What are 7 QC Tools?

What are 7 QC Tools

→ 7 QC tools are systematic and scientific methods for problem-solving.

→ Also, they are used for product and process improvement.

→ They are used to solve almost 90% of shop floor problems very easily.

Table of Contents:


History of 7 QC Tools:

→ The Basic 7 Quality Control Tools originated after World War II in Japan.

→ Dr. Edwards Deming has played an important role in introducing statistical quality control methods.

→ He recommends the use of statistical methods to improve manufacturing quality.

→ After his work, Japanese industries have improved a lot in quality and processes in manufacturing.

→ Primarily Kaoru Ishikawa introduced the 7 QC Tools.

→ Dr. Kaoru Ishikawa was a professor at the engineering college at Tokyo University.

→ Ishikawa is known for the “Democratizing (Visual Aids/Symbols) Statistics”.

→ Good visual representation makes statistical and quality control more comprehensive.

→ The Basic 7 QC Tools gained popularity for their simplicity and effectiveness across the world.

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When to Use the Basic 7 QC Tools?

→ The Basic 7 Quality Control Tools are necessary for problem-solving and process improvement.

→ Each tool has its own specific applications and benefits.

Refer to the below-mentioned key points when we can use 7 QC tools:

  • For identifying potential causes of a problem
  • Useful during brainstorming sessions
  • When collecting data in a structured manner
  • For monitoring process trends or patterns over time
  • During the identification of the distribution of data
  • Prioritization of defects, causes, efforts, etc
  • Identify or validate the correlation between two variable
  • Process flow documentation, analysis, and improvement


Why to Use the 7 QC Tools?

  • A graphical technique that is easily understood by all
  • Most helpful in troubleshooting quality-related issues
  • They are fundamental tools for process and product quality improvement
  • This facilitates the organization to resolve basic problems
  • The 7 QC tools are easy to understand and implement
  • They do not require complex analytics and statistical skills
  • The basic 7 QC tools are simple yet powerful
  • We can get an 80% result by applying 20% of the effort


The Basic 7 QC Tools For Process Improvement:

➝ Now we will understand the Basic 7 QC Tools in detail.

The 7 QC Tools are:

  1. Flow Chart
  2. Cause and Effect Diagram (Fishbone or Ishikawa) 
  3. Checksheet
  4. Histogram
  5. Pareto Chart
  6. Scatter Diagram
  7. Control Chart

Note: We are considering the Flow Chart as a part of the 7 Basic QC Tools.

Also, you can consider stratification as a part of this tool.

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(1) Flow Chart:

"Flow Chart is a diagrammatic representation that illustrates the sequence of operation to be performed to get the desired result."

→ It is a visual representation tool for a sequence of operations, therefore, we can easily illustrate the Internal and external operational boundaries.

→ A flow chart includes the steps involved in a process, the decision points, and the flow of control from one step to the next.

→ A flow chart is also called a "Process Flow Diagram."

Flowchart Examples

Purpose of Flowcharts:

  • Visualize Processes
  • Identify Inefficiencies
  • Standardize Procedures


Basic Elements of the Process Flow Diagram are:

  • Start
  • Steps
  • Decision
  • Outcomes
  • End


Basic Symbols Used in Flowcharts:

  • Symbol
  • Oval
  • Rectangle
  • Diamond
  • Arrow
  • Parallelogram


Steps to Create a Flowchart:

  • Define the Process
  • List Steps
  • Select Symbols
  • Draw the Flowchart
  • Review and Revise


Benefits of Using Flowcharts:

  • Clarity
  • Improvement
  • Communication


Use Cases:

  • Process mapping in manufacturing and service industries
  • Identifying areas for quality improvement in workflows
  • Documenting procedures for training and compliance


👉 Read our detailed article on Different Types of Flow Charts Explained with Examples


(2) Cause and Effect Diagram (Fishbone or Ishikawa):

"Cause and Effect Diagram is a meaningful relationship between an effect and its causes."

