Understanding Process Variation

L e s s Va r i at i o n = H i g h e r Q u a l i t y
By : Eng : Hosam Abd Elgaleil
http://initiative4qi.blogspot.com

If I had to reduce my message for management to just a few words, Id say it all had to do with reducing variation.
Dr. W. Edwards Deming

Process Variation is natural and should be expected from two types of causes

Common Causes of variation that

are inherent in the process hour after hour, day after day, and affect every occurrence of the process.

Common Causes Come From

Inappropriate procedures or Poor design Ambient temperature and humidity Computer response time Substandard raw materials Lack of clearly defined standing operating procedures Variability in settings Normal wear and tear Poor working conditions ,e.g. lighting, noise, dirt, temperature, ventilation .

Any process that operates with only common cause variation is said to be Statistical In-Control ( Stable Process)

Once a process is In-Control adjustments can be made to reduce the random variation so the process will improved

Special Causes are not in the process all the time or do not affect every occurrence but arise because of special circumstances

Special Causes Come From

Abnormal traffic (click-fraud) on web ads

Operator falls asleep Computer crashes

Machine malfunction Faulty controllers Power surges Poor batch of raw material
High healthcare demand from elderly people

Poor adjustment of equipment Broken part Operator absent

Any process that operates with Special cause variation is said to be Out-Of Control

Common versus Special

Dr. Deming has estimated that 94% of problems are due to common causes and are management's responsibility. versus only 6% of problems are due to special causes.

Obey The Laws Of Chance

It is also possible for a process to exhibit a lack of statistical control even when all the subgroup statistics are within the control limits. A process that is in a state of statistical control exhibits random patterns of variation that obey the laws of chance.

CAN WE DO OUR JOB CORRECTLY ?

Following our understanding of common and special causes of variation

This question must be divided into two questions:

1. Is the process stable, or in control? In other words, are there present any special causes of variation, or is the process variability due to common causes only?

2. What is the extent of the process variability? what is the natural capability of the process when only common causes of variation are present?

This approach may be applied to both variables and attribute data, and provides a systematic methodology for process examination, control and investigation.

Firstly : Recognize The Variation

I must recognize that variation is present and part of everything: Suppliers Products and delivery performance The dryer temperature The plant and peoples performance The market

Secondly :
Understand The variation and its causes

I must understand something about the variation and its causes common versus special

Thirdly : Able To Distinguish

I must be able to distinguish between the presence of common and special causes of variation in their processes.

Finally :
Develop a Strategy
I must develop a strategy for dealing with special causes through using of

People in all walks of working life would be well advised to accept the inherent common cause variation in their processes and act on the special causes. If the latter are undesirable and can be prevented from recurring, the process will be left only with common cause variation and it will be stable. Moreover, the total variation will be reduced and the outputs more predictable.

http://initiative4qi.blogspot.com