Name: ___________________________ Date: __________________

Yr. & Sec. __Grade 7______________ Teacher: _______________

First Quarter - Lesson 8 : Engage in quality improvement.

Description:

The lesson teaches the process improvement procedure. Monitoring performance

operation, checking quality output procedures.

Content Standard:

The learner demonstrates the checking process, quality controlling, quality assurance,
records and documents.

Performance Standard:

The learner shall be able to records and documents organizational work procedures,
manufacturers instructional manual and forms.

Learning Competencies:

Participate process improvement procedures in relative to workplace assignment. Carry

out work in accordance with process improvement procedures. Monitor performance of
operation or quality of product of service to ensure customer satisfaction.

Read the Information Sheet 1.1 very well then find out how much you can remember and
how much you learned by doing Self-check 1.1.

Quality Improvement

In technical usage, quality can have two meanings:

1. the characteristics of a product or service that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or
implied needs.

2. a product or service free of deficiencies.

 The quality of a product or service refers to the perception of the degree to which the
product or service meets the customer's expectations. Quality has no specific meaning unless
related to a specific function and/or object. Quality is a perceptual, conditional and somewhat
subjective attribute.

The dimensions of quality refer to the attributes that quality achieves in Operations Management:

Quality <-> Dependability <-> Speed <-> Flexibility <-> Cost

 Quality supports dependability

 Dependability supports Speed
 Speed supports Flexibility
 Flexibility supports Cost.

In the manufacturing industry it is commonly stated that “Quality drives productivity.”

Improved productivity is a source of greater revenues, employment opportunities and
technological advances. The best way to think about quality is in process control. If the process
is under control, inspection is not necessary. However, there is one characteristic of modern
quality that is universal. In the past, when we tried to improve quality, typically defined as
producing fewer defective parts, we did so at the expense of increased cost, increased task time,
longer cycle time, etc.

Quality and Task-Completion Checking

With development teams of two or three in daily contact and frequently exchanging views and
criticisms, detailed, written quality and task-completion checking procedures may be felt to be
unnecessary. Procedures still need to be agreed and the results need to be documented. The need
to check quality and task completion applies at all stages of the development process but is
underlined especially during the prototype validation stages.

The importance of documenting checks applies whatever the size of the team and whatever the
complexity of the software. In the production of assets, this may involve checking to confirm the
following:

 that all the asset files listed in the product specification document have been produced;
 that files are correctly named;
 that files are the correct byte size or near the projected file size (examining the file-sizes
in a directory listing can be helpful in identifying problem files which are either much too
large or much too small); that files are the correct resolution (screen-size and bit-depth in
 the case of graphics; duration, sampling frequency and bit-depth in the case of sound
files);
 that the quality of files displaying on the target monitor or heard on target listening
equipment is acceptable.

Note that sampling is seldom a satisfactory checking method. Checking should be

exhaustive, unless for reasons of time or economy this is impossible. Usually, however, trying to
economize on checking and testing is a false economy and cutting corners here will often come
back to haunt the development team. At the end of the day, all files will need to be tested and, if
at all possible, this should be done sooner rather than at a later trial stage.

Quality Improvement Processes

Manufacturers can choose from a variety of tools to improve their quality processes. The trick is
to know which tools to use for each situation and increasing the sophistication of the tools in the
repertoire.

Easy to implement and follow up, the most commonly used and well-known quality process is
the plan/do/check/act (PDCA) cycle (Figure 1). Other processes are a takeoff of this method,
much in the way that computers today are takeoffs of the original IBM system. The PDCA cycle
promotes continuous improvement and should thus be visualized as a spiral instead of a closed
circle.

Another popular quality improvement process is the six-step PROFIT model in which the
acronym stands for:

P = Problem definition.
R = Root cause identification and analysis
O = Optimal solution based on root cause(s).
F = Finalize how the corrective action will be implemented.
I = Implement the plan.
T = Track the effectiveness of the implementation and verify that the desired results are
met.

If the desired results are not met, the cycle is repeated. Both the PDCA and the PROFIT models
can be used for problem solving as well as for continuous quality improvement. In companies
that follow total quality principles, whichever model is chosen should be used consistently in
every department or function in which quality improvement teams are working.
Figure 1. The most common process for quality improvement is the plan/do/check/act cycle
outlined above. The cycle promotes continuous improvement and should be thought of as a
spiral, not a circle.

Once the basic problem-solving or quality improvement process is understood, the addition of
quality tools can make the process proceed more quickly and systematically. Seven simple tools
can be used by any professional to ease the quality improvement process: flowcharts, check
sheets, Pareto diagrams, cause and effect diagrams, histograms, scatter diagrams, and control
charts. (Some books describe a graph instead of a flowchart as one of the seven tools.)

The key to successful problem resolution is the ability to identify the problem, use the
appropriate tools based on the nature of the problem, and communicate the solution quickly to
others. Inexperienced personnel might do best by starting with the Pareto chart and the cause and
effect diagram before tackling the use of the other tools. Those two tools are used most widely
by quality improvement teams.

Flow Chart

Flowcharts describe a process in as much detail as

possible by graphically displaying the steps in proper
sequence. A good flowchart should show all process
steps under analysis by the quality improvement team,
identify critical process points for control, suggest areas
for further improvement, and help explain and solve a
problem.

