Mar 12 2021
The literature on quality defines process capability as a metric that compares the variability of its output with tolerances. There are, in fact, two different concepts:
Dec 15 2020
Nissan’s Quick Response Quality Control (QRQC) is a management approach. It’s about organizing the response to quality problems, not about the technical tools used to solve them. It is intended to help detect problems, solve them, and document solutions, thereby growing the skills of the workforce. QRQC neither mandates nor excludes mistake-proofing or any statistical/data science tool.
This is meant to introduce QRQC to those who have not heard of it but it is also a call for practitioners to correct any misperceptions, add details, or share their experience.
Oct 5 2020
20 years ago, Honda stood out through its reputation for quality. Outsiders were studying Honda’s approach and Youtube now offers several videos shot at that time about it. Today, quality is no longer the differentiator among carmakers that is used to be but the practices of a company like Honda — past and present — remain a worthwhile object of study.
Jul 16 2019
A conversation with Franck Vermet about problem-solving tools for factory operators caused me to revisit the 7 tools of QC from 50 years ago and ponder how they should be updated with current data science.
Data Science for Operators, as a book, remains to be written. If you google this phrase today, what comes up is training courses offering to “change your career” by attending a “data science bootcamp.” TIBCO Spotfire has “Workflow Operators” but these are programs, not people.
So the following are tentative answers to questions that haven’t been asked before.
Feb 4 2018
Michael Ballé opens his 1/29/2018 Gemba Coach column with “all methodologies are about making a better use of our minds.” Are they? Tom DeMarco and Tim Lister disagree. In Peopleware, they describe methodologies as follows:
“A Methodology is a general systems theory of how a whole class of thought-intensive work ought to be conducted. It comes in the form of a fat book that specifies in detail exactly what steps to take at any time, regardless of who is doing the work, regardless of where or when. The people who write the Methodology are smart. The people who carry is out can be dumb. They never have to turn their brains to the ON position. All they do is start on page one and follow the Yellow Brick Road, like happy little Munchkins, all the way from the start of the job to its successful completion. The Methodology makes all the decisions, the people make none.”
Apr 2 2021
COVID-19 Pfizer Vaccine Study On Teens
Pfizer-BioNTech just announced the results of a COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial of 12- to 15-year olds. Because the vaccinated group had 0 infections, the news media jumped to the conclusion that the vaccine has “100% efficacy” on 12- to 15-year olds. That is what the chyron said on NBC news. A look at the published trial results and quick analysis with current methods confirms that the vaccine works for that population but not that it eliminates 100% of the infections.
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By Michel Baudin • Data science • 0 • Tags: Bayesian Statitics, COVID-19, Efficacy, Quality