In this presentation we will show how SPC can have a major impact on our businesses if we start using it as a managerial tool. But this means that we must train other people and that the use of SPC has a different objective: changing a bi-polar and fundamentally uncontrolled system to a properly managed organization.

The first thing any manager should know is that there is always variation in a system. For some reason this seems to be very difficult to understand so we still judge processes by comparing their results to single value Key Process Indicator (KPI) targets. 

As a result we can only be either happy or depressed. This leads to a very nervous and unnatural way of running a business. The essence of SPC is the distinction that is made between common cause and special cause variation. Replacing single line targets on KPI's by intelligent control chart lines will lead to a better running of the business with a clear constancy of purpose: controlling and improving the system.

We will show how an Individual / Moving Range chart can create a different, more exact way of looking at a process and help management to take better decisions, to react when reaction is needed. We will give examples of quality and productivity indicators but also show how this can help you manage some of your personal KPI's in a better way.

Changes don't happen overnight. So SPC will not all of a sudden totally disappear from the factory floor as a quality control method. But our biggest fear is that its use will gradually decline while it's vital knowledge will not be introduced and applied at the managerial level. To prevent that from happening we must start today with showing the value of the tool. This is an opportunity for improvement not to be wasted. 

• Statistical Process Control (SPC) is one of the fundamental techniques in quality management. It is a mandatory tool in the automotive industry and it is part of all Six Sigma courses and must-have knowledge for many ASQ certifications. 
  
  A massive number of people are going through SPC courses, from quality and process engineers to machine operators. In this presentation we will show that in today's production environment the days of SPC as a process control tool are numbered. New developments make it obsolete. But at the same time the logic of SPC can have a major impact on our businesses if we start using it as a managerial tool.
  
  All companies today have a -sometimes very large - set of KPI's or Key Process Indicators. However fundamental mistakes are made in the definition, the follow-up and the reaction to KPI deviations. And this where SPC is of great importance and value. It can help you manage your processes correctly, reacting when needed and not reacting when not needed.
  
  If you are not satisfied with what your KPI's are bringing you, this webinar will show you why and what you can do about it. It will mean that you need to train the theory of SPC to managers in stead of line operators. The purpose is no longer to control a technical process but to manage your business processes in a much better way. 

Areas Covered in the Session:

• Why SPC has no future as a Process Control Tool
• The fundamental problems with KPI's
• Bi-polarity as a consequence of wrong KPI's
• SPC as a better alternative for KPI follow-up and process management
• Concluding remarks
  

Who Will Benefit:

• • All Managers
  • All Process Owners