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Acceptance sampling plan: A specific plan that indicates the sampling sizes and
associated acceptance or nonacceptance criteria to be used. In' attributes sampling,
for example, there are single, double, multiple, sequential, chain and skip-Iot
sampling plans. In variables sampling, there are single, double and sequential
sampling plans. (For detailed descriptions of these plans, see the standard'
ANSI/ISO/ ASQ A3534-2, Statistics-Vocabulary and Symbols-Statistical Quality
Control. )
Action plan: A specific method or process to achieve the results called for by one
or more objectives. May be a slmpler version of a project plan.
American Society for Quality Control (ASQC): Name of the Sodety from 1946
through the mlddle of 1997; then changed to ASQ.
Assignable cause: A name for the source of variation In a process that is not due
to chance and therefore can be identitied and ellminated. Also called "special
cause."
Attribute data: Go/ no-go information. The control charts based on attribute
data inelude percent chart, number of affected units chart, count chart, count per
unit chart, quallty score chart and demerit chart.
Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG): The originator and sole source of
the QS-9000 series of standards. ASQ'sAutomotive Divislonmalntains a liaisonto
thls group.
Average chart: A control chart In which the subgroup average, X-bar, Is used to
evaluate the stability of the process level.
Average outgoing quality (AOQ): The expected average quallty level of outgolng
product for a glven value of Incoming product quallty.
Average outgoing quality limit (AOQL): The maximum average outgoing quality
over al! posslble levels of incoming quality for a glven acceptance sampllng plan
and dlsposal speciflcation.
Average sample number (ASN): The average number of sample units Inspected
per lot In reaching declsions to accept or reject.
Average total inspection (ATI): The average number of unlts inspected per lot,
induding all unlts In rejected lots (applicable when the procedure calls for 100%
inspection of rejected lots).
Big Q, Little Q: A term used to contrast the difference between managing for
quallty In all business processes and products (blg Q) and managlng for quality in a
IImltedcapacity-tradltionally only in factory products and processes (lIttleq).
Black Belt (BB): Full-time team leader responslble for implementing process
Improvement projects-define, measure, analyze, improve and control (DMAIC)or
define, measure, analyze, deslgn and verify (DMADV)-wlthlnthe business to drive
up customer satlsfaction levels and business productivity.
Blemish: An imperfectlon severe enough to be noticed but that should not cause
any real Impairment with respect to intended normal or reasonably foreseeable use
(see also "defect," "Imperfection"and "nonconformity").
Box, George E.P.: A native of England, Box began his career during World War II
with the British Army Engineers, where he leamed statistics. He studied at
University College, beca me head of the statistical techniques research section at
Imperial Chemical Industrials and obtained a doctorate. He moved to the United
States and was a founder of Technometrics, publlshed by ASQ and the American
Statistical Assoclatlon. A professor at the Universlty of Wisconsln, Box is an
Honorary Member of ASQ.
Cascading: The continulng flow of the quallty message down to, not through, the
next level of supervislon until it reaches all workers. Same concept as "deploying."
Centerline: A IIne on a graph that represents the overall average (mean) operatlng
level of the process.
Chain sampling plan: In acceptance sampling, a plan In which the criteria for
acceptance and rejection apply to the cumulative sampllng results for the current
lot and one or more immediately preceding lots.
Champion: A business leader or senior manager who ensures that resources are
available for tralning and projects, and who Is involved in project tollgate reviews;
also an executlve who supports and addresses Slx Sigma organlzatlonallssues. (6
Change agent: An individual from within or outside an organization who facilltates
change within the organization. May or may not be the initiator of the change
effort.
Chart: A tool for organizing, summarizing and depicting data in graphic formo
Checklist: A tool used to ensure all important steps or actions in an operation have
been taken. Checklists contain items important or relevant to an issue or situatlon.
Checklists are often confused wlth check sheets (see individual entry).
