SPC: Practical Understanding of Capability by Implementing Statistical Process Control, third edition (Walkabout) [Hardcover]

James C. Abbott (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1999 | Series: Walkabout

Statistical Process Control, or SPC, is one of the most misunderstood and underused tools in modern business practice. SPC: Practical Understanding of Capability by Implementing Statistical Process Control, third edition debunks the myth that SPC is only for engineers or technical managers. In fact, SPC is the proper set of tools for any operation where a product is created using a continuously repeated process. This is true for both manufacturing and service industries (sometimes the "product" is actually a service to people.) Author James Abbott uses everyday language to explain WHAT makes SPC work, WHY it will work for every situation, and HOW it fits into the overall decision-making process. This third edition of SPC is the result of years of feedback and refinement. An expanded appendix provides complete glossaries of terms, constants, formulas, and a practice question and answer section.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

For a successful improvement program implementation, there are two key requirements: a willingness to change, and an understanding of the two Principles of Process Management. Willingness to change is vital in today's business world. Consumers increasingly demand new and better products. As the pace of technological innovation increases, the lifecycle of products and processes decreases. Developing the flexibility to rapidly meet these new demands is the only way a business can continue to compete. The two Principles of Process Management provide the framework to develop this rapid flexibility.

This First Principle states that, "a fundamental understanding of BOTH the product and process is essential to improvement. Both the product and process must be understood individually and separately. The underlying component for improving the product is the process." If a knowledge base is composed solely of product information, when change occurs the reasons for the change will be unknown. If we notice a change in the product, it stands to reason that some part of the process has altered. Change can be either improvement or deterioration. If change results in deterioration, it will take much longer to correct the problem and again produce tolerable product. If the change results in improvement, it will be almost impossible to consistently replicate the new and better product. In "Practical Understanding of Capability by Implementing Statistical Process Control" author James Abbott explains how to build a product process knowledge base using the Walkabout(tm) Dependency Diagram. Mr. Abbott developed this tool specifically for his clients' use during and after their improvement program implementations. Utilizing the Walkabout(tm) provides a total framework for studying, understanding, and sharing product and process knowledge. This simple method of documenting the process and product characteristics ("metrics") focuses exactly on what measurements need to be taken and monitored, eliminating confusion on the shop floor.

The Second Principle of Process Management states that "Division of Labor is the framework for all aspects of decision-making. It must be clearly understood to separate the strategic and tactical decisions. Operations make the tactical decisions of running the facility. Management makes the strategic decisions of assessing the facility's suitability for the job." These two groups are independent, yet equal parts of the same team. Both of these groups must understand and brilliantly execute their roles for proper Statistical Process Control (SPC). SPC falls under the umbrella of Statistical Quality Control (SQC). SPC was designed to monitor any continuous process, machine, operation, or system. It is an accurate indicator of product and process consistency; it is a change detector; it is a capability assessor. SPC is composed of two tools: control charts and capability studies. A facility's tacticians (operators) use control charts for monitoring the process and product and noting any changes. When a change has been noted, the strategists use capability studies to assess the impact of the change on the customer. Both control charts and capability studies must be used in conjunction to properly identify and maintain improvements. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

Statistical Process Control provides the knowledge base that assures your company or process is running consistently and at maximum capability. This knowledge base is your firm's most valuable asset. SPC will help you to; * Speed your delivery time * Cut your scrap and rework rates * Make sound decisions based on accurate, reliable data * Save money by running existing machines and processes to their full potential In SPC; Practical Understanding of Capability by Implementing Statistical Process Control, third edition you will find answers to questions like, * Am I analyzing properly grouped data? (Read Chapter Three to find out.) * Where do we start if we want to implement SPC? (Chapter Five explains the answer.) * How do I determine if we are operating at our maximum capability? (You can find out by constructing a capability study - see Chapter Ten.)

