Quality management and control tools

Quality management and control tools are Affinity diagram, Process decision program charts, Interrelationship digraphs, Tree diagrams, prioritization matrices, Activity network diagrams and Matrix diagrams. These seven tools are called Seven Quality and Control Tools.

For Affinity diagram refer the link http://bksprasad.blogspot.in/2015/09/group-creativity-technique.html

Process decision program charts (PDPC): is used to understand the goal in relation to the steps to be followed in achieving the goal. This helps in anticipating the risk which may arise while achieving the goal so as to plan for contingency.

For example automation is to be introduced. Choice is buy a tool or build it yourself. Buy the tool decision leads to vendor selection and ordering. If the vendor will not deliver it on time what can be contingency plan. Similarly build it yourself decision leads to hiring resources. If the desired skilled resource not available what can be the contingency? It may be train the existing employees. This entire sequence can be represented as diagram.

Interrelationship diagraphs is used in problem solving by connecting the relationship with one cause to other the other cause. This can be developed using other diagrams like affinity diagram, cause and effect diagram.

For example the customer is using lot of defects. What can be the reason? The reason can be lack of understanding of the requirements, poor design, improper development, incomplete testing. Let us the major defects are due to incomplete testing which has been found out by cause and effect diagram. The cause of incomplete testing can be poor test planning, the cause for poor test planning can be the requirements came late, this cause can be the customer did not provide the requirements as per the committed date. In this way we can relate the causes and draw the diagram.

Tree diagram used to represent decomposition hierarchies like Work Breakdown Structure, Risk Breakdown Structure and Organizational Breakdown Structure. After creating this structure it terminates to the single point which helps in taking the decision.

For example in a coin what is the probability of getting head or tail? It is 50%. So the value for each possibility is 0.5. Let’s add one more coin and tossing both the coins, the combinations increases to HH, HT, TH and TT. So the probability of getting atleast one head in this scenario will be 75%. Using this mechanism one can design the process improvement or reducing the product defects.

Prioritization matrix: Here the issues are identified and the alternatives are found and prioritized to solve the issue by giving the weightages. For example, need to complete a deliverable which requires highly skilled people and are not available within the organization. The alternatives are outsource or train the existing employees. Give the weightages for both the options and see what can be the best outcome. The one which scores higher is the better option.

Activity network diagrams are nothing but project network diagram. It is used with scheduling, PERT, CPM and PDM. To understand these diagrams refer to the links:

http://bksprasad.blogspot.in/2015/11/three-point-estimating.html

http://bksprasad.blogspot.in/2015/11/critical-path.html

http://bksprasad.blogspot.in/2015/10/precedence-diagramming-method-pdm.html

Matrix diagrams used to perform data analysis created in matrix form. The matrix diagram can be created using rows and columns with different parameters and will indicate the strength of the relationships between those parameters.

Perform quality Assurance process uses Quality Management and Control Tools in addition to the tools which are used under processes Plan Quality management and Control Quality.