Some time ago I wrote a series of posts about ShortRun SPC. You can read them here, here, and here. Recently a reader added this gracious comment to one of the posts:
Hi, Im working in a short run / high mix products metal mechanic process.
Your articles are very interesting. part of my job is launch SPC. So I would like to have a good start, in the past, only few trials with XR charts, that were not good enough.
Any help and suggestions with Short Run SPC s welcome
As I thought about what advice I might offer to someone just starting out, I realized I have some ideas, but I wondered what my other readers would suggest. So I’ll tell you what I think and invite others to add comments.
My advice is to start small and keep it simple. This is probably not what you’re expecting from a data head who brings a comprehensive enterprise SPC Software solution to the table. But you need to build trust and confidence that SPC, especially ShortRun SPC, bring value to your organization. Pick one process and one key metric to track. It should be one where you’re pretty confident that you don’t need to code out the Range chart. That will help you keep the math simple, and make the overall effort more explainable to everyone.
I suggest you commit to charting this process manually for several days or a week. Start with a simple ShortRun control chart and subtract the target from each value you record so that your target line is zero. When I say chart this manually, I mean (gasp) use a pencil and a paper control chart. Write it down. It will take longer, but in the end you’ll understand the process better and you’ll be able to defend whatever conclusions you come to. Once you have the chart, treat it like you would any other control chart and see what it has to teach you about the process.
So that is my advice. What, dear reader, would you add to this? Have I overlooked something? Use the ShareThis button below to mark this page, or leave a comment, schedule a conversation, or call 800-958-2709.
