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History of Quality Circle

Quality circles were originally associated with Japanese management and manufacturing techniques. The introduction of quality circles
in Japan in the postwar years was inspired by the lectures of W. Edwards Deming (1900-1993), a statistician for the U.S. government.
Deming based his proposals on the experience of U.S. firms operating under wartime industrial standards. Noting that American
management had typically given line managers and engineers about 85 percent of the responsibility for quality control and line workers
only about 15 percent, Deming argued that these shares should be reversed. He suggested redesigning production processes to more
fully account for quality control, and continuously educating all employees in a firmfrom the top downin quality control techniques
and statistical control technologies. Quality circles were the means by which this continuous education was to take place for production
workers.

Compete History of Evolution of Quality Circles

1947: General Douglas McArthur requested US Govt to send experts to help Japanese rejuvenate their industries. Dr Edward Deming
was sent.
1949: An Overseas Technical Research Committee was organized by the Union of Japanese Scientists and Engineers (JUSE)
1949: JUSE organized a seminar on SQC
1949: JUSE organized a seminar Quality Control- Basic Course
1950: JUSE published a magazine SQC
1950: Dr Deming invited to eight day Quality Control seminar organized by JUSE
1951: Deming prize instituted
1954: Dr Joseph Juran invited to Quality Control Management seminar organized by JUSE
1956: Japans radio started broadcasting a Quality Control Course organized by JUSE
1960: Japanese Govt declared November as Quality Month and Q-flag was adopted

Quality Control Circles (Japan)

1962: First QC Circle was registered with QC Circle Head Quarters
1962: First annual QC Conference for Foremen was held
1964: Regional chapters of QC Circles were organized in four different districts
1966: Dr Juran observed Japanese QC Circle activities
1966: Special QC Circle session was organized at the 10th conference of European Organization for Quality Control held in
Stockholm, Sweden
1967: Number of registered QC Circles grew to 10000
1968: JUSE dispatched the first QC Circle Study Team overseas
1969: Registered Circles grew to 20000
1969: 100th QC Circle Conference was held in Tokyo
1970: Registered Circles grew to 30000
1971: JUSE organized the first QC Circle seminar

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ENGINEER (I.E/M.S)
RCFL,Thal.

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1971: 200th QC conference was held

1971: Registered QC Circles grew to 40000
1971: First National QC Circle Conference was held in Tokyo
1972: Regional Circles grew to 50000
1973: 300th QC Circle Conference was held
1974: Registered circles grew to 60000
1974: 400th QC Circle conference was held
1975: Registered Circles grew to 70000. 500th Conference was held
1977: Registered Circles grew to 80000. 700th Conference was held
1978: Registered Circles grew to 90000
1978: First international QC Circle Convention was held
1979: 800th QC Circle Conference was held
1979: Registered QC Circle Conference numbered 100000
1980: 900th Conference was held
1981: International QC Circle Convention was held
1985: Third International QC Circle Convention was held
1988: More than one million Circles with over ten million members

Quality Circles (Other than Japan)

1974: Lockheed Company, USA started Quality Circle movement
1977: International Association of Quality Circles (IACC) was formed in USA
1980: 230 companies in USA had Quality Circles
1983: There were more than 500,000 known Quality Circles active in the world

Quality Circles (India)

1980: BHEL, Hyderabad first in India to start Quality Circles
1982: Quality Circle Forum of India (QCFI) was founded
1983: Tata Motors (formerly Telco) started Quality Circles, by 1985 they had more than 400 Circles
1985: BHEL had 1411 Circles covering around 13362 members

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ENGINEER (I.E/M.S)
RCFL,Thal.

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Process of Operation of Quality Circles

PDCA CYCLE

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ENGINEER (I.E/M.S)
RCFL,Thal.

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Structure of Quality Circles Program

Six Basic Elements

1.

Top management.

2.

Steering Committee

3.

Facilitators

4.

Leaders

5.

Members.

6.

Non members

Problem Solving Tools and Techniques Used by Quality Circles

Given below are the most commonly used tools and techniques. These are called the old QC tools:

Brainstorming.
Pareto analysis.
Cause and effect diagram (or fish bone diagram or Ishikawa diagram).
Histogram.
Scatter diagram
Stratification
Check sheet
Control charts and graphs

New QC Tools
Quality circles started using additional seven tools as they started maturing. These are:
1.

Relations diagram.

2.

Affinity diagram.

3.

Systematic diagram or Tree diagram.

4.

Matrix diagram.

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ENGINEER (I.E/M.S)
RCFL,Thal.

QCFI
5.

Matrix data analysis diagram.

6.

PDPC (Process Decision Program Chart).

7.

Arrow diagram.

