Seven Helpful Charts
Diane Ritter
The Charts
Cause-and-Effect
Flow Chart
Pareto Chart
Run (Trend) Chart
Histogram
Control Chart
UCL
x
LCL
Measurement
Time
Variable 2
Scatter Diagram
Variable 1
Measurement Time
Cause and Effect: “Wrong Hospital Meals”
Equipment
Lack of
funds
Policies
Antiquated
Outdated
“clothespin”
system
Fear of
computers
Lack of
awareness
Handwritten
instructions
poor
Lack of
emphasis
Lack of
funds
Unclear menu
Disciplinary
policies
Poor set-up
Wrong meals
served to
patients on
both shifts
Unmotivated
No feedback to
person making
mistakes
Lack of attention
in dietary
No system
Overworked
“Doctor’s
Disease”
Procedures
Hiring policies in
dietary
Training
People
Lack of
time
Lack of
staff
GOAL, Memory Jogger
Flow Chart: “From Bed to Work”
Sunrise
Alarm goes off
N
o
Sleep late
Yes
Start coffee
Bathroom Available
N
o
Wait
N
o
Iron Clothes
Yes
Shower
Clothes Ready
Yes
Get Dressed
Eat Breakfast
Read Paper
N
o
Watch TV
Car Available
N
o
Take Bus
Yes
Drive to Work
Park in Lot
Yes
Arrive at Work
N
o
Park & Walk
Incoming Material:
Components
P.C. board
Q.C.
Vendor
Repaired
Use as is
Fail
Pass
Auto Insertion
Q.C.
Fail
Rework/S
crap
Pass
Hand Assembly
Q.C.
Fail
Flow Chart 2: “P.C.
Board Flow”
Pass
Wave Solder and Cleaning
Q.C.
Fail
Pass
Rework/S
crap
Post Assembly Touch-up
Q.C.
Fail
Pass
Auto
Test
Fail
Pass
Ship
Rework/S
crap
BEGIN
FILL OUT
ORDER FORM
CUSTOMER
(CLIENT)
SUBMIT ORDER
RECEIVE ORDER;
INSPECT IT
RETURN ORDER
FORM TO
CUSTOMER
NO
PROCESS THE
COMPLAINT
INFORMATION
COMPLETE?
MAIL ORDER
SUPPLIER
Flow Chart 3: A
simple flow diagram
- The mail order
process
YES
SHIP GOODS TO
CUSTOMER
RECEIVE GOODS;
INSPECT THEM
CUSTOMER
(CLIENT)
GOODS
ACCEPTABLE?
YES
END
NO
COMPLAIN TO
SUPPLIER
Item out of stock
Notify Sergio (Item
and Quantity).
Fill out Order Form.
University
Stocked Item?
Yes
Mail to University Stores.
No
Send to Procurement
Office (RICE 501).
Procurement Issues a
Purchase Order.
No
University
Approved
Vendor?
Yes
Delivery varies from
4-8 weeks.
Procurement faxes the
order to vendor.
Deliver next day.
Item Delivered!
Deliver Next Day.
Flow Chart 4:
Ordering Supplies
Pareto Chart: “Types of Injury”
Causes of Eye Injury
Types of Injury
25
20
15
# Accidents
15
10
5
10
Eyes
Backs
Hands
So
ld
er
S
0
Co
m
po
ne
nt
Du
st
Le
ad
s
5
pl
as
h
0
Cl
ip
pe
d
# Accidents
20
Run (Trend) Chart: “Emergency Room Admissions”
Number of Admissions/Day
50
40
30
20
10
0
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Month
Goal, Memory Jogger
12
Histogram: “Print Density”
10
Frequency
8
6
4
2
0
.60
.70
.80
.90
1.10
1.20
1.30
1.40
1.50
Black Density of Print
Goal, Memory Jogger
Scatter diagram: “Drive Time”
50
Travel Time to Work (minutes)
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
-5
7:00
7:30
8:00
8:30
9:00
Time Leaving House
Goal, Memory
Goal, Memory
JoggerJogger
Control Chart
Control Chart
UCL
x
LCL
Measurement Time
Seven Helpful Charts
Seven Helpful Charts
a. Control, b. Cause-effect, c. Scatter diagram, d. Flow, e. Pareto, f. Run (trend), g. Histogram
1. There is a situation you are unhappy about. It is a complicated situation, so it is difficult to keep
track of all of the variables in your head.
2. You have a complicated process you would like to improve. It’s not clear that everyone would
identify the same steps.
3. You have identified a number of problems and want to work on the biggest problem first.
4. You are often late for work and want to understand why.
5. You have identified several reasons for why you are late for work and want to prioritize the list.
6. A hospital speculates that it has admissions “bulges” because of holidays.
7. You want to determine how frequently something occurs.
8. You want to plot a relationship between two variables.
9. You want to separate abnormal from normal variation
10. You want to determine whether a process is stable.
11. A Manufacturer wants to know if there is a correlation between shelf life and the stability of their
product.
12. A print shop starts to receive complaints about the density of its print. The shop workers figured the
density was always the same.
13. Your company submits many proposals to the federal government. They have identified a number
of problems with the process and want to fix them in order of importance.
14. The ordering process takes too long and you want to understand why.
15. The rooms listed in the Schedule of Classes are sometimes not the rooms that courses end up
meeting in.