RE: Homework-Education-Training/Optimization/Economics . . . and process improvement

["Prevette, Steven S" <Steven_S_Prevette@rl.gov>]

 Alan asked:  Might it be better to think first about things such as the
nature of demand, or how to change the way the work gets done and the
organisation is managed, instead of automatically assuming that the
appropriate first step in process improvement is bringing processes into
"a state of statistical control"?

My opinion and experience is that if a process is NOT in control when
you first deal with you are better off than if it was in control.  If
the process (or system) is NOT in control, I can identify periods of
time where the process was performing extremely (unusually) well or
unusually poorly.  I can learn from those examples, and find ways to
either avoid the causes of the unusually poor results, or reinforce the
causes of the unusually good results.  These actions will bring the
system/process into a state of statistical control, with better results
than you started with.  Now, it still may be necessary to continue on
with the next paragraph and improve the now stable system/process.

If the system is stable, there is no "smoking gun" to find for special
causes.  We must embark on the tough task of understanding the common
causes in the long term of the process/system.  And then we must
fundamentally change the process/system.  This is NOT as easy as the
paragraph above and represents a major challenge.


Steve Prevette
Occupational Safety and Health
Fluor Hanford, A Fluor Government Group Project
ASQ Certified Quality Engineer
steven_s_prevette@rl.gov
509-373-9371