→ It guides concrete action and tracks the potential causes during an investigation of the effort to determine whether the item significantly contributes to the problem or not.

→ The cause and effect tool is a very popular root cause analysis tool.

Cause and Effect Diagram Examples

The Different Names of Cause and Effect Diagram are:

  • Ishikawa Diagram
  • Fishbone Diagram
  • Herringbone Diagrams
  • Fishikawa


→ A fishbone diagram can identify all possible cause(s) for the problem.

→ In this tool, we can find possible causes with the help of the 6M concept those are man, machine, material, method, measurement, and mother nature.

→ Also, we can use this tool in marketing as 8P analysis and service industry as 4S analysis.


Steps to Create a Cause and Effect Diagram:

  • Define the Problem
  • Identify Main Categories
  • Brainstorm Causes
  • Analyze and Prioritize


Benefits of Using a Cause and Effect Diagram:

  • Visual Representation
  • Team Collaboration
  • Problem-Solving


Use Cases of Cause and Effect Diagram:

  • Quality improvement projects
  • Problem-solving in manufacturing
  • Analyzing service delivery issues


👉 Check our detailed article on Cause and Effect Diagram Explained with Case Study


(3) Check Sheet:

"Check Sheet is a well-structured data sheet that is used for collecting and analyzing data." 

→ Data collected by the check sheet is used as input for the other tool and data can be collected based on asking a question by what, when, where, who, why, and how.

→ The purpose of a check sheet is to summarize the data and a tally count of event occurrences.

→ A check sheet counts the number of occurrences of an event, such as defects or non-conformance.

→ Hence the Check Sheet is also called a "tally sheet".

→ In many cases, a checklist will summarize countable data related to certain types of defects and will provide a rough graphical representation of wherein a part of the process, defects occurred.

Checksheet Examples

Key Aspects of a Check Sheet:

  • Structured Form
  • Real-Time Data Collection
  • Ease of Use
  • Data Visualization


Uses of a Check Sheet:

  • Defect Tracking
  • Data Collection
  • Process Improvement
  • Quality Control


👉 Read our detailed article on Different Types of Check Sheets Explained with Example


(4) Histogram:

"Histogram is a type of bar graph representing the frequency distribution of the data."

→ Karl Pearson introduced the Histogram which is a bar graph representing the frequency distribution on every bar.

→ Histograms are used to show whether the output of our process matches the customer's requirements or not?

→ Also, we can make the decision based on the data patterns plotted on the Histogram.

→ With the help of the graph we can analyze whether the process is capable of meeting customer requirements or not?

→ A histogram is a pictorial representation of a set of data.

Histogram Examples

Key Aspects of a Histogram:

  • Frequency Distribution
  • Bars
  • Intervals (Bins)
  • Patterns


Steps to Create a Histogram:

  • Collect Data
  • Determine the Range
  • Choose Intervals (Bins)
  • Count Frequencies
  • Draw the Bars
  • Interpret the Patterns


Uses of a Histogram:

  • Understanding Data Distribution
  • Identifying Patterns
  • Process Improvement
  • Quality Control


Different Types of Histogram are:

  • Normal Distribution
  • Skewed Distribution
  • Double-peaked or Bimodal
  • Multipeaked or Multimodal
  • Edge Peaked Histogram
  • Truncated or Heart-cut histogram


👉 Also read a detailed article on Different Types of Histograms Explained with Case Study


(5) Pareto Chart:

"Pareto Chart is a bar graph arranged in descending order of height from left to right."

→ Pareto chart shows the order of the largest number of occurrences by item or by classes and the cumulative sum total.

→ The Pareto analysis helps us to prioritize where we can get more benefits by applying fewer efforts.

→ It is also very popular as a prioritization tool.

→ It communicates the principle of 80:20.

→ The Pareto Principle gives us information about the Vital few from Trivial many.

→ Hence,  It is known as the "Vital few from Trivial many tool".

→ It states that 80% of an effect comes from 20% of the causes.

Pareto Chart Examples

Key Aspects of a Pareto Chart:

  • Bars
  • Cumulative Line
  • 80/20 Rule


Steps to Create a Pareto Chart:

  • Identify Problems/Causes
  • Measure Frequency or Impact
  • Sort Data
  • Calculate Cumulative Percentages
  • Draw the Chart


Uses of a Pareto Chart:

  • Prioritizing Problems
  • Resource Allocation
  • Process Improvement
  • Quality Control


👉 Read our detailed article on Pareto Chart Explained with Case Study


[6] Scatter Diagram:

"Scatter Diagram is used to study and identify the possible relationship between two variables."

→ It is used to identify and visualize the relationship between two variables.

→ Mostly the scatter diagram is used to validate the cause-and-effect relationships between two variables.

→ This tool helps in decision-making during the problem-solving process.

→ Also it helps to determine the correlation between two variables.

→ Scatter Diagram is the best validation tool.

Scatter Diagram Examples

Different names of the Scatter Diagram:

  • Scatter Plot
  • Scatter Graph
  • Correlation Graph
  • Scatter Gram


Key Aspects of a Scatter Diagram:

  • Axes
  • Data Points
  • Correlation


Steps to Create a Scatter Diagram:

  • Identify Variables
  • Collect Data
  • Plot Data Points
  • Analyze the Pattern


Types of Correlation:

  • Positive Correlation
  • Negative Correlation
  • No Correlation


Uses of a Scatter Diagram:

  • Identifying Relationships
  • Predicting Trends
  • Quality Control
  • Problem-Solving


👉 Also visit our detailed article on Scatter Diagram Explained with Example


[7] Control Chart:

"Control Charts are used for studying the process variation over time." 

→ The control chart was invented by Walter A. Shewhart working for Bell Labs in the 1920s.

→ A control chart is also known as a Shewhart chart or process-behavior chart.

→ With the help of this tool, we can determine whether a manufacturing process or a business process is in control or not?

→ The control chart is a graph which is used to study process changes over time

→ Comparing the above tool this is the best forecasting tool.

Control Chart Examples

Key Aspects of a Control Chart:

  • Data Points
  • Center Line (CL)
  • Upper Control Limit (UCL)
  • Lower Control Limit (LCL)
  • Control Limits


Steps to Create a Control Chart:

  • Collect Data
  • Calculate the Mean
  • Calculate Control Limits
  • Plot the Data
  • Analyze the Chart


Types of Control Charts:

  • X-bar Chart
  • R Chart
  • P Chart
  • C Chart
  • U Chart


Uses of a Control Chart:

  • Monitoring Processes
  • Identifying Variation
  • Quality Control
  • Process Improvement


👉 Read our detailed article on Control Chart Explained with Case Study


Benefits of 7 QC Tools:

  • Provides a structured approach for problem-solving
  • Easy to understand
  • Easy to implement
  • A scientific and logical approach
  • Improve the quality of products and services
  • Identifying and analyzing problems
  • Used for root cause analysis
  • Enhance customer satisfaction


Limitations of 7 QC Tools:

  • The accuracy of data collection depends on a person's skills
  • Statistical interpretation requires highly skilled persons
  • They are focused on identifying problems rather than preventing
  • Reactive approach
  • Focus on symptoms, not on root causes


Conclusion:

→ Seven QC tools are most helpful in troubleshooting issues related to quality

→ Different factors cause different effects on the process and make them unstable.

→ Those parameters cause variation in the process.

→ These tools are the most helpful for improving the process.

→ We can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of processes by using these tools.

23 تعليقات

  1. very good presentation skill and to the point explaination

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  2. Best in short...
    Great work Nikunj

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  3. Simply wonderful. Thanks very much!

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  4. this is a great initiative , well done

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  5. Great good initiative 👍 a
    How to Download

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  6. This is so helpful

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  7. HOW MAKE PARETO

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  8. Sir can you please share process audit checklist

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