Average incoming quality is a simple, effective and accessible metric that indicates input quality within a process. Accurate assessment of average quality depends on several other factors, including an established framework for evaluation and consistent screening techniques.
Overview: What is average incoming quality?
In the context of lean manufacturing and business management practices, average incoming quality is a useful benchmark that should be used whenever possible. It functions like a checkpoint that gauges the general and relative “health” of input. Depending on the length and scope of the production process, there could be dozens of different quality inspection points throughout the cycle.
3 benefits of average incoming quality
Businesses can reap several major benefits with proper execution of incoming quality controls.
1. Consistent gatekeeping
Consistency is king when it comes to data collection, business management and process improvement. Maintaining a certain level of incoming quality helps stabilize the overall consistency of process results, which is a central focus of Six Sigma.
2. Clear data points
Incoming quality measurements are particularly useful because they provide clear data points between production stages. This helps analysts figure out exactly when, where and how defects occur in the process.
3. Foundation for comparison
This metric is also valuable because it can be meaningfully compared to similar data points in other organizations or businesses. This allows companies to compare their input, quality and results to others to further improve operational standards.
Why is average incoming quality important to understand?
Like any kind of essential production metric, average incoming quality is important to understand because it can easily be used the wrong way.
Emphasize inspections – Setting up and maintaining inspection points is an investment. It requires at least a marginal cost of time and efficiency to inspect quality levels prior to committing them to a process. That’s why it’s important to do it right with planning, evaluation and continuous improvement practices.
Tracing the roots – Identifying a fluctuation or problem with incoming quality at a certain inspection point doesn’t always mean the problem has an immediate source. Leaders should avoid jumping to conclusions and take their time to trace the real roots of the issue.
Short vs. long-term concerns – One of the biggest challenges related to incoming quality assessment is balancing immediate needs with broader concerns. Getting too focused on short-term quality improvements at the expense of long-term improvement or growth can be an expensive mistake.
An industry example of average incoming quality
An automotive manufacturer produces consumer vehicles in a giant facility with hundreds of employees. As the vehicles move along the conveyor they pass through many workstations, which means they also pass through many inspection points. These inspections serve to illuminate problems before they are too deep to fix and also function as loss prevention by ejecting serious defects from the line.
As vehicles pass into a new workstation, they also go through an inspection point to make sure they are good to proceed. Inspectors keep careful logs of incoming quality of cars at inspection points, which they then combine statistically to determine the average incoming quality level based on all the units that passed through the point each day.
3 best practices when thinking about average incoming quality
Following a few of these best practices helps you get the most out of your inspection points and quality assessments.
1. Always assess implications
Not every quality concern warrants equal consideration and priority. It’s up to the business leaders to determine what kinds of implications, costs and risks are worth addressing.
2. Averages don’t tell all
Average incoming quality is a great metric with plenty of value, but it doesn’t tell you everything. Just relying on the final output of the statistical formula can conceal important information about the severity and frequency of specific quality concerns.
3. Communicate and collaborate
Any kind of quality control or data collection undertaking works better with buy-in from everyone. That’s why it’s a good idea to communicate with team members and employees so that everyone can collaborate on achieving the goal.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about average incoming quality
What’s the difference between incoming and outgoing quality?
Incoming quality refers to the state of the material as it enters an inspection point while outgoing quality is assessed as the product exits the specific process.
What are the types of quality control?
Basic types of quality control in business management are process control, acceptance sampling, product and charting.
How do you measure incoming quality?
Measuring incoming quality depends entirely on what the material or products are and how they will be used. The quality of car oil’s taste is irrelevant to a mechanic, but its ability to lubricate is very important. Quality measurements should always be relevant.
Measuring the path to success
In the right context, metrics like average incoming quality provide valuable insight and serve as anchors for consistent data collection practices. However, they can also become meaningless distractions that do more harm than good. That’s why business leaders need to understand how to perceive, understand and prioritize the information.
