In your opinion, which of the tools explored in this unit is the most efficient at improving quality?

 Before I make the decision, I explored each of these tools and thought about their efficiency in improving quality. And in the last of this discussion, I summarize my thought.

The Five S’s (5S)

5S is defined as a methodology that results in a workplace that is clean, uncluttered, safe, and well organized to help reduce waste and optimize productivity(ASQ, 2022). It's designed to help build a quality work environment, both physically and mentally(ASQ, 2022).

The 5S is focusing on continuously optimizing productivity in a workplace. Basically, it's like organizing and cleaning your own room and desk. When these places are clean and well-organized, you may find that it is easier to find something you need on your tidy desk and it is also safer when your room is clean since having a messy room really could cause you problems. I think when someone has a messy and unorganized room really can truly lead to life-threatening situations such as blocked pathways that cost you extra time to pass or even find yourself with a sprained or broken ankle. Just like a keystone habit that can hugely change your life, they are small changes that people introduce into their routines that unintentionally carry over into other aspects of their lives, according to Charles Duhigg in his book, The Power of Habit. According to a nearly three decades of research on high-achieving people, making your bed every morning can inspire you to have a productive mindset for the rest of the day and spark other productive behaviors(Jacques et al., 2022).

However, this tool isn't always perfect. First, you are required to spend additional time to do it and sustain it like regularly cleaning your room and putting all stuff on your desk in order. It has to be a habit. Secondly, it's pretty diverse. Different individuals think differently when they have to decide which one is necessary and which one is not in the first step. The top managers or leaders may have to be consistent with the rules and policies. Moreover, how to do it is another question that requires they are on the same page.

Failure Mode Effects Analysis (FMEA)

According to the definition, failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) is a step-by-step approach for identifying all possible failures in a design, a manufacturing or assembly process, or a product or service(ASQ, 2022). Failure modes mean the ways, or modes, in which something might fail. Failures are any errors or defects, especially ones that affect the customer and can be potential or actual. Effects analysis refers to studying the consequences of those failures(ASQ, 2022). 

The key concept of this tool is that failures are prioritized according to how serious their consequences are, how frequently they occur, and how easily they can be detected. Like in life, we always make mistakes, but we can learn from them and build a better future by understanding the consequences of our mistakes and how can we do to detect them. However, not doing anything wrong, or techniquely, not detecting them is not always a good thing. Sometimes, peace has cost your strength and victory has defeated you. 

The Fishbone Diagram

It is a cause-and-effect diagram, the Ishikawa diagram. The fishbone diagram identifies many possible causes for an effect or problem(ASQ, 2022). Usually, the fishbone diagram was drawn by a manufacturing team to figure out the source of periodic iron contamination. It is pretty useful when you are trying to identify possible causes for a problem. However, quality management needs to be assimilated into each part of a process rather than be considered only when something is going wrong. 

The Check Sheet

A check sheet is a defect concentration diagram, a structured, prepared form for collecting and analyzing data(ASQ,2022). Start with deciding what event or problem will be observed and collecting data needed. Then, label them and test them. Each time the targeted event or problem occurs, record data on the check sheet. I think this tool provides us with a data-driven decision that helps us gain more confidence while making decisions and heading in the right direction.

However, I reckon that this tool is built on the data that we select and collect. So, how many or much these data are and the quality of these data directly determine our decisions. It put almost all risks on the data I collect. If the data fails, I fail. Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok all tried to find out what your favorite things are and promote products to you. But, these data are not always accurate and it also depends on how accurate the algorithm can do.

The Control Chart

Also known as Shewhart chart or statistical process control chart, it is a graph used to study how a process changes over time(ASQ, 2022). It provides a visualized look that helps us improve our management. Like a check sheet, these lines are also determined from historical data. By comparing current data to these lines, you can conclude whether the process variation is consistent or out of control such as affected by special causes of variation. And, also, how many or much these data are and the quality of these data directly determine our decisions.

The Histogram

A histogram is the most commonly used graph to show frequency distributions(ASQ, 2022). It looks very much like a bar chart and shows how often each different value in a set of data occurs. It is a helpful data collection and analysis tool. It is used to see the shape of the data’s distribution, especially when determining whether the output of a process is distributed approximately(ASQ, 2022). However, it also depends on how accurate these data can benefit our decision. 

The Pareto Chart

A Pareto chart is a bar and weighted graph to analyze variations. Its core concepts are frequency and effect. This tool makes me think of one of my favorite books, "Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World — and Why Things Are Better Than You Think". The world can seem scarier and more dangerous because what you see and hear is selected, either by your internal filters or information outlets like the news and media for the very fact that it is scary. Plane crash events are far fewer than car crashes, but they have very different effects. Some events happen even daily but some barely happen in decades. 

The Scatter Diagram

Also known as a scatter plot, an X-Y graph, it graphs pairs of numerical data, with one variable on each axis, to look for a relationship between them(ASQ, 2022). However, it focuses on the relationship between the paired numerical data you choose. So, be careful about the data selection when you trying to identify potential root causes of problems.

The Stratification

Stratification is defined as the act of sorting data, people, and objects into distinct groups or layers. It is a technique used in combination with other data analysis tools(ASQ, 2022). However, there are two major issues with this tool, data collection and how to separate these data. 0.999999% is still not 1 if you set a "1" lay to separate 1 from "less than 1". This data collection and analysis technique separates the data so that patterns can be easily seen.

Quality Function Deployment (QFD)

QFD is a customer-focused methodology for carefully listening to the voice of the customer and then effectively responding to those needs and expectations. One of its important features is that it deploys them to the appropriate organizational function for action. 

Summary

I think all of these tools are trying to avoid cost, mistakes, and waste, and take appropriate actions or make changes to improve efficiency. Just like what we learned at school, we have seen further than others by standing upon the shoulders of giants. There is no one-fit-all tool while improving quality. It depends on what we want to achieve or what we are trying to understand. 

Reference

ASQ. (n.d.). What are the five S's (5s) of lean. ASQ. Retrieved September 24, 2022, from https://asq.org/quality-resources/lean/five-s-tutorial 

ASQ. (n.d.). Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA). FAILURE MODE AND EFFECTS ANALYSIS (FMEA). Retrieved September 24, 2022, from https://asq.org/quality-resources/fmea 

ASQ. (n.d.). Fishbone diagram. ASQ. Retrieved September 25, 2022, from https://asq.org/quality-resources/fishbone 

Barnes, B. (2020, January 7). Factfulness by Hans Rosling: Summary and key insights. Rapid Business Plans. Retrieved September 25, 2022, from https://rapidbusinessplans.com/blog/factfulness-hans-rosling-book-review-summary 

Garner, F. (2015, September 23). A clean room can save your life? SafeMocs. Retrieved September 24, 2022, from https://blog.utc.edu/safety-risk-management/a-clean-room-can-save-your-life/ 

Jacques, Scott, S. J., Michal, Donlin, K., & Kumar, S. (2022, January 5). What is a keystone habit? 11 examples of Keystone Habits in life. Develop Good Habits. Retrieved September 24, 2022, from https://www.developgoodhabits.com/what-are-keystone-habits/ 

What is stratification? ASQ. (n.d.). Retrieved September 25, 2022, from https://asq.org/quality-resources/stratification