Check sheet: A simple data recording device. The check sheet is custom designed
by the user, which allows him or her to readily interpret the results. The check
sheet is one of the "seven tools of quality." (See listing). Check sheets are often
confused with checklists (see individual entry).
Collier, Simon (deceasecl): An ASQ president who led the Soclety during a critical
growth period in 1952-53. Hls term was marked by numerous milestone events,
includlng a membership increase of 22% and the formation of 11 new sections and
the first dlvislons. Colller, an ASQ Honorary Member, was a chemist who began his
career at the National Bureau of Standards (now the National Institute of Standards
and Technology). Later he worked at Johns-Manville Corp., where he produced a
quality training film used by more than 300 companies.
Common causes: Causes of variation that are inherent in a process over time.
They affect every outcome of the process and everyone working in the process (see
also "speclal causes").
Computer aided engineering (CAE): A broad term used by the electronic design
automation Industry for the use of computers to design, analyze and manufacture
products and processes. CAE includes CAD (see IIsting) and computer aided
manufacturing (CAM), which 15the use of computers for managlng manufacturing
processes.
Concurrent engineering (CE): A way to reduce cost, improve quality and shrink
cycie time by simplifying a product's system of life cycle tasks during the early
concept stages.
Conformite Europeenne Mark (CE Mark): Conformity European Union mark. The
European Union created the CE Mark to regulate the goods sold within its borders.
The mark represents a manufacturer's declaration products comply with the EU's
New Approach Dlrectives. These directives apply to any country that sells products
within the EU.
Consumer's risk: Pertains to sampling and the potential risk that bad product will
be accepted and shipped to the consumer.
Continuous flow production: Means that items are produced and moved from
one processing step to the next one piece at a time. Each process makes only the
one piece that the next process needs, and the transfer batch size is one.
Control chart: A chart with upper and lower control Umitson which values of some
statlstical measure for a series of samples or subgroups are plotted. The chart
frequently shows a central Une to help detect a trend of plotted values toward
either controlllmit.
Control plan (CP): A document that describes the required characteristics for the
quality of a product or servlce, includlng measures and control methods.
Corrective action recommendation (CAR): The full cycle corrective action tool
that offers ease and slmplicity for employee Involvement In the corrective
action/process improvement cycle.
Cost of poor quality (COPQ): The costs assoclated wlth providlng poor quality
products or services. There are four categorles of costs: internal failure costs (costs
associated with defects found before the customer receives the product or service),
external failure costs (costs assoclated wlth defects found after the customer
receives the product or service), appraisal costs (costs incurred to determine the
degree of conformance to quallty requirements) and prevention costs (costs
incurred to keep fallure and appraisal costs to a minimum).
Cost of quality (COQ): A term coined by Philip Crosby referring to the cost of poor
quality .
Count chart: A control chart for evaluating the stability of a process in terms of
the count of events of a glven classiflcation occurring in a sample.
Count per unit chart: A control ctlart for evaluating the stabllity of a process in
terms
sample.of the average count oFevents of a glven classiflcation per unit occurring in a I'Z.
Cp: The ratio of tolerance to six sigma, or the USL (upper spedfication limit) minus
the LSL (Iower specification limit) divided by six sigma. It is sometimes referred to
as the engineering tolerance dlvided by the natural tolerance and is only a measure
of dispersion.
Cpkindex: Equals the lesser of the USL minus the mean divlded by three sigma (or
the mean) mlnus the LSL divided by three sigma. The greater the Cpk value, the
better.
Critical processes: Processes that present serious potential dangers to human life,
health and the environment or that risk the loss of very large sums of money or
customers.
Crosby, Philip (deceased): The founder and chairman of the board of Career IV,
an executive management consulting firm. Crosby also founded Philip Crosby
Associates Inc. and the Quality College. He wrote many books including Quality Is
Free, Quality Without Tears, Let's Talk Quality, and Leading: The Art of Becoming
an Executive. Crosby, who originated the zero defects concept, was an ASQ
Honorary Member and past presldent.
Cross functional: A term used to describe a process or an actlvity that crosses the
boundary between functions. A cross functional team consists of individuals from
more than one organizational unit or function.
Culture change: A major shift In the attitudes, norms, sentiments, bellets, values,
operating principies and behavior of an organizatlon.
Cumulative sum control chart (CUSUM): A control chart on which the plotted
value is the cumulative sum of devlatlons of successive samples from a target
value. The ordinate of each plotted point represents the algebralc sum of the
previous ordinate and the most recent deviations from the target.
Cycle time: The elapsed time between the start and completion of a task or an
entlre process for example, In order processlng it can be the time between receipt
and delivery of an order.
Data: A set of collected facts. There are two basic klnds of numerical data:
measured or variable data, such as "16 ounces," "4 miles" and "0.75 inches," and
counted or attrlbute data, such as "162 defects."
Defective: A defective unlt a unit of product that contains one or more defects
with respect to the quallty characteristic(s) under consideration.
Demerit chart: A control chart for evaluating a process in terms of a demerit (or
quality score), in other words, a weighted sum of counts of varlous classifled
nonconformities. "
Deming cycle: Sometimes called the Shewhart cycle (see "plan-do-check-act
cycle").
Deming Pze: Award given annually to organizations that, according to the award
guidelines, have successfully applied companywide quality control based on
statistical quality control and will keep up with it in the future. Although the award
is named in honor of W. Edwards Demlng, its criterla are not speclfically related to
Deming's teachings. There are three separate dlvisions for the award: the Deming
Application Prlze, the Deming Prize for Individuals and the Deming Prize for
Overseas Companles. The award process is overseen by the Demlng Prlze
Committee of the Union of Japanese Sclentists and Engineers In Tokyo.
Dissatisfiers: The features or functions a customer expects that either are not
present or are present but not adequate; also pertains to employees' expectations. I~
Distribution (statistical): The amount of potential variatlon In the outputs of a
process, typically expressed by Its shape, average or standard devlation.
DMADV:A data drlven quallty strategy for deslgnlng products and processes, it is
an integral part of a Six Sigma quality Initlative. It consists of five Interconnected
phases: define, measure, analyze, deslgn and verify.
DMAlC: A data driven quallty strategy for improving processes and an Integral part
of a Six Sigma quallty initiative. DMAICis an acronym for define, measure, analyze,
improve and control.
Dodge, Harold F. (deceased): An ASQ founder and Honorary Member. Hls work
wlth acceptance sampllng plans scientifically standardized inspectlon operatlons and
provided controllable risks. Although he usually is remembered for the Dodge-
Romlg sampling plans developed with Harry G. Romig, Dodge also helped develop
other basic acceptance sampling concepts (consumer's risk, producer's risk,
average outgoing quality rever) and several acceptance sampllng schemes.
Edwards, George D. (deceased): First president of ASQ. Edwards was noted for
his administrative skills in formlng and preserving the Society. He was the head of
the inspection englneering department and the director of quality assurance at Bell
Telephone Laboratories. He also served as a consultant to the Army Ordnance
Department and the War Productlon Board during World War II. Edwards was an
ASQ Honorary Member.
Effect: What results after an actlon has been taken; the expected or predicted
impact when an action is to be taken or is proposed.
Eighty-twenty (80-20): A term referring to the Pareto prindple, which was first
defined by J. M. Juran in 1950. The principie suggests most effects come from
relatively few causes; that is, 80% of the effects come from 20% of the posslble
causes.
Experimental design: A formal plan that detalls the specifics for conductlng an
experiment, such as whlch responses, factors, levels, blocks, treatments and tools
are to be used.
Feigenbaum, Armand v.: The founder and presldent of General Systems Co., an
Intemational engineering company that deslgns and Implements total quality
systems. Feigenbaum origlnated the concept of total quality control in hls book,
Total Quality Control, published in 1951. The book has been translated into many
languages, Includlng Japanese, Chlnese, French and Spanlsh. Feigenbaum is an
ASQ Honorary Member and served as ASQ presldent for two consecutive terms.
Fitness for use: A term used to Indicate that a product or servlce fits the
customer's defined purpose for that product or service.
Five Ss: Ave terms beginning with "S" utlllzed to create a workplace suited for
visual control and lean productlon. Seiri means to separate needed tools, parts, and
Instructions from unneeded materials and to remove the latter. Seiton means to
neatly arrange and Identifyparts and tools for ease of use. Seiso means to conduct
a deanup campaign. Seiketsu means to conduct seiri, seiton, and seiso at frequent,
Indeed dally, Intervals to maintain a workplaceIn perfect condltion.Shitsuke means
to form the hablt of always followingthe first four Ss.
Five whys: A technlque for discovering the root causes of a problem and showlng
the relationshlp of causes by repeatedly asklng the question, "Why?"
Force field analysis: A technique for analyzlng the forees that ald or hlnder an
organization in reaching an objective. An arrow pointing to an objective is drawn
down the mlddle of a plece of paper. The factors that will aid the objectlve's
achlevement, called the drlvlng forees, are listed on the left side of the arrow. The
factors that wlll hinder Its achievement, called the restralnlng forees, are listed on
the right slde of the arrow.
Gain sharing: A reward system that shares the monetary results of productivity
gains among owners and employees.
Gantt chart: A type of bar chart used in process planning and control to display
planned work and finished work in relation to time.
George M. Low Trophy: The trophy presented by NASAto those NASA aerospace
industry contractors, subcontractors and suppliers that consistently maintain and
improve the quaJity of their products and services. The award, which was formerly
called the NASA ExcellenceAward for QuaJity and Productivity, is given In two
categories: small business and large business. George M. Low was the NASA
administrator for nearly three decades. ,,
Goal: A broad statement describing a desired future condition or achievement
without being spedfic about how much and when.
Golomski, William (deceased): AsQ past president and Honorary Member and
president of W.A. Golomski and Associates, a technical and management consulting
firm. He was an educator, consultant and author of more than 300 papers and 10
books. Golomski also co-founded the AsQ Food, Drug & Cosmetics Division, was
founding editor of AsQ's Quality Management Journal and served on the initial
judging panel for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. He developed
quality systems in many industries.
Good laboratory practices (GLP) or 21 CFR, part 58: 144 requirements that
control the procedures and operatlons of toxicology laboratories.
Good manufacturing practices (GMP) or 21 CFR, parts 808, 812, and 820:
Requirements govemlng the quallty procedures of medical device manufacturers.
Green Belt (GB): A business team leader responslble for managing projects and
implementing improvement in hls or her organization. An employee of an
organization who has been trained on the improvement methodology of six slgma
and will lead a process improvement or quallty Improvement team as part of hls or
her full-time job.
Hawthorne effect: The concept that every change results (initially, at least) in
increased productivity.
Heijunka: The act of levellng the variety or volume of items produced at a process
over a penod of time. Used to avoid excessive batching of product types and
volume fluctuations, especially at a pacemaker process.
Highly accelerated life test (HALT): A process developed to uncover design
defects and weaknesses In electronlc and mechanical assemblies using a vibration
system combined with rapid high and low temperature changes. The purpose of
HALT 15to optimize product reliabllity by Identifylng the functional and destructive
limits of a producto HALT addresses reliabillty issues at an early stage in product
development.
Inputs: The products, services, material and so forth obtained from suppliers and
used to produce the outputs delivered to customers.
Inspection cost: The cost assodated with inspectlng a product to ensure it meets
the internal or external customer's needs and requlrements; an appraisal costo
Internal failure: A product failure that occurs before the product is delivered to
external customers.
