In the world of business, problems occur. And it is good to know that many of them can be preventable using the right tools. And that is where process behavior charts come in. They are used in a wide variety of industries, especially in the manufacturing industry, for the purpose of finding out if a process is stable and in control.
These charts visually monitor the performance of a process using a data-driven approach. And when they are used correctly, they can give you the ability to prevent problems from occurring in real time. In the instance of manufacturing, this means a company can eliminate problems like costly downtime. This makes process behavior charts an invaluable tool in that respect.
Besides that, process behavior charts can do so much more. Here are some of the other benefits.
Benefits of Using Process Behavior Charts in Organization
They tell you when something is wrong in a process
Sometimes it can be hard to tell when a process in trouble and needs to be amended. By looking at a control chart, you can be able to tell when it is time to make some improvements. That way, these charts serve as an early warning system, telling you when a process is about to misbehave.
As we know, in the world of manufacturing, producing a subpar product can be costly in many ways. For example, if your product is of low quality, you run the risk of disappointing customers, which can make them jump ship and seek out the competition. By using a process behavior chart, the problem can be identified it its infancy and corrected before it becomes a real issue.
They prevent unnecessary tampering of the process
Most times, a process behaves the way it should, meaning there’s no need to make any amendments. Tinkering with it would count as unnecessary tampering, which can cause it to misbehave. Tampering with it could accidentally leave it vulnerable to factors that can increase special cause variation, which is not the type of variation you want.
By looking at a control chart, you can make an informed decision in regards to the process; