Traditional Seven Tools of Quality / Basic seven

tools of quality
Kaoru Ishikawa, a Japanese engineering professor, created the seven basic
tools of quality.
The seven basic tools of quality is a designation given to a fixed set of
graphical techniques identified as being most helpful in troubleshooting issues
related to quality. They are called basic because they are suitable for people
with little formal training in statistics and because they can be used to solve
the vast majority of quality-related issues.
The seven tools are:
1. Cause-and-effect diagram (also known as the "fishbone diagram" or
Ishikawa diagram)
2. Check sheet
3. Control chart
4. Histogram
5. Pareto chart
6. Scatter diagram
7. Flowchart or Process Flowchart

1. Cause-and-effect diagram (also known as the "fishbone diagram"

or Ishikawa diagram)

Ishikawa diagrams are causal diagrams created by Kaoru Ishikawa that

show the potential causes of a specific event.
 It is a tool for discovering all the possible causes for a particular effect.

 The major purpose of this diagram is to act as a first step in problem

solving by creating a list of possible causes.

The defect is shown as the fish's head, facing to the right, with
the causes extending to the left as fishbones; the ribs branch off the backbone
for major causes, with sub-branches for root-causes, to as many levels as
required.
Constructing a cause and effect diagram
First, clearly identify and defined the problem or effect for which the cause
must be identified. Place the problem or effect at the right or the head of the
diagram
 Identify all the broad areas of the problem

 Write in all the detailed possible causes in each of the broad areas.

 Each cause identified should be looked upon for further more specific

causes.
 View the diagram and evaluate the main causes

 Set goals and take action on the main cause

Advantages
 Highly visual brainstorming tool which can spark further examples of root

causes
 Quickly identify if the root cause is found multiple times in the same or

different causal tree

  Allows one to see all causes simultaneously
 Good visualization for presenting issues to stakeholders

Disadvantages
 Complex defects might yield a lot of causes which might become visually

cluttering
 Interrelationships between causes are not easily identifiable

2. Check sheet

Check sheet is a form used to collect data in real time at a location

where the data is generated.
 Data is collected in systematic and organised way.

 This data can be used as input to other tools like Histogram, Pareto chart

etc.
 Check sheet of login failures

Advantages
It is a basic quality tool and easy to demonstrate.


 Very useful in process improvement.

 It helps to make a better decision.

 Once Ishikawa has stated that “80 % to 90% problems will be

solved in the workplace by using this simple tool”.

 It is a versatile tool which can be used in many domains like

manufacturing, pharmaceutical, service sector and so on.

Disadvantages
 3. Control chart

Control charts, also known as Shewhart charts (after Walter A. Shewhart)

or process-behavior charts, are a statistical process control tool used to
determine if a manufacturing or business process is in a state of control.

Steps Used in Developing Process Control Charts

 Identify critical operations in the process where inspection might be

needed.
 Identify critical product characteristics.

 Determine whether the critical product characteristic is a variable or an

attribute.
 Select the appropriate process control chart.

 Establish the control limits and use the chart to monitor and improve.

 Update the limits.

Advantages

 Determines whether the process is in control or not

 Monitor process variation over time
 Detects unusual variations taking place in a time
  Differentiate between special cause and common cause variation Assess
effectiveness of change
 Communicate process performance
 Ensures product quality level

Disadvantages

 False alarms
 Flawed assumptions
 Special training
 Misplaced control limits

4. Histogram
A Histogram is a pictorial representation of a set of data, and the most
commonly used bar graph for showing frequency distributions of
data/values.

Constructing a Histogram:
Data collection: To ensure good results, a minimum of 50 data points, or
samples, need to be collected
Calculate the range of the sample data: The range is the difference
between the largest and smallest data points. Range = Largest point -
smallest point.
 Calculate the size of the class interval. The class interval is the width of
each class on the X axis. It is calculated by the following formula:
Class interval = Range / Number of classes.
Calculate the number of data points (frequency) that are in each class. A
tally sheet is usually used to find the frequency of data points in each
interval.

