Operations Management: An Integrated Approach, 5th Edition

STATISTICAL QUALITY CONTROL (SQC) ACROSS THE ORGANIZATION

It is easy to see how operations managers can use the tools of SQC to monitor product and process quality. However, you may not readily see how these statistical techniques affect other functions of the organization. In fact, SQC tools require input from other functions, influence their success, and are actually used in designing and evaluating their tasks.

Marketing plays a critical role in setting up product and service quality standards. It is up to marketing to provide information on current and future quality standards required by customers and those being offered by competitors. Operations managers can incorporate this information into product and process design. Consultation with marketing managers is essential to ensure that quality standards are being met. At the same time, meeting quality standards is essential to the marketing department, since sales of products are dependent on the standards being met.

Finance is an integral part of the statistical quality control process because it is responsible for placing financial values on SQC efforts. For example, the finance department evaluates the dollar costs of defects, ...