The environment of the business of power sector has been changed recently largely due to partial deregulation of this sector. The need has increasingly being felt at least to achieve customer satisfaction, if not, delightment. Hence,it is essential to analyze the present situation critically by capturing the useful informations that will facilitate the process for effective managerial decision making.
In this direction, the seven quality control tools also known as 7 QC tools are very useful. These tools revolutionised the business and the world. The paradigm is so wide that these tools can be effectively deployed and used in any kind of industry.
These 7 QC tools are as follows:
• Check Sheets
• Scatter Diagrams
• Histograms/Bar Chart
• Pareto Analysis
• Flow Charts
• Cause-Effect Diagram
• Control Charts
In this direction, the seven quality control tools also known as 7 QC tools are very useful. These tools revolutionised the business and the world. The paradigm is so wide that these tools can be effectively deployed and used in any kind of industry.
These 7 QC tools are as follows:
• Check Sheets
• Scatter Diagrams
• Histograms/Bar Chart
• Pareto Analysis
• Flow Charts
• Cause-Effect Diagram
• Control Charts
This may be a simple listing of items which can represent information in an efficient, graphical format. If the system under analysis can be depicted into a form, it can provide a very useful management information.
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| Check Sheet |
2. Scatter Diagrams
Scatter diagrams are graphical tools that attempt to depict the influence that one variable has on another. A common diagram of this type usually displays points representing the observed value of one variable corresponding to the value of another variable.
Scatter diagrams are graphical tools that attempt to depict the influence that one variable has on another. A common diagram of this type usually displays points representing the observed value of one variable corresponding to the value of another variable.
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| Scatter Diagram |
3. Histograms/Bar Chart
Histograms provide a simple, graphical view of accumulated data. It provides the easiest way to evaluate the distribution of data, including its dispersion and central tendency. It is very easy to construct a histogram.
4. Pareto Analysis
Pareto charts are based on the principle – “Vital Few Trivial Many”. It allows user to focus attention on a few important factors in a process. It is extremely useful because it identifies those factors which have the greatest cumulative effect on the system. Pareto chart is created by plotting the cumulative frequencies of the relative frequency data (event count data), in descending order.
Histograms provide a simple, graphical view of accumulated data. It provides the easiest way to evaluate the distribution of data, including its dispersion and central tendency. It is very easy to construct a histogram.
4. Pareto Analysis
Pareto charts are based on the principle – “Vital Few Trivial Many”. It allows user to focus attention on a few important factors in a process. It is extremely useful because it identifies those factors which have the greatest cumulative effect on the system. Pareto chart is created by plotting the cumulative frequencies of the relative frequency data (event count data), in descending order.
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| Histograms/Bar Chart |
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| Pareto Chart |
5. Flow Charts
Flow charts are pictorial representations of a process. By breaking the process down into its constituent steps, flowcharts can be useful in identifying where errors are likely to be found in the system.
6. Cause-Effect Diagram
This diagram, also called an Ishikawa diagram (or fish bone diagram), is used to associate multiple possible causes with a single effect. Thus, given a particular effect, the diagram is constructed to identify and organize possible causes for it.The primary branch represents the effect (the quality characteristic that is intended to be improved and controlled) and is typically labelled on the right side of the diagram. Each major branch of the diagram corresponds to a major cause (or class of causes) that directly relates to the effect.Minor branches correspond to more detailed causal factors. This type of diagram is useful in any analysis, as it illustrates the relationship between cause and effect in a rational manner.
Flow charts are pictorial representations of a process. By breaking the process down into its constituent steps, flowcharts can be useful in identifying where errors are likely to be found in the system.
6. Cause-Effect Diagram
This diagram, also called an Ishikawa diagram (or fish bone diagram), is used to associate multiple possible causes with a single effect. Thus, given a particular effect, the diagram is constructed to identify and organize possible causes for it.The primary branch represents the effect (the quality characteristic that is intended to be improved and controlled) and is typically labelled on the right side of the diagram. Each major branch of the diagram corresponds to a major cause (or class of causes) that directly relates to the effect.Minor branches correspond to more detailed causal factors. This type of diagram is useful in any analysis, as it illustrates the relationship between cause and effect in a rational manner.
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| Flow Charts |
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| Fish Bone Diagrams |
7. Control Charts
The control chart is the fundamental tool of Statistical Quality Control(SQC). It indicates the common cause variation that is built into a system thus allow the user to determine the process consistency and continuity.Special causes can be assigned for a process which is out of control or going to be out of control. The bounds of the control chart are marked by upper and lower control limits that are calculated by applying statistical formulas to data from the process. Data points that fall outside these bounds represent variations due to special causes, which can typically be found and eliminated. The most commonly used SQC charts are X and R Charts, P Chart and C Chart.
Mere use of the quality control tools does not necessarily constitute a guarantee to achieve drastic improvements in quality. It is imperative to establish an environment and a system that will continuously promote quality in all aspects of its operation. The basic purpose of the entire quality program with the help of performance benchmarking and KPI data capturing is improvement in the process, in a particular methodology which include:
• Discovery;
• Analysis;
• Improvement;
• Monitoring;
• Implementation; and
• Verification.
The control chart is the fundamental tool of Statistical Quality Control(SQC). It indicates the common cause variation that is built into a system thus allow the user to determine the process consistency and continuity.Special causes can be assigned for a process which is out of control or going to be out of control. The bounds of the control chart are marked by upper and lower control limits that are calculated by applying statistical formulas to data from the process. Data points that fall outside these bounds represent variations due to special causes, which can typically be found and eliminated. The most commonly used SQC charts are X and R Charts, P Chart and C Chart.
Mere use of the quality control tools does not necessarily constitute a guarantee to achieve drastic improvements in quality. It is imperative to establish an environment and a system that will continuously promote quality in all aspects of its operation. The basic purpose of the entire quality program with the help of performance benchmarking and KPI data capturing is improvement in the process, in a particular methodology which include:
• Discovery;
• Analysis;
• Improvement;
• Monitoring;
• Implementation; and
• Verification.
The power sector, facing changes due to partial deregulation, strives for customer satisfaction. The 7 Quality Control (QC) tools are invaluable in this pursuit. These tools include Check Sheets, Scatter Diagrams, Histograms, Pareto Analysis, Flow Charts, Cause-Effect Diagrams, and Control Charts. They help visualize data and identify areas for improvement. While these tools alone won't guarantee quality enhancement, when integrated into a continuous quality improvement framework, they form a vital part of the process, from discovery and analysis to monitoring and verification. Flowace, a versatile operational tool, complements these efforts.
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