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 406 pages
• Publisher: Robert Houston Smith Publishers; 3 edition (April 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1887355030
• ISBN-13: 978-1887355032
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,505,679 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

James Abbott is an author, teacher, developer, and consultant, and the president of Abbott Associates Inc., based in Greenville, South Carolina. James Abbott has made a career out of taking technical topics and explaining them so that "the rest of us" can understand. A professional engineer for more than 30 years, James learned early on that even the best methods are useless unless they are delivered in a fashion that allows their swift and effective implementation. He is also on the faculty of the College of Engineering at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona.

Inspired by the great Southern tradition of storytelling, James uses anecdotes about Grandma's biscuits and a visit to the grocery store to explain scientific concepts like queuing science and reporting metrics.

James isn't afraid to get his hands dirty. In the course of his coaching and engineering he's worked alongside electric engine assemblers, in a high-pressure customer care center, and on the third shift of a global IT help desk. It is his ability to learn a business--from the ground up--that has allowed James to develop methods and tools for everyone from the CEO to the custodial staff.

Though he has worked throughout the Western Hemisphere, James's home is in Greenville, South Carolina. He is the author of thirteen books including his best selling, The Executive Guide to Call Center Metrics. This best seller is now complemented by three other call center books. These four books are in the top twenty call center books on Amazon.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This author doesn't know the first thing about statistics, August 12, 2001

By 

Dean V. Neubauer (Horseheads, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: SPC: Practical Understanding of Capability by Implementing Statistical Process Control, third edition (Walkabout) (Hardcover)

I think that it is sad that a book of such extremely poor technical quality, which the author believes is "practical understanding", fools so many people who do not understand statistics themselves. If you have not been exposed to statistics for sometime, or have always wanted to learn statistical methods, then this should not be your first book. Anyone who has been exposed to a good book on statistics, or attended a class or seminar on statistics, will quickly see that this book contains numerous incorrect definitions and interpretations of statistical terms and methods. A book review of this book by noted statistician, Lloyd Nelson (who is an ASQ Fellow and Shewhart medalist) appeared in the April 2001 issue of the Journal of Quality Technology.

As an example, the author defines the binomial distribution as one which has two modes, which he has confused with the biMODal distribution. The range is defined as the (data point - average), which would produce both positive and negative values. Of course, the range is known (by everyone else except the author) as the difference between the largest and smallest values of a set of data, so it can never assume a negative value. His discussion of control charts also demonstrates a lack of understanding as to their use and the underlying distributions on which they are based. For instance, his statement that the binomial and Poisson distributions are a special case of the normal distribution is blatantly incorrect. The list of examples goes on and on, and many more can be found in Nelson's book review.

The best advice this reviewer can give someone shopping for an easy to read and credible book on statistics is to pass this one up, save your money, and keep looking. If you subscribe to one of the journals of ASQ (American Society for Quality), namely the Journal of Quality Technology and Technometrics, then read their book reviews. The reviewers are very knowledgable and are composed of Senior Members and Fellows who have considerable practical and theoretical knowledge. They can offer valuable information on which books give the best value for the money.

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Different SPC Book, May 31, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: SPC: Practical Understanding of Capability by Implementing Statistical Process Control, third edition (Walkabout) (Hardcover)

This is a different SPC book. You catch something of it in the subtitle: Practical Understanding of Capability by Implementing Statistical Process Control. The material seems to come from aomeone who has spent time solving process problems instead of attending seminars.The writer seems more concerned about the reader getting the job done than saying all the right words and pushing the latest hot buttons. Abbot has written several books and the ones I have read all have this same flavor. The ideas are different. The appproach is different. If you are interested in becoming a practical solver of process problems and pass up this author, you have left something on the table.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Worst book for SPC users, July 31, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: SPC: Practical Understanding of Capability by Implementing Statistical Process Control, third edition (Walkabout) (Hardcover)

This text is one of the worst in terms of technical merit and correctness. The author obviously does not have much of an idea about statistics and how to implement SPC....