The Seven Basic Tools of Quality

Every business wants to run at its most efficient equilibrium, with maximum productivity from its workers, cost effective product design and manufacture, and smart strategic decision making regarding managements and HR processes. For this to occur there must be a constant monitoring of business activity, a way of breaking down an organization into its component parts in such a way that they can be analyzed and refined, where any faults, inefficiencies, or redundant processes can be determined and dealt with.

This is the essence of defining quality in the workplace, and the Seven Basic Tools of Quality were conceived as a generic, visual form of tackling these issues. They comprise of seven forms of diagram that are varied enough to be applied to any industry troubleshooting scenario, but simple enough that workers of all types can intuitively understand and implement them.

Despite the title, there are 3 possible options for the last diagram, making 9 in total:

Fishbone diagram

So named because they resemble the bone structure of a fish, fishbone diagrams are also known as Ishikawa diagrams, after their creator and quality control pioneer, Kaoru Ishikawa. Yet another name is a cause-and-effect diagram, and this better explains their purpose — you start with an identified problem, or effect, and work backwards to figure out every causal influence on that effect.

Check sheet

Check sheets are a simple way of making sure that a quality process is followed and standards are followed. They take the form of a grid, where each row is a step that must be checked off in real time as data is gathered.

A check sheet made using ConceptDraw PRO, that takes note of faulty car parts

Control chart

A control sheet records a certain statistic at different times throughout the day, and applies to it a mean data range. If data values fall well outside that range, it could be a sign of an inefficiency or some flaw in a business process.

Histogram

A histogram is used to show the frequency distribution of a specific variable. Visually, they are arranged something like bar charts, but differ in that they don't compare disparate sets of data against each other — instead they take one value, and show its frequency within predefined intervals.

Pareto chart

Pareto charts combines both a bar chart and a line graph, where the bar chart shows individual data values, and a cumulative total represented by the line. In quality control, it is a way of spotting the largest source of defects, complaints, flaws and so on.

This ConceptDraw PRO designed Pareto chart shows the frequency of each type of defect

Scatter diagram

By plotting against an X and Y axis, a scatter graph can show two variables of a set of data. You can then ascertain the relationship between the variables by how the data points are clustered on the diagram.

Stratification diagram

Stratification is a means of taking data from different sources, and instead of viewing it as a single group, the data is separated by source so as better to identify patterns. To make the data even more representative, the sample size changes according to source.

Made using ConceptDraw PRO, this stratification chart distinguishes sources by icon shape

Flow chart

Flow charts are common throughout business, as a way of representing steps in a process or workflow, shown on the page as boxes containing actions, instructions or decisions.

Run chart

A run chart displays recorded data over a certain time period, where the X axis shows the passage of time, and data points are plotted along the graph as they are observed. The often show some form of measurable manufacturing output, making it possible to quickly identify outliers and shifts in scale and frequency.

These diagram tools have become invaluable to modern business, and with so many cases for their use, it's important that workers of all experience levels can produce clear and effective examples that can be shared across a team and understood at a glance.

CS Odessa are the first to bring all these techniques together under one office solution, and further extend the performance of their diagramming software, ConceptDraw PRO. The Seven Basic Tools of Quality solution provides an extensive set of vector stencil libraries and individual sample templates for each form of quality control diagram, allowing workers to chose which diagram works best for their situation without switching software or searching for multiple add-ons. To compliment the solution, CS Odessa have a dedicated online help resource, referencing specific quality diagram examples, teaching new users how to get started with their design, and offering tips and tricks to more experienced workers.

A company's success relies on quality assurance and quality output. With the Seven Basic Tools of Quality solution for ConceptDraw PRO, you have the diagramming power to reach that standard.

Business Process Mapping

We use the phrase business process to define a particular set of tasks or actions undertaken by an organization, that lead to the production of goods or services for the customer base. It's a flexible term — one that can be used to describe the most menial or idiosyncratic of assignments, or as a way of describing a company in its entirety.

Critical study of each facet of a process is imperative for maintaining high standards within a company, and to allow management to spot any flaws or inefficiencies in its day-to-day business. The most common way of condensing a process down into an organized format is to use a visual solution — one that allows each point to be represented clearly and succinctly, giving those that are unfamiliar with the process an unambiguous interpretation of events.

To support this visual style of quality management, a number of transferable methodologies have been developed — generic diagramming solutions that act as a framework around which unique and disparate processes can be formed. The collective term for this practice is business process mapping, and here follows a brief description of some of the more popular approaches to it.

• SIPOC Diagrams — SIPOC stands for suppliers, inputs, process, outputs, and customers, and it is a style of diagram that has a clear focus on the quality of what is going in, and what is being produced from a business process. It has a simple visual form, a segmented table that produces comprehensive lists for each category. With a SIPOC diagram, the start and end of a process is clearly defined, and the relationship between a company and its external suppliers is easily identified. SIPOC diagrams form a key part of the Six Sigma methodology, which are a set of techniques and tools to help improve quality output and minimize variability within repeated tasks.

A SIPOC diagram created with ConceptDraw PRO, showing all elements involved in hiring a candidate

• Business process flowcharts — A flowchart is the go-to tool for representing any basic process that involves a series of steps or decisions, particularly processes that are repeatable. Also known as a process flow diagram, these charts act as a solution model to a given problem, telling the user exactly which steps can be taken at what time, and the impact of choices made within the workflow. As with SIPOC diagrams, a flowchart can show the input and output of materials and services in terms of the customer, as well as being used to define processes from other areas of a company, such as management or human resources.

Flowcharts show repeated processes, like this sequence of doctor appointment procedure

• Swimlane diagrams — If a business process crosses over multiple departments, in can be easier to define using a flowchart that has been divided into distinct sections, or 'swimlanes'. These lanes distinguish which persons, groups, or location influence a particular step of the business process. They are useful for explicitly stating each stakeholders responsibility, and the actions each employee is expected to complete, before the process can continue to the next department. Other terms for these type of diagrams include 'deployment flowchart' and 'cross-functional flowchart'.

This swimlane diagram was created using ConceptDraw PRO, and shows the steps that each division is responsible for in a customer order

• IDEF3 — The IDEF business process modelling language is used in slightly more specific scenarios than the previous examples. IDEF3 in particular is a scenario-driven description capture method, that has the ability to define the state of the same system or process under a variety of conditions. While flowcharts can allow a certain amount of artistic license in their design, IDEF3 uses standardized process schematic symbols — a more complex and comprehensive set of icons than found in flowcharts, and more precise in their definition.

• Value stream mapping — A value stream map takes a wide look at the relationships between manufacturing, production control and shipping processes. They follow the value chain through an organization, from supply until it reaches the market. Like IDEF3, standardized notation is used to facilitate understanding between workers and workforces.

To achieve the professional standards required for these diagramming styles, it's best to use specialized drawing software, and a supply of the correct graphical notations. There are a number of software capable of this, but the only one that contains solutions for all the techniques listed above, extending and enhancing an already powerful diagramming platform, is ConceptDraw PRO. With the new Business Process Mapping solution, joining previous solutions such as IDEF Business Process Diagrams and Value Stream Mapping, ConceptDraw PRO offers a comprehensive selection of process mapping tools to aid quality management within an organization and help refine workflows.