C215 All Terms

14 points for quality improvement

Developed by Dr. Deming to emphasize management’s responsibility for quality

Acceptance sampling

A method for determining whether an incoming lot of a product meets predetermined standards

Aggregate production planning

The development of a long-term output and resource plan in aggregate units of measure

Aggregate production plan

The result of aggregate production planning that includes planned output for individual product lines

Appraisal costs

Costs incurred in the process of uncovering defects

Attribute

A product characteristic that has a discrete value and can be counted

Cause-and-effect diagram

A chart (also called a fishbone or Ishikawa diagram) that identifies potential causes of a quality issue

Checklist

A simple list used to collect data on the frequency of defects or events

Common causes of variation

Random variation inherent in a process, typically unavoidable without process redesign

Conformance to specifications

How closely a product or service matches its design or technical requirements

Control charts

Graphs that show whether a process is in statistical control

Continuous improvement

Ongoing effort to improve products, services, or processes incrementally over time

Cp

A capability index that compares process spread to specification limits (assumes centered process)

Cpk

A capability index that considers both spread and centering relative to specification limits

Customer-defined quality

Quality as judged from the customer’s perspective, based on expectations and satisfaction

External failure costs

Costs from defects found after the product reaches the customer (e.g., returns, complaints)

Fitness for use

The extent to which a product performs its intended function for the customer

Flowchart

A diagram that maps the steps of a process in sequence

Histogram

A bar graph showing frequency distribution of measured values

Internal failure costs

Costs from defects discovered before the product reaches the customer

ISO 14000

International environmental management standards for reducing ecological impact

ISO 26000

International guidance standard focused on corporate social responsibility

ISO 9000

A set of international standards for quality management systems

Kaizen

A philosophy of continuous improvement through small, ongoing changes

Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award

A U.S. award for organizations that demonstrate excellence in quality and performance

Mean

The average value in a dataset, calculated by dividing the sum by the count of values

Out-of-control

A state where a process shows evidence of special cause variation or instability

Pareto analysis

A prioritization method that identifies the most impactful problems using the 80/20 rule

Plan–Do–Study–Act (PDSA) cycle

An iterative cycle used to improve processes continuously

Prevention costs

Costs incurred to avoid producing defective output (e.g., training, quality planning)

Process capability

The ability of a process to produce output within specification limits

Process capability index

A numeric measure (Cp or Cpk) that evaluates how capable a process is relative to spec limits

Psychological criteria

A subjective definition of quality based on look, feel, or prestige

Quality at the source

Catching and fixing defects at the point they occur in the process

Quality circle

A small group of employees who meet regularly to solve work-related quality issues

Quality function deployment (QFD)

A method that translates customer needs into technical product design requirements

Range

The difference between the highest and lowest values in a dataset

Reliability

The probability that a product will perform its intended function over time

Robust design

Designing products or processes to work consistently under a range of conditions

Scatter diagram

A graph showing the relationship between two numerical variables

Six Sigma quality

A high standard of quality with only 3.4 defects per million opportunities

Standard deviation

A statistical measure of variability or dispersion in a dataset

Statistical process control (SPC)

Using control charts and data analysis to monitor and improve process stability

Statistical quality control (SQC)

The use of statistics to evaluate and control the quality of processes and outputs

Support services

Quality based on service or help provided after purchase

Taguchi loss function

The idea that deviation from target specifications leads to increasing quality costs

Total quality management (TQM)

An organization-wide approach focused on customer satisfaction and continuous improvement

Value for price paid

Quality measured by the usefulness of a product relative to its cost

Variable

A measurable product characteristic that can take on a range of numeric values