Seven Tools for Quality

This week you have learned about the seven tools of quality. These tools are essential within the workplace and will improve your work environment if used properly. Using your current workplace as an example (if you are not employed, you may use a previous employer or fictional company) determine how the seven tools of quality can be used to improve your company. You will expand on your thoughts pertaining to the use of all seven tools. If there are tools that you feel would not be beneficial, expand upon why you feel this way. Use your course materials and outside research to generate a solid analysis on why these methods would be helpful. Your analysis should be supported by research.

The Seven Tools of Quality

There are seven tools to know and understand as one who is looking to achieve quality within the workplace. You want to know and understand how to use a flow chart, run chart, process-control chart, check sheet, pareto diagram, cause-and effect diagram, and a scatter diagram. Let me expand on these just a bit so that you understand what they are and why these tools are used. A flow chart is one that you might be familiar with. A flow chart is used to de?ne and to understand a process. Many find that creating these charts by hand work well enough, however, there are templates and software available to assist you in creating a flow chart. A run chart is a graphical representation of measured variables over time. This is a great tool for determining a process and the length in which it might take to complete the process. A process-control chart can be a little more challenging as it is statistics based. The process-control chart determines if a process is working based on statistical data obtained from research.

A check sheet is otherwise known as a tally sheet. This tool can be used to evaluate both qualitative and quantitative data to ensure that the process is running smoothly. A pareto diagram analyzes the frequency of problems or causes in a process. This is reflected in a diagram that consists of columns and lines to show where problems may be occurring. The cause-and effect diagram is a chart that will show the potential results of a process. This is a fantastic tool for determining worst-case scenarios before they occur and revising the process to ensure these issues do not occur. And finally, a scatter diagram is a tool that will compare variables. This is a great tool to determine relationships based on plots placed on a number line. So, you can see that there are many tools to choose from, it's just a matter of choosing the method or methods that are going to work best for your workplace.

The requirements below must be met for your paper to be accepted and graded:

• Write between 750 - 1,250 words (approximately 3 - 5 pages) using Microsoft Word in APA style, see example below.
• Use font size 12 and 1" margins.
• Include cover page and reference page.
• At least 80% of your paper must be original content/writing.
• No more than 20% of your content/information may come from references.
• Use at least three references from outside the course material, one reference must be from EBSCOhost. Text book, lectures, and other materials in the course may be used, but are not counted toward the three reference requirement.
• Cite all reference material (data, dates, graphs, quotes, paraphrased words, values, etc.) in the paper and list on a reference page in APA style.