Juran, Joseph M.: The chairman emeritus of the Juran Instltute and an ASQ
Honorary Member. Slnce 1924, Juran has pursued a varied career in management
as an englneer, executive, govemment adminlstrator, university professor, labor
arbitrator, corporate director and consultant. SpecializlngIn managing for quallty,
he has authored hundreds of papers and 12 boolcs,includlngJuran's QualityControl
Handbook, Quality Planning and Analysis (wlth F. M. Gryna) and Juran on
Leadershipfor Quality.
Juran trilogy: Three managerial processes identified by J.M. Juran for use In
managing for quallty: quality planning, quality control and quality Improvement.
Just--in-time training: The provision of trainlng only when it is needed to all but
elimlnate the loss of Icnowledge and slcillcaused by a lag between training and use.
Kaizeru A Japanese term that means gradual unendlng improvement by doing little
thlngs better and setting and achievlng increaslngly higher standards. MasaalclImai
made the term famous in his boolc, Kaizen: The Key to Japan's Competitive
Success.
Kanban: A Japanese term for one of the primary tools of a just-In-tlme system. It
maintains an orderly and efficient flow of materials throughout the entire
manufacturing process. It Is usually a printed card that contalns specificinformation
such as part name, description and quantity.
Key process: A major system level process that supports the misslon and satisfies
maJor consumer requlrements.
Key results area: A maJor category of customer requlrements that is critical for
the organization's success.
Listening post: An individual who, by virtue of his or her potential for having
contact with customers, 15deslgnated to collect, document and transmlt pertinent
feedback to a central collection authority within the organization.
Lot quality: The value of percentage defective or of defects per hundred units in a
lot.
Lot size (also referred to as N): The number of unlts In the lot.
Lower control limit (LCL): Control limlt for polnts below the central line In a
control chart.
Maintainability: The probabillty that a given malntenance actlon for an item under
given usage condltions can be performed withln a stated time interval when the
malntenance is performed under stated conditions using stated procedures and
resources. Malntainabilltyhas two categories: servlceabillty(the ease of conductlng
scheduled inspections and servlclng) and repairabllity (the ease of restorlng servlce I?
after a fallure).
Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA):An award established by
the u.s. Congress in 1987 to raise awareness of quality management and recognize
U.S. companies that have implemented successful quality management systems.
Two awards may be given annually in each of flve categories: manufacturing
company, service company, small business, education and healthcare. The award is
named after the late Secretary of Commerce MalcolmBaldrige, a proponent of
quality management. The u.s. Commerce Department's National Institute of
Standards and Technologymanages the award, and ASQadministers it.
Manager: An individual charged with the responslbility for managing resources and
processes.
Master Black Belt (MBB): Slx Slgma or quality experts responsible for strategic
Implementations withln the business. The Master Black Belt is qualifled to teach
other Six Sigma facilitators the methodologies, tools and applications in all
functlons and levels of the company and is a resource for utllizlng statistical process
control within processes.
Matrix: A plannlng tool for dlsplaylng the relatlonshlps among various data sets.
Mean time between failures (MTBF):The average time interval between failures
for repairable product for a deflned unlt of measure; for example, operatlng hours,
cycles and miles.
Measure: The criterla, metric or means to whlch a comparlson 15 made wlth
output.
Median: The mlddle number or center value of a set of data In whlch all the data
are arranged in sequence.
Muda: Japanese for waste. Any activity that consumes resources but creates no
value for the customer.
Multivariate control chart: A control chart for evaluating the stability of a process
in terms of the levels of two or more variables or characteristics.
Normal distribution (statistical): The charting of a data set in which most of the
data points are concentrated around the average (mean), thus forming a bell
shaped curve.
Number of affected units chart: A control chart for evaluating the stablllty of a
process in terms of the total number of units in a sample in which an event of a
given classification occurs.
