The basic process improvement tools in any SPC program, including the nonmanufacturing programs, focus on the following:
Examine how we do things now
Analyze activities to determine which activities add value
Identify possibilities for improvement
Demonstrate improvement
Typical starter tools are as follows :
Process flow chart
Cause and effect diagram
Pareto diagram
Scatter diagram
Histogram
Control charts
Normal distribution analysis
For a detailed discussion of these tools, see Chapters 2, 3, 5, 8 “10, and 13, as well as Burr (1976), Duncan (1986), Stamatis (1996), and others.