Flowcharts can be simple, such as the one featured in

Figure 2, or they can be made up of numerous boxes,
symbols, and if/then directional steps. In more complex
versions, flowcharts indicate the process steps in the
appropriate sequence, the conditions in those steps, and
the related constraints by using elements such as arrows,
yes/no choices, or if/then statements.

Figure 2. A basic production process flowchart displays

several paths a part can travel from the time it hits the
receiving dock to final shipping.

CHECK SHEETS

Check sheets help organize data by category. They show how many times each particular
value occurs, and their information is increasingly helpful as more data are collected. More than
50 observations should be available to be charted for this tool to be really useful. Check sheets
minimize clerical work since the operator merely adds a mark to the tally on the prepared sheet
rather than writing out a figure (Figure 3). By showing the frequency of a particular defect (e.g.,
in a molded part) and how often it occurs in a specific location, check sheets help operators spot
problems. The check sheet example shows a list of molded part defects on a production line
covering a week's time. One can easily see where to set priorities based on results shown on this
check sheet. Assuming the production flow is the same on each day, the part with the largest
number of defects carries the highest priority for correction.
Figure-3. Because it clearly organizes data, a check sheet is the easiest way to track information.

PARETO DIAGRAMS

The Pareto diagram is named after Vilfredo Pareto, a 19th-century Italian economist. are caused
by 20% of the potential sources. A Pareto
diagram puts data in a hierarchical order
(Figure 4), which allows the most
significant problems to be corrected first.
The Pareto analysis technique is used
primarily to identify and evaluate
nonconformities, although it can summarize
all types of data. It is perhaps the diagram
most often used in management
presentations.

To create a Pareto diagram, the operator

collects random data, regroups the
categories in order of frequency, and creates a bar graph based on the results.
Figure 4. By rearranging random data, a Pareto diagram identifies and ranks nonconformities in
the quality process in descending order.

CAUSE AND EFFECT DIAGRAMS

The cause and effect diagram is sometimes called an Ishikawa diagram after its inventor.
It is also known as a fish bone diagram because of its shape. A cause and effect diagram
describes a relationship between variables. The undesirable outcome is shown as effect, and
related causes are shown leading to, the said effect. This popular tool has one severe limitation,
however, in that users can overlook important, complex interactions between causes. Thus, if a
problem is caused by a combination of factors, it is difficult to use this tool to depict and solve it.

Figure 5. Fish bone diagrams display the various possible causes of the final effect. Further
analysis can prioritize them.
A fish bone diagram displays all contributing factors and their relationships to the outcome to
identify areas where data should be collected and analyzed. The major areas of potential causes
are shown as the main bones, Later, the subareas are depicted. Thorough analysis of each cause
can eliminate causes one by one, and the most probable root cause can be selected for corrective
action. Quantitative information can also be used to prioritize means for improvement, whether it
be to machine, design, or operator.

HISTOGRAMS

The histogram plots data in a frequency distribution table. What distinguishes the histogram from
a check sheet is that its data are grouped into
rows so that the identity of individual values is
lost. Commonly used to present quality
improvement data, histograms work best with
small amounts of data that vary considerably.
When used in process capability studies,
histograms can display specification limits to
show what portion of the data does not meet
the specifications.
After the raw data are collected, they are
grouped in value and frequency and plotted in
a graphical form (Figure 6). A histogram's
shape shows the nature of the distribution of
the data, as well as central tendency (average)
and variability. Specification limits can be
used to display the capability of the process.
Figure 6. A histogram is an easy way to see
the distribution of the data, its average, and
variability.

SCATTER DIAGRAMS

A scatter diagram shows how two

variables are related and is thus used to test for
cause and effect relationships. It cannot prove that one variable causes the change in the other,
only that a relationship exists and how strong it is. In a scatter diagram, the horizontal (x) axis
represents the measurement values of one variable, and the vertical (y) axis represents the
measurements of the second variable. Figure 7 shows part clearance values on the x-axis and the
corresponding quantitative measurement values on the y-axis.
Figure 7. The plotted data points in a scatter
diagram show the relationship between two
variables.

CONTROL CHARTS

A control chart displays statistically determined upper and lower limits

drawn on either side of a process average. This chart shows if the collected
data are within upper and lower limits previously determined through
statistical calculations of raw data from earlier trials (Figure 8).

Figure 8. Data points that fall outside the upper and lower control limits
leads to investigation and correction of the process.
In preparing a control chart, the mean upper control limit (UCL) and lower
control limit (LCL) of an approved process and its data are calculated. A
blank control chart with mean UCL and LCL with no

Self Check 1.1

Define the Following:

1. Quality
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2. FlowChart
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3. Check Sheet
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4. Pareto Diagram
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Activity Sheet 1.1.1

Provided with the needed tools, testing devices and materials in improving quality
processes, classify them using a check sheet to determine their condition.

Condition
Tools Good Defective
1.
2.
3.

Testing Device
1.
2.
3.
4.
Materials
1.
2.
3.
 Assignment 1.1.1

1. As a Computer System Servicing student, what role are appropriate in your Industry?

2. Cut pictures of tools used in Computer System Servicing and be able to identify their
function.
 Posttest

Define the following:

1. Quality

2. Flow Chart

3. Check Sheet

4. Pareto Diagram