Operations Scheduling and Workplace Planning
Introduction Scheduling and workplace planning is the final step in operation planning and design. Operation’s scheduling and workplace planning is implemented during transformation of input to output. Scheduling deals with production of required quantity of product within the required time frame. Workplace planning deals with allocation of resources with priority to work job with first […]
Future of Work and Its Impact on Students and Professionals
Introduction: The Future of Work Every morning in Africa, a Lion wakes up. It knows that it has to run faster than the Gazelle if it has to avoid going hungry. Every morning there, a Gazelle wakes up. It knows it has to run faster than the Lion if it has to survive the day. […]
What the Current Wave of Protectionism and Populism mean for the Future of Globalization and Free Trade
The Rise of Populism and Protectionism The election of President Trump represents the cusp of the current wave of protectionism and populism that emerged in the aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis of 2008. As the Brexit vote and the emergence of populist leaders such as Vladimir Putin in Russia showed, the disaffection and dissatisfaction […]
Data Warehouse, Data Marts and Online Analytical Processing (OLAP)
Introduction One of the critical components in the information technology age is the data. Data is the source of all the information and information is valuable for decision making process. Decision support systems are developed to support executive management and relevant decision makers. In the modern era, there is large volume of information is available. […]
Optical Character Recognition and E-Invoicing
Automation of business processes has become the single objective of every multinational corporation. Automation saves a lot of money in the long run. It also streamlines the process and makes it more robust. In the recent past, two technologies have helped companies automate their accounts payable departments. These two technologies are optical character recognition and […]
Shift in the Process: A shift in the process is defined as a pattern in which seven consecutive data points appear on only one side of the mean. Statistical studies have shown that if the number of points on one side of the mean is less than 7 then it is not a non-random pattern and could have occurred due to random causes.
A shift in the process is very important for the management to detect. This is because it signifies that the average of the process has moved to a different level. Therefore, the control chart with the mean and control specifications based on old measures is redundant and will give wrong information. It is for this reason that it is important for the organization to detect this pattern as early as possible and take corresponding measures. The most common causes of the appearance of non- random shift patterns is as follows:
Process Improvement: Shifts in process means usually happen as a result of a deliberate attempt through a process improvement initiative. The best practises to do any task are continuously evolving. Introduction of new technologies enables newer and better ways of performing the work. This pattern can be detected on the control charts and the process improvement can be institutionalised.
Introduction of New Inputs: Another common reason for shift in the process mean is the introduction of new inputs. These new inputs could be markedly better or worse than the inputs used earlier and as a result change the performance of the entire process
Change in Quality Control Measures: The shift could also be the result of a change in quality control measures. The thrust may have changed from cure to prevention and as a result the quality checks may have dramatically improved the process, shifting its mean.
As the name suggests, this may be quite straightforward. However the logic behind this pattern is interesting. The normal curve states that 95% of all data points will lie between 2 standard deviations. However, if 2 out of 3 consecutive points are lying on or above the standard deviation, we can be rest assured that the 95% criteria is not being met, at least in that point in time.
This is therefore an early sign to the management that the process may be about to go out of control. A thoughtful management will make corrective action plans that will look into the process, understand the issue and correct it as soon as possible.
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Step 3B: Choosing the Correct Control Chart (Continuous Data)
February 12, 2025