Ott, Ellis R. (deceased): An educator who devoted his career to providing U.S.
industry with statistical quality control professionals. In 1946, Ott became the
chairman of the mathematics department at Rutgers University's Universlty College
with one condition: that he could also consult on and teach quality control. His
influence led the university to establish the Rutgers Statlstics Center. Ott, an ASQ
Honorary Member, developed the analysis of means procedure and published many
papers.
Out of spec: A term that indlcates a unit does not meet a given requirement.
Pereent ehart: A control chart for evaluatlng the stabllity of a process in terms of
the percentage of the total number of units in a sample in which an event of a
given classification occurs. The percent chart is also referred to as a proportion
chart.
P9S' PSO' P10' POS' and so forth: The submitted quality in fraction defective for
which the probability of acceptance Is 0.95, 0.50, 0.10, 0.05, and so forth, for a
given sampllng plan. Note: The exact value of P95' P50' PIO' POS' and so forth,
depends on whether "submitted quallty" relates to lot quality or process quality.
: Prevention vs. deteetion: A term used to contrast two types of quality activities.
~ Prevention refers to activities designed to prevent nonconformances in products
t; and services. Detection refers to activities designed to detect nonconformances
already in products and services. Another phrase to describe this distinction is
"designing in quality vs. inspecting in quality."
Problem solving: The act of defining a problem; determining the cause of the
problem; identifying, prioritizing and selecting alternatives for a solution; and
implementing a solution.
Procedure: The steps in a process and how these steps are to be performed for
the process to fulfillcustomer's requirements.
Process capability index: The value of the tolerance specifled for the
characteristic divided by the process capabllity. The severa I types of process
capability indexes indude the widely used Cpk and Cp .
Process control: The methodology for keeping a process wlthin boundaries;
minimizing the variatlon of a process.
Process owner: The person who coordinates the various functions and work
activities at al! levels of a process, has the authority or abllity to make changes in
the process effectiveness.
performance as required and manages the entlre process cycle to ensure If&
Process performance management (PPM):The overseeing of process instances
to ensure thelr quallty and tlmellness. Can also include proactlve and reactlve
actlons to ensure a good result.
Process quality: The value of percentage defective or of defects per hundred units
in product from a glven process. Note: The symbols "p" and "c" are commonly used
to represent the true process average in fraction defective or defects per unit; and
"lOOp"and "100c" the true process average In percentage defective or in defects
per hundred units.
Production part approval process (PPAP): A Big Three automotive process that
defines the generic requlrements for approval of productlon parts, including
productlon and bulk materials. Its purpose 15 to determine durlng an actual
productlon run at the quoted production rates whether al! customer englneerlng
deslgn record and speciflcation requirements are properly understood by the
supplier and that the process has the potential to produce product consistently
meeting these requirements.
project team: Manages the work of a project. The work typlcally involves
balancing competlng demands for project scope, time, cost, risk and quallty,
satlsfylng stakeholders with differing needs and expectatlons and meeting identifled
requirements.
Quality: A subjectlve term for whlch each person has hls or her own deflnltlon. In
technical usage, quality can have two meanlngs: 1. the characterlstlcs of a product
or servlce that bear on Its abllltyto satlsfy stated or Impliedneeds. 2. a product or
service free of deficlencles.
Quality plan: A document or set of documents that describe the standaros, quality
practices, resources and processes pertlnent to a specific product, service or
project.
Quality score chart: A control chart for evaluating the stablllty of a process. The
quality score Is the weighted sum of the count of events of various classifications In
whlch each classlftcatlon is asslgned a weight.
Quality trilogy: A three-pronged approach to managing for quality. The three legs
are quality plannlng (developing the products and processes requlred to meet
customer needs), quallty control (meeting product and process goals) and quality
improvement (achleving unprecedented levels of performance).
Random cause: A cause of variation due to chance and not assignable to any
factor. IV
Random sampling: A commonly used sampllng technique in whlch sample units
are selected so that all combinations of n unlts under conslderatlon have an equal
chance of belng selected as the sample.
