In the third quarter of 2009, Quality America released the latest versions of our SPC-PC IV Explorer and SPC Explorer RT software packages. These incorporate an easy to use interface for control charting of CA/PA (Corrective Action / Preventive Action) records stored in Q-Pulse. This integration will facilitate the on-going management and improvement of your Quality Systems through the following key benefits:

• Analysis of key system response metrics, such as Response Time and Cost;
• Dashboard display of key system parameters, with drill-down to process level data;
• SPC analysis of Supplier batch records stored in Q-Pulse;
• Reporting of internal and supplier data in standardized, customizable MS Word documents for internal or external use, such as Certificates of Analysis

Statistical process control (SPC) is an analytical statistical method (i.e. applied to processes rather than populations) of using past experience to predict how a process will vary in the future. An SPC control chart provides a means of differentiating between common causes of variation that are systemic in nature and those special causes of process variation that require immediate action to prevent process instabiliy. SPC has broad application to all processes and industries:

• To Monitor Processes:
  
  • To verify process stability;
  • To verify customer requirements met;

• To Estimate Process Potential:
  
  • To baseline before Six Sigma project improvements / CAPA analysis;
  • To estimate/verify results of improvement effort;

• To Predict Performance:
  
  • To budget resources to maintain commitments
  • To Improve Processes
  • To identify & remove special causes
  • To identify & reduce common cause (DOE)

As such, our SPC software provides a critical link between operational data and functions and the reaction and support of these data and functions through the Q-Pulse QMS.

In the coming weeks and months I will provide details and examples of how this interface is designed and used by our customer base. I will also share our development plans for this interface, most notably the ability to create Q-Pulse CAPA records from within the SPC software as a result of a process anomoly (such as out of spec or out of control condition).