Merits
1. It displays large amount of data.
2. It can be used to show the relative frequency of occurrence of the data.
3. It can be used to show the future performance of a process.
Demerits
1. It can be used along with the continuous data.
2. It cannot be used for the comparison of two data sets.
3. Exact values cannot be read because the data can be grouped into
categories.
5. Pareto Chart
Pareto chart is also called a Pareto diagram and Pareto analysis. It is
named for the Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto.
Pareto Chart based on Pareto 80-20 rule. It means that 80 percent of the
problems/failures are caused by 20 percent of the few major causes/factors
which are often referred as Vital Few.
And the remaining 20 percent of the problems are caused by 80 percent of
many minor causes which are referred as Trivial Many.
CONSTRUCTION
1. OBTAIN DATA USING A CHECK SHEET OR BRAINSTORM.
2. ARRANGE THE DATA IN DESCENDING ORDER STARTING FROM LARGEST
CATEGORY TO SMALLEST.
3. CALCULATE THE TOTAL AND % OF TOTAL THAT EACH CATEGORY
REPRESENTS.
4. COMPUTE THE CUMULATIVE %
5. DRAW BAR CHART 6. PLOT CUMULATIVE % LINE.

Benefits
 It is an effective tool for communication with stakeholders visually
 It enhances organizational efficiency
 It helps to determine the most significant causes of a problem
 It enhances problem-solving skills
 It is a visual presentation tool
 It can be created easily with limited statistical knowledge
 It improves decision making within the organization
Limitations
 The Pareto analysis relies on past records. If the past records are not
correctly stored, the result of Pareto analysis may be deceptive.
 The Pareto analysis does not define the root cause of a problem. It
demonstrates the frequency of occurrence. An additional tool like a
fishbone diagram must be used to define the root cause.
 Sometimes one Pareto Analysis cannot be enough. For multiple causes
and problems, multiple Pareto charts may be required.

6. Scatter Diagram
A scatter plot, also called a scatter diagram, is a basic graphic tool that
illustrates the relationship between two variables. The dots on the
scatter plot represent data points. It consists of plotting a series of points
representing several observations on a graph in which one variable is on
X-axis and the other variable in on Y-axis.

Advantages
1. It is very simple and non- mathematical method
2. It is not influenced by the size of extreme item.
3. It is the first step in resting the relationship between two variables.
Demerits
(i) These diagrams are unable to measure the precise extent of
correlation.
(ii) It is not a quantitative measure of the relationship between the
variables. It is only a quantitative expression of the quantitative change.

7. Process Flowchart or Flowchart

A flow chart, or flow diagram, is a graphical representation of a process
or system that details the sequencing of steps required to create output.
A typical flow chart uses a set of basic symbols to represent various
functions, and shows the sequence and interconnection of functions with
lines and arrows.
CONSTRUCTING FLOW CHARTS
Flow charts typically utilize specialized symbols. Some of the main
symbols that are used to construct flow charts include:
Constructing a flow chart involves the following main steps: 1) Define the
process and identify the scope of the flow diagram; 2) Identify project
team members that are to be involved in the construction of the process
flow diagram; 3) Define the different steps involved in the process and
the interrelationships between the different steps (all team members
should help develop and agree upon the different steps for the process);
4) Finalize the diagram, involving other concerned individuals as needed
and making any modifications necessary; and 5) Use the flow diagram
and continuously update it as needed.
Advantages

1) It provides core solution for the given problem,

 2) It acts as design documentation to solve the given problem
3) It is easy to understand the flow of control in a process due to
visual representation.
4) Use of flowcharts works well for small program design.

Disadvantages

1) For large programs the flowchart might become complex and

confusing.
2) Modification of flowchart is difficult and requires almost an entire
re-work.
3) Time consuming to create flowchart.

©©©©©©
Compiled By:

Prof. S. SENTHILKUMAR, M.Com., B.Ed., M.B.A., M.Phil.,

Department of Science and Humanities.