Range chart (R chart): A control chart In which the subgroup range, R, 15used to
evaluate the stabllity of the variability wlthin a process.
Rejection number: The smallest number of defectives (or defects) in the sample
or samples under consideration that will require the rejection of the lot.
ID
Reliability: The probability of a product's performing its intended function under
stated conditions without failure for a given period of time.
Right the first time: A term used to convey the concept that it is beneficial and
more cost effective to take the necessary steps up front to ensure a product or
service meets its requirements than to provide a product or service that wlll need
rework or not meet customer needs. In other words, an organization should engage
in defect prevention rather than defect detection.
Romig, Harry G. (deceased): An Honorary Member and founder of ASQ who was
most widely known for his contributions in sampling. At AT&TBell Laboratories,
Romig and Harold F. Dodge developed the Dodge-Romig sampling tables, operating
characteristics for sampling plans and other fundamentals. Romig alone developed
the first sampling plans using variables data and the concept of average outgoing
quality limit. Later in hls life, Romig was a consultant and taught quality related
courses at several universities.
Run chart: A chart showing a line connecting numerous data points collected from
a process running over a period of time.
Satisfier: A term used to describe the quality level received by a customer when a
product or service meets expectations.
Self-directed work team (SDWT): A type of team structure in which much of the
decision making regarding how to handle the team's activities is controlled by the
team members themselves.
Seven tools of quality: Tools that help organizations understand thelr processes
to improve them. The tools are the cause and effect diagram, check sheet, control
chart, flowchart, histogram, Pareto chart and scatter diagram (see Individual
entries).
Signal to noise ratio (S/N ratio): A mathematical equation that indicates the
magnitude of an experimental effect above the effect of experimental error due to
chance fluctuatlons.
Six Sigma: A methodology that provides businesses with the tools to improve the
capability of thelr business processes. This increase in performance and decrease in
process variation lead to defect reduction and improvement in proftts, employee
moral e and quality of producto
Six Sigma quality: A term generally used to indicate a process is well controlled,
(:t:6 sigma from the centerline In a control chart). The term is usually associated
with Motorola, which named one of its key operational Inltiatlves "Slx Sigma
quality. "
Special causes: Causes of variatlon that arise beca use of special circumstances.
They are not an inherent part of a process. Special causes are also referred to as
asslgnable causes (see also "common causes").
Sponsor: The person who supports a team's plans, actlvlties and outcomes; the
team's "backer."
Stages of team growth: Four stages that teams move through as they develop
maturity over time: forming, storming, normlng and performing.
Standard work: A precise descrlption of each work activity specifying cyele time,
takt time (see listing), the work sequence of speclfic tasks and the minimum
Inventory of parts on hand needed to conduct the activity. I~
Statistical process control (SPC): The application of statistical techniques to
control a process. The term "stati stical quality control" is often used
interchangeably with "statistical process control."
Statistics: A field that involves the tabulating, depictlng and describing of data
sets; a formalized body of techniques characterlstically Invohdng attempts to infer
the properties of a large collectlon of data from inspection of a sample of the
collectlon.
Strategic planning: The process by which an organization envisions its future and
develops strategies, goals, objectives and action plans to achieve that future.
Stretch goals: A set of goals designed to posltion the organlzation to meet future
requirements.
Taguchi Methods: The American Supplier Institute's trademarked term for the
quality engineerlng methodology developed by Genichi Taguchi. In this engineering
approach to quality control, Taguchi calls for off-line quality control, on-Une quality
control and a system of experimental design to improve quality and reduce costs.
Takt time: The rate of customer demando Takt 15the heartbeat of a lean system.
Takt time is calculated by dividing production time by the quantlty the customer
requires In that time.
Tolerance: The maximum and minimum limit values a product may have and still
meet customer requirements.
