Statistical Process Control (SPC) is a set of statistical and related methods for monitoring processes with an aim to improve productivity and reduce costs, time, and waste incurred by these processes. In fact, SPC is a philosophy surrounding the monitoring, analysis, and adjustment of process variables to produce continuous improvements in the process.
There are a lot of terms that mean SPC, or that are a part of SPC. I plan to address some of these topics in more detail in future posts.
- Process Control
- Process Capability
- Quality Assurance
- Quality Control
- Total Quality Management
- Reliability Engineering
- Six Sigma
- Lean Manufacturing
- Continuous Improvement
Statistical tools commonly used in SPC include the following (with links to pages on the Peltier Tech web site):
- Run Charts (Control Charts)
- Box and Whisker Charts
- Probability Plots
- Histograms
- Pareto Charts
- Scatter Plots
- Regression Analysis
- Analysis of Variance
I will discuss several of these charting techniques in future posts.
Here are a few online resources you can visit to learn more about SPC.
- National Institute of Standards and Technology
NIST/SEMATECH e-Handbook of Statistical Methods
Process Control Techniques
- Business Process Improvement
SPC Articles and Newsletter
SPC for Excel Software
- Wikipedia
Statistical Process Control on Wikipedia
Stay tuned for my follow-up posts on SPC. I will build a running index on this page as I add topics.
