Portland, OR—People who have successfully implemented statistical process control (SPC) will tell you: the difficult part isn't the math, it's getting people to use it. This is a lesson that companies are learning as SPC increasingly becomes required by customers and regulatory reporting.

"SPC programs involve employees at many levels, from plant floor operators who run the machines all the way up to the management types who make decisions about capital resources," says Jeffrey Cawley, vice president of Northwest Analytical, Inc. "With each group, you encounter resistance for different reasons."

SPC and Plant Floor Operators

Plant floor operators often have limited computer skills and little exposure to statistics. The key is to help them get past the math/computer phobia before it derails the whole SPC program.

Companies that have successfully implemented plant floor SPC say it takes:

• Leadership. Management needs to communicate that SPC is a high priority and follow it up with reinforcement, such as making SPC implementation part of everyone's performance review criteria.
• Encouragement. Employees need meaningful rewards, such as advancement opportunities for those who achieve SPC competence.
• Easy-to-use software tools. No one will use difficult software (not even engineers, because it's too time-consuming) and the additional training and expertise needed to get operators to use it makes it all but impossible.
• Training. Employees should be allowed to repeat training as needed until they have the required skills. Any certification testing needs to be carefully handled to avoid provoking anxiety and resentment.

SPC and Management

Getting managers to use SPC offers a different set of problems. While they usually possess the math and computer skills, time-pressured managers rarely use SPC unless the charts are easy to access and provide quick information for decision making.

According to Cawley, the best way to get managers on board is to set up an intranet where they can see SPC charts at the click of an icon. Web-based SPC software makes this easy to do.

Easy-to-use Software is the Key to Getting People to Use SPC

Whether it's being used by operators or managers, easy-to-use software is essential for successful implementation of any SPC program. But what factors make a software package easy to use?

"The software should provide clear, high quality graphics that allow a user to quickly and easily grasp the process situation without having to do any programming." says Cawley. "It should allow SPC managers to easily automate routine tasks. It should allow users to drill down into the data if desired, but should also allow analysis without needing to deal with the data. And for managers, as well as vendors and customers in the supply chain, it should offer a secure Web-based component for sharing charts over an intranet or extranet."

The lesson is clear. To get people at all levels of the company to use statistical methods you need to make it painless and convenient.

Northwest Analytical, Inc. (NWA) provides analytical software for understanding processes and improving quality. The NWA software suite includes NWA Quality Analyst (comprehensive off-line SQC charting and analysis), NWA Quality Monitor (workstation software for plant floor SPC) and NWA Quality Analyst Web Server (a company-wide solution for SQC reporting and analysis). NWA's software is used in more than 4,500 companies worldwide.

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