Total quality management (TQM): A term initially coined by the Naval Air
Systems Command to describe its Japanese style management approach to quality
improvement. Since then, TQM has taken on many meanings. Simply put, it is a
management approach to long-term success through customer satisfaction. TQM is
based on the participation of al! members of an organlzation in improvlng
processes, products, services and the culture in which they work. The methods for
implementing this approach are found in the teachings of such quality leaders as
Philip B. Crosby, W. Edwards Deming, Armand V. Feigenbaum, Kaoru Ishikawa and
Joseph M. Juran.
Tree diagram: A management tool that depicts the hierarchy of tasks and
subtasks needed to complete an objective. The finished diagram bears a
resemblance to a tree.
t-test: Assesses whether the means of two groups are statistically different from
each other. Use this analysls if you want to compare the means of two groups.
u
U chart: Count per unit chart.
Upper control limit (UCL): Control limit for polnts above the central Une in a
control chart.
v
Validation: The act of confirmlng a product or servlce meets the requlrements for
whlch it was Intended.
Value added: The parts of the process that add worth from the perspectlve of the
external customer.
Value adding process: Activities that transform Input into a custorner usable
output. The customer can be internal or external to the organlzation.
Values: The fundamental bellefs that drive organlzational behavior and decision
making.
Value stream: Al! activities, both value added and nonvalue added, required to
bring a product from raw material state into the hands of the customer, bring a
customer requirement from order to dellvery and bring a design from concept to
launch.
Value stream loops: Segments of a value stream with boundaries broken into
loops are a way to divide future state implementation into manageable pieces.
Value stream manager: Person responsible for creating a future state map and
leading door-to-door implementation of the future state for a particular product
family. Makeschange happen across departmental and functional boundaries.
Value stream mapping: A pencil and paper tool used in two stages: 1. Follow a
product's production path from beginning to end and draw a visual representation
of every process in the material and information flows. 2. Then draw a future state
map of how value should flow. The most important map is the future state map.
Vital few, useful many: A term used by Joseph M. Juran to describe his use of the
Pareto principie, which he first defined in 1950. (The prindpal was used much
earlier in economics and inventory control methodologies.) The prindple suggests
most effects come from relatively few causes; that is, 80% of the effects come
from 20% of the possible causes. The 20% of the possible causes are referred to as /6
the "vital few"; the remaining causes are referred to as the "useful many." When
Juran first defined this principie, he referred to the remaining causes as the "trivial
many," but realizing that no problems are trivial in quality assurance, he changed it
to "useful many."
Waste: Any activity that consumes resources and produces no added value to the
product or service a customer rece ives.
Wescott, Mason E.: ASQ founder and Honorary Member. A professor emeritus at
the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), Wescott has been teaching
mathematlcs and statistics since 1925. He has taught at Northwestem University,
Rutgers University and RIT, where the Wescott Statistics Laboratory was dedlcated
In his honor In 1984. Wescott succeeded Martln A. Brumbaugh as the editor of
Industrial Quality Control in 1947, a posltion he held until1961.
Whisker: From box plot, dlsplays mlnlmum and maximum observations within 1.5
IQR (75th to 25th percentile span) from either 25th or 75th percentlle. Outlier are
those that fall outside of the 1.5 range.
Wilcoxon Mann-Whitney test: Used to test the nOIl hypothesls that two
populations have identical dlstrlbution functions against the altemative hypothesls
that the two distribution functions differ only with respect to locatlon (median), if at
all. It does not requlre the assumption that the differences between the two
samples are normally distributed. In many applications, it is used in place of the
two sample t-test when the norma lity assumption is questionable. This test can also
be applied when the observatlons in a sample of data are ranks, that is, ordlnal
data rather than direct measurements.
Work team: A team comprising members from one work unlt. Also called a
"natural team."
x
X-bar chart: Average chart
Summa qum laude: Graduating top in your class with a degree in quallty (also
qum laude, magna qum laude).