Could your company increase efficiency by 100% in two months? Could you cut your defect rate by 40% in one afternoon? Some companies have accomplished these extraordinary tasks by using what they learned in James Abbott’s book SPC: Practical Understanding of Capability by Implementing Statistical Process Control, third edition.

For a successful improvement program implementation, there are two key requirements: a willingness to change, and an understanding of the two Principles of Process Management. Willingness to change is vital in today’s business world. Consumers increasingly demand new and better products. As the pace of technological innovation increases, the lifecycle of products and processes decreases. Developing the flexibility to rapidly meet these new demands is the only way a business can continue to compete. The two Principles of Process Management provide the framework to develop this rapid flexibility.

If a knowledge base is composed solely of product information, when change occurs the reasons for the change will be unknown. If we notice a change in the product, it stands to reason that some part of the process has altered. If change results in deterioration, it will take much longer to correct the problem and again produce tolerable product. If the change results in improvement, it will be almost impossible to consistently replicate the new and better product. James Abbott explains how to build a product process knowledge base using Walkabout^® Dependency Diagram. Mr. Abbott developed this tool specifically for his clients’ use during and after their improvement program implementations. Utilizing Walkabout^® provides a total framework for studying, understanding, and sharing product and process knowledge. This simple method of documenting the process and product characteristics ("metrics") focuses exactly on what measurements need to be taken and monitored, eliminating confusion on the shop floor.

Walkabout^® Dependency Diagram is the perfect addition to the range of traditional SPC tools. In SPC: Practical Understanding of Capability by Implementing Statistical Process Control, third edition Walkabout^® is explained, as are the full range of traditional SPC tools (control charts and capability studies.)

Here, James Abbott explains why, when, and who should use Statistical Process Control....

Statistical Quality Control (SQC) is the major umbrella that all the statistical tools fall under. A toolbox that we use in our household holds a variety of tools. A hammer is intended to put nails in a wall. A saw is intended to cut wood. A wrench will tighten and loosen nuts from bolts. We could use a hammer to attempt to remove a bolt, but how effective would this tool (the hammer) be at this job? Each tool is intended for a particular function and a particular set of problems. As we understand the problems, we will learn which tools are appropriate and how each works. Then we will see how to apply the appropriate tool to each problem. Many books on preparing information, reports, or statistics focus all of their attention on the analytical tool. Our purpose here is to reverse the classic approach and focus on the situations we will encounter. For each situation, we will examine the specific tools that can be used. Once the appropriate tool has been identified for each situation, we can begin to learn about the tool. Each analytical tool was devised for a particular situation or problem. This book will focus on monitoring any continuous process through the use of Statistical Process Control (SPC -- control charts and capability studies). SPC is a razor sharp tool to monitor continuous machines/systems/operations, product or process consistency, detection and notation of changes, and assessment of capability. Just as a saw from our household toolbox has specific uses, the SPC components of control charts and capability studies are the objective assessment tools for a continuous operation. The control chart detects any changes in the process. Once a change is detected, the capability study is used to assess the impact to the customer. Since change can be either deterioration or improvement, capability studies and control charts must work as a team.

ISBN# 1-887355-03-0, hardcover, 406 pages