This introductory level text on statistical process control (SPC) is one part of a trio of books which the author has titled the "Walkabout Series." This series is designed to help the reader to establish correctness, consistency, and capability …. This book attempts to show the reader how to use the three C’s within their organization and how to correctly use two specific SPC tools, control charts and capability studies.

The reader will find the author’s explanation of the reasons for using SPC to be very informative and useful in the implementation of SPC. Many current texts do not adequately explain why SPC should be used and the benefits that can be obtained from a good SPC program. The author also does a good job in illustrating how to correctly use SPC. He provides a simple but powerful tool called a dependency diagram that is used to identify the manufacturing process steps that need to be controlled via SPC. The Diagram is also used to identify the measurements that should be controlled at each process step.

The material, including the nuts and bolts of constructing control charts, is presented in a very understandable way. The author has specifically minimized the use of statistical formulas and jargon in order to put the reader at ease. Even with the minimal use of statistics, the author is able to make the reader understand the correct methods for the construction of the basic variable control charts including the average chart, the range chart, the individual chart, and the moving range chart.

This book is not just another text that is written to present a simplified approach to SPC…. While it is generally understood that control charts are typically used by machine operators to control the manufacturing process, the author also addresses management’s role when SPC is used. He does a good job in defining what management needs to do and when there is the need to get involved. Conversely, the author is able to clearly define when management should not get involved. He defines these situations as operational decisions and management decisions. Operational decisions are made by the manufacturing group and are designed to control the process while management decisions address how the process capability compares to the customer requirements.

This book is written for those in manufacturing who wish to understand the basics of SPC. The basics include how and why to use SPC, the specific roles of manufacturing employees and management, and the basics of constructing and interpreting simple control charts. The book is written more in a conversational manner. The author avoids complex statistical techniques, formulas, and jargon but still manages to present somewhat complex topics. This book provides the basic tools and background necessary for the implementation of a simple SPC program in a manufacturing setting.

This introductory level text on statistical process control (SPC) is one part of a trio of books which the author has titled the "Walkabout Series." This series is designed to help the reader to establish correctness, consistency, and capability within the manufacturing organization. The author refers to correctness, consistency, and capability as the three C’s. Correctness refers to both a correct functional organization and the optimization of the methods for producing the product. Consistency is the consistent running of each machine within the manufacturing plant. Capability measures the machine’s ability to meet the customer’s expectations. This book attempts to show the reader how to use the three C’s within their organization and how to correctly use two specific SPC tools, control charts and capability studies.

This book is not the typical introductory SPC text. It is not designed to be a technical reference for the SPC practitioner. The author also explains how and why to use control charts. These critical subjects are often overlooked in other basic SPC books. The reader will find the author’s explanation of the reasons for using SPC to be very informative and useful in the implementation of SPC. Many current texts do not adequately explain why SPC should be used and the benefits that can be obtained from a good SPC program. The author also does a good job in illustrating how to correctly use SPC. He provides a simple but powerful tool called a dependency diagram that is used to identify the manufacturing process steps that need to be controlled via SPC. The Diagram is also used to identify the measurements that should be controlled at each process step.

The material, including the nuts and bolts of constructing control charts, is presented in a very understandable way. The author has specifically minimized the use of statistical formulas and jargon in order to put the reader at ease. Even with the minimal use of statistics, the author is able to make the reader understand the correct methods for the construction of the basic variable control charts including the average chart, the range chart, the individual chart, and the moving range chart. He does this by using simple examples. Also, through his simple examples, the author is able to explain the correct methods for interpreting the control chart. He explains how one knows when a process has changed and what should be done when this occurs.

This book is not just another text that is written to present a simplified approach to SPC. This book contains much more. The author spends a good deal of time explaining how to select the characteristics that should be measured and how to correctly measure them. He presents the concepts of precision and measurement error. Again, through the use of simple examples the author presents these subjects in a very understandable way.

While it is generally understood that control charts are typically used by machine operators to control the manufacturing process, the author also addresses management’s role when SPC is used. He does a good job in defining what management needs to do and when there is the need to get involved. Conversely, the author is able to clearly define when management should not get involved. He defines these situations as operational decisions and management decisions. Operational decisions are made by the manufacturing group and are designed to control the process while management decisions address how the process capability compares to the customer requirements.

This book is written for those in manufacturing who wish to understand the basics of SPC. The basics include how and why to use SPC, the specific roles of manufacturing employees and management, and the basics of constructing and interpreting simple control charts. The book is written more in a conversational manner. The author avoids complex statistical techniques, formulas, and jargon but still manages to present somewhat complex topics. This book provides the basic tools and background necessary for the implementation of a simple SPC program in a manufacturing setting.