Abstract
The core objective of statistical process control (SPC) is assuring the quality of product or service via taking the right information at the right time and by doing proper data analysis. Today, SPC is significantly applicable in manufacturing and service facilities around the world. Quality means fitness for use, which is inversely proportional to variability. SPC involves maximizing productivity (effectiveness and efficiency), reduce (scrap, cost, rework, inspections, and warranty claims), improve (operational efficiency, traceability, process control, and continuous improvement), advance (analysis, analytics, modeling, reporting, and documentation report). Primarily the objectives of SPC involve the ability to distinguish between common cause variation and special cause variation. Having this ability allows to eliminate special cause variation and improve the stability of the process over time. The most relevant SPC variable charts covered in this chapter are the I-MR, the X-bar and R, and the X-bar and S chart. For attribute charts, the p-chart, np-chart, c-chart, and u-chart.
