Carl Berardinelli

The run chart is a powerful, simple, and easy-to-use process improvement tool. Often, the run chart is shortchanged as the statistical tests that can be used with run charts are overlooked. This article takes the reader through the benefits of a run chart as well as how to correctly create and analyze one. […]

Control charts have two general uses in an improvement project. Undeniably, the most common application is as a tool to monitor process stability and control. A less common, although some might argue more powerful, use of control charts is as an analysis tool. Throughout this guide, you’ll have the various control charts identified. […]

In Part 2 we look at failure rates and material conditions for a surface finish example.

In Part 1, we explore the concept of process capability, including how to calculate it and what to do with non-normal data.

Short production runs are a necessity in high-mix, low-volume manufacturing environments. The trend in manufacturing has been toward smaller production runs, with production runs – as well as products – tailored to the individual customer’s needs. Although this minimizes inventory and improves responsiveness to the customer, it complicates the application of statistical process control (SPC). Classical […]

Why not do something novel and use the tool that is best for the job at hand independent of an acronym?

Your organization may have any number of possible areas for improvement. How do you pick which project to start with? The value index can help you prioritize by measuring optimization between performance, quality and cost.

Every process falls into one of four states: Ideal: produces 100 percent conformance and is predictable Threshold: predictable but produces the occasional defect Brink of chaos: not predictable and does not produce defects Chaos: not predictable and produces defects at an unacceptable rate Processes tend to migrate toward chaos if not effectively managed. Pre-control Charts […]

Multivariate analysis techniques may be useful in statistical process control (SPC) whenever there is more than one process variable. Multivariate control charting is usually helpful when the effect of multiple parameters is not independent or when some parameters are correlated. This article focuses on parameters that correlate when the Pearson correlation coefficient is greater than […]

Based on the desirability function, using batting average, home runs, runs batted in (RBIs), All Star Game appearances and Gold Glove awards all weighted equally, Ron Santo, a third baseman for the Chicago Cubs from 1960 to 1973, should be a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. An understanding of the desirability function […]