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Explanation:
Relations diagram.
Relations Diagram (or Interrelationship Digraph) Relations Diagrams are drawn to show all the different relationships between factors,
areas, or processes. Why are they worthwhile? Because they make it easy to pick out the factors in a situation which are the ones which
are driving many of the other symptoms or factors. For example, a relations diagram of urban poverty might start out something like
this:

Instead of one item following another in a logical sequence, each item is connected to many other pieces, showing that they have an
impact on each one. Once all the relevant connections between items have been drawn, the connections are counted. Those with the
most connections will usually be the most important factors to focus on.
While the relations diagram is one of the 7 New QC Tools described in the Japanese classic Management, it is less frequently used
than some of its stalemates. However, in a fairly tangled situation, it is a powerful means of forcing a group to map out the interactions
between factors, and usually helps bring the most important issues into focus.
To create a Relations Diagram:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Agree on the issue or question.

Add a symbol to the diagram for every element involved in the issue.
Compare each element to all others. Use an "influence" arrow to connect related elements.
The arrows should be drawn from the element that influences to the one influenced.
If two elements influence each other, the arrow should be drawn to reflect the stronger influence.
Count the arrows.
The elements with the most outgoing arrows will be root causes or drivers.
The ones with the most incoming arrows will be key outcomes or results.

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ENGINEER (I.E/M.S)
RCFL,Thal.

QCFI

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Affinity diagram:The affinity diagram is a business tool used to organize ideas and data. It is one of the Seven Management and Planning Tools.
The tool is commonly used within project management and allows large numbers of ideas stemming from brainstorming [1] to be sorted
into groups for review and analysis.
The affinity diagram was devised by Jiro Kawakita in the 1960s [3] and is sometimes referred to as the KJ Method.
PROCESS:

Record each idea on cards or notes

Look for ideas that seem to be related

Sort cards into groups until all cards have been used.

Once the cards have been sorted into groups the team may sort large clusters into subgroups for easier management and analysis. Once
completed, the affinity diagram may be used to create a cause and effect diagram.
Affinity diagrams can be used to:

Draw out common themes from a large amount of information

Discover previously unseen connections between various ideas or information

Brainstorm root causes and solutions to a problem

Because many decision-making exercises begin with brainstorming, this is one of the most common applications of affinity diagrams.
After a brainstorming session there are usually pages of ideas. These won't have been censored or edited in any way, many of them will
be very similar, and many will also be closely related to others in a variety of ways. What an affinity diagram does is start to group the
ideas into themes.
From the chaos of the randomly generated ideas comes an insight into the common threads that link groups of them together. From there
the solution or best idea often emerges quite naturally. This is why affinity diagrams are so powerful and why the Japanese Union of
Scientists and Engineers consider them one of the "seven management tools."
Affinity diagrams are not the domain of brainstorming alone though. They can be used in any situation where:

The solution is not readily apparent

You want to reach a consensus or decision and have a lot of variables to consider, concepts to discuss, ideas to connect, or
opinions to incorporate

There is a large volume of information to sort through

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RCFL,Thal.

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Here is a step-by-step guide to using affinity diagrams along with a simple example to show how the process works.
Systematic diagram or Tree diagram:The systematic diagram, also known as the tree diagram, maps out in increasing detail the paths and tasks that must be accomplished to
achieve a goal. It looks somewhat like an organizational chart or a family tree.
Steps for constructing the Systematic Diagram are:
1.
2.
3.

4.
5.
6.
7.

Agree on the problem statement.

Team members brainstorm ideas that help them better understand the problem. Ask questions such as "What must happen to
achieve?" and "What causes that?"
Each item should then be evaluated to see if it is something that you can take action on. You may code the ideas by placing a
number or a symbol on each actionable item, a different symbol on ideas that require more information to determine if they are
actionable or not, and yet a different symbol on those ideas that you cannot take action on. Look at these thoroughly prior to
making them as not actionable.
Place the problem statement on the left side of the paper or other surface on which you will work.
Locate the cards that are most closely related to the problem to the immediate right of the problem statement.
Brainstorm for new ideas to explain the idea cards placed on the systematic diagram. As the team concurs with these new ideas
they should be placed to the right of the idea to which they apply.
Continue to repeat steps 5 and 6 until there are sufficient ideas that, if all are accomplished, a solution to the problem will be
reached.

Matrix diagram:A Matrix diagram is a graphical tool that shows the connection or correlation between ideas or issues in the form of a table (matrix). A
relationship is indicated at each intersection of rows and columns as present or absent. The matrix diagram shows the relationship
between two, three or four groups of information. It also can give information about the relationship, such as its strength, the roles played
by various individuals or measurements.
It is a tool used for clarifying problems by Thinking Multi-dimensionally. It consists of a two-dimensional array to determine location
and nature of problem. Tree diagram needs to be constructed before moving to Matrix diagram. The output (Means) of tree diagram are
required to put in Y axis of Matrix and on X axis.
Types of Matrix Diagram
There are a number of different shapes of matrix for comparing more than the basic two lists. There are Six different shaped matrices
possible: L, T, and Y, X, C and roof-shaped, depending on how many groups must be compared.
1.
2.
3.

