Quality Concepts
The
Quality
Improvement
Model
Define
Process
Select
Measures
Collect &
Interpret
Data
A Roadmap to Improvement
Purpose: To provide a
sequence of steps to
improve any process
so that the customers
will realize the
highest quality and
value.
Is
Process
Stable
?
No
Investigate &
Fix Special
Causes
Yes
Improve
Process
Capability
No
Is
Process
Capable
?
Yes
Use SPC to
Maintain
Current
Process
1-1
Quality Concepts
Catapult Exercise
Each person will come up to the front and fire the catapult until we get
30 distance measurements.
Cup
Height
Peg
Height
Hook Height
Stop Angle
Release
Angle
1-2
Quality Concepts
Definitions of Quality
• Conformance to specifications
• The degree to which a product or service meets
the needs of the customer
• Uniformity around a customer-defined target
• Exceeding customer expectations
The customer is the most important part of the process.
1-3
Quality Concepts
Does Quality Affect My Job?
Poor Quality  Complexity
Department
Accounting
Production
Marketing
R&D
Personnel
Real Work
Mailing Invoices
Complexity
Collecting overdue
accounts resulting from
carrier delivery problems
Rework of faulty
Assembly
incoming materials
Helping Customers Handling customer
buy
complaints about poor
quality materials
Learning about
Redesign due to market
customer needs
research errors
Training new
Handling a lawsuit from
managers
an employee who was
mistreated
1-4
Quality Concepts
The Ideal
Flow
of Work
Receive Inputs
O.K.?
Y
Process
Measurements
O.K.?
Y
Finished Product
or Service
O.K.?
Y
Send to Customer
1-5
Quality Concepts
Supplier
Reworks
The Impact of
Poor Quality
Receive Inputs
Return to
Supplier
Y Rework
?
Internal
Rework
N
Diagnose
N
O.K.?
Scrap
Y
Process
Rework
Scrap
N
Y
Process
Measurements
Adjust
Rework
Inputs
?
Y
O.K.?
N
Adjust
?
Diagnose
Y
Y
Finished Product
Rework
N
Rework
Product
?
N
Scrap
O.K.?
N
Y
Ship to Customer
Diagnose
Y
Rework
Rework
?
N
Scrap
1-6
Quality Concepts
Impact of Higher Quality on Value
Less
Waste
Less Rework
Higher
Quality
Fewer
Rejections
Lower
Cost
Backlog 
 Less
Higher
(Inventory)
Fewer
Complaints

Higher
Value
Productivity
Fewer
Returns
1-7
Quality Concepts
The Transition of Quality Thinking
Dedicate resources to
inspect all work for
errors before finalized.
Work on process to
prevent defects.
Measure performance
by amount of work
completed compared
to objectives.
Understand process
behavior and take
pro-active action to
improve the process.
Keep turn-around-time
under 2 days to avoid
complaints.
Continually decrease
turn-around-time to
delight customers.
1-8
Quality Concepts
The
Quality
Improvement
Model
Define
Process
Select
Measures
Collect &
Interpret
Data
A Roadmap to Improvement
Purpose: To provide a
sequence of steps to
improve any process
so that the customers
will realize the
highest quality and
value.
Is
Process
Stable
?
No
Investigate &
Fix Special
Causes
Yes
Improve
Process
Capability
No
Is
Process
Capable
?
Yes
Use SPC to
Maintain
Current
Process
1-9