L-shaped matrix relates two groups of items to each other (or one group to itself).
T-shaped matrix relates three groups of items: groups B and C are each related to A. Groups B and C are not related to each other.
Y-shaped matrix relates three groups of items. Each group is related to the other two in a circular fashion.

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ENGINEER (I.E/M.S)
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QCFI
4.
5.
6.

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C-shaped matrix relates three groups of items all together simultaneously, in 3-D.
X-shaped matrix relates four groups of items. Each group is related to two others in a circular fashion.
Roof-shaped matrix relates one group of items to itself. It is usually used along with an L- or T-shaped matrix.

PDPC (Process Decision Program Chart):The process decision program chart systematically identifies what might go wrong in a plan under development. Countermeasures are
developed to prevent or offset those problems. By using PDPC, you can either revise the plan to avoid the problems or be ready with
the best response when a problem occurs.
When to Use PDPC

Before implementing a plan, especially when the plan is large and complex.
When the plan must be completed on schedule.
When the price of failure is high.

PDPC Procedure
1.
2.
3.
4.

5.

Obtain or develop a tree diagram of the proposed plan. This should be a high-level diagram showing the objective, a second
level of main activities and a third level of broadly defined tasks to accomplish the main activities.
For each task on the third level, brainstorm what could go wrong.
Review all the potential problems and eliminate any that are improbable or whose consequences would be insignificant.
Show the problems as a fourth level linked to the tasks.
For each potential problem, brainstorm possible countermeasures. These might be actions or changes to the plan that would
prevent the problem, or actions that would remedy it once it occurred. Show the countermeasures as a fifth level, outlined in
clouds or jagged lines.
Decide how practical each countermeasure is. Use criteria such as cost, time required, ease of implementation and
effectiveness. Mark impractical countermeasures with an X and practical ones with an O.

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RCFL,Thal.

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ARROW DIAGRAM:An arrow diagramming method (ADM) is a network diagramming technique in which activities are represented by arrows. It is used
for scheduling activities in a project plan.
The precedence relation between activities is represented by circles connecting to one or more arrows. The length of the arrow
represents the duration of the relevant activity.
Sometimes a "dummy task" is added, to represent a dependency between tasks, which does not represent any activity.

EXAMPLES OF QUALITY CIRCLE MOVEMENT IN INDIA

1.

BHEL -1980 Mr.S.R.Udapa (GM Operations) 1st Indian to start quality circle

2.

Hero Honda motors Sunrise Quality circle

3.

Lucas TVS, Chennai honey bee quality circle

4.

Tata Refectories (located in orissa) Niharika quality circle (saved Rs.4000 p.a)

5.

Kudhremukh Iron Ore Plant (located in Karnataka) Soorthy Quality Circle

6.

XEROX one of the most well-known firms in the world has benefitted from it.

7.

Xerox reduced waste production by 65000 tons annually-with the help of Quality Circles.

8.

United Airlines one of the largest carriers in the USA

Quality circles at UA helped tackle the issue of no-shows and sick leaves.
Result: Sick leaves were down by 17% and UA could save 18.2 million dollars

Some successful example of Quality Circle in Indian Industries:

Hero Honda Motors
Has promoted the Sunrise Quality Circle and solve the problem of unsuccessful indicators supplied by a local manufacturer. The
indicators would always fail in the field of operation endangering the riders of Honda bikes and bringing Down the Companys
reputation. The Sunrise QC tackled the problem after an investigation wherein the members found that the indicators failed due to a gap
in the contact points. A few changes in the angle of the piece concerned and use of foolproof tools led to saving Rs. 80,000 per year. It
also helped in increasing customer satisfaction and improving the reputation of the company.
The TATA Refractories Limited
Belpahar, Orissa, has promoted the Niharika QC. The sweepers found that using brush fibrebristle was more effective in cleaning of
oil spills in the maintenance department where they worked Re- using of plastic brush fibers from Toyota Vacuum cleaner of the
department enabled them to save Rs. 4000 per annum besides leading to better housekeeping and safe working conditions.

SAURABH CHOUDHARI
ENGINEER (I.E/M.S)
RCFL,Thal.

QCFI

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Example of Quality Circle Programmes in India

BHEL-Navratna PSU one of the largest PSUs in INDIA.

BHELs Tiruchirapalli Plant: A large heavy engineering units manufacturing boilers and an entire range of equipments
required for a thermal power unit.

BHEL-pioneer in implementing QCs in INDIA. Introduced it in 1981. Introduced in 1984 at the Tiruchirapalli Plant.

BHEL -1980-Mr. S.R.Udapa

(G.M.operations)

1st Indian to start quality circle.

OBJECTIVES:
Achieve n sustain a reputation for quality at competitive prices in national and international market for entire product range.

FUNCTIONS:
1.

Preparations of QC manual

2.

Preparations of quality plan for various products

3.

Formation of annual quality implementations plan.

Questions by Judges after Presentation in QC Convention

Answering Questions 20 Marks
Judges may ask up to 5 questions, objective is judging team members involvement / knowledge w.r.t. project
and problem solving tools / process etc.
Normally Judges are expected to ask questions from the question bank or more or less of the same level considering the background of
members.
Guidelines for judges are:
Ask maximum two questions from one member. You may choose three members from respective circle to answer the questions in
turn.
This is to ensure the following:

1.

They know what case study is being presented. We expect each and every one to know the contents of presentation. Your first
part of questioning should be to find out this aspect. First two or three questions may be related to this.

2.

Knowledge about problem solving process and related tools.

3.

Any technical question related to project.

While asking the questions please do consider the experience of the circle and education level of its members. If needed ask / translate
your question in Hindi.

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ENGINEER (I.E/M.S)
RCFL,Thal.

QCFI

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Question Bank
1.

When your circle was formed?

2.

Which problem your group has solved through this case study?

3.

What was your contribution in solving this problem?

4.

How many meetings it took for your circle to solve this problem?

5.

What are the benefits you got by solving this problem?

6.

When this project was completed?

7.

How many tools you have used for solving this problem?

8.

How many problems were identified by your Quality Circle?

9.

How many of them are in A or B or C Category?

10. Which Category Problem a circle should take first? A Category

11. Which Category Problem your circle took?
12. As an individual what intangible benefit you got after joining QC?
13. Which one is Flow Diagram?
14. Which one is Cause & Effect Diagram?
15. In a Pareto Diagram the order of columns/ bars is Ascending or Descending?
16. Who is the Father of Quality Circle concept? Dr K Ishikawa
17. In which tool you come across vital few and useful many? Pareto Analysis
18. What is intangible benefit?
19. What is tangible benefit?
20. What is hitch-hiking in brain storming?
21. What is Kaizen?
22. What do 5-S stand for?
23. In which diagram flow lines symbol is used?
24. Do quality circles work only for tangible benefits?
25. What is the other name of PDCA cycle? Deming Cycle
26. Who gave the technique of brainstorming? Alex Osborn
27. What the other names of Cause and Effect Diagram? Fishbone Diagram or Ishikawa Diagram
28. Where in India QC started first? BHEL, Ramachandrapuram
29. What is stratification?
30. What is the purpose of Flow Diagram in step three of Problem solving process?

Answer right or wrong to the following question:

Wrong
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ENGINEER (I.E/M.S)
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31. Time spent to solve a problem by quality circles should not be less than 3 to 4 months?
32. Problems, which can be solved in 3-4 weeks, should not be taken by quality circles.
33. Leader is authorized to select members for a Quality Circles.
34. To identify possible causes circles should not use brainstorming.
35. Cause and Effect diagram is not a tool to show logical relationship between Causes/sub-causes/sub-sub causes and effect.
36. Milestone Chart shows link between problems and causes.

Right
37. To generate a list of possible solution we must use brainstorming.
38. Stratification is the process of separation of data into categories.
39. Continuous variable data is obtained by using an instrument or measuring process.
40. Scatter Diagram can be used to find out the strength of relationship between two variables.

KNOWLEDGE TEST 20 QUALITY CONCEPT ACRONYMS

1.

ISO -International Organization for Standardization

2.

CFT Cross Functional Team

3.

CWQC Company Wide Quality Control

4.

DOE Design Of Experiments

5.

EFQM European Foundation for Quality Management

6.

UCL Upper Control Limit

7.

TPM Total Productive Maintenance

8.

TQM Total Quality Management

9.

SMED -Single Minute Exchange of Dies

10. SOP Standard Operating Procedure (ex: Control Plan)

11. SPC Statistical Process Control
12. CQI Continuous Quality Improvement
13. CTQ -Critical to Quality
14. DPMO -Defects Per Million Opportunities
15. JIT Just in Time
16. LCL Lower Control Limit
17. MBNQA -Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award
18. MTBF Mean Time Between Failure
19. DPC -Process Decision Program Chart
20. ERT Program Evaluation and Review Technique

SAURABH CHOUDHARI
ENGINEER (I.E/M.S)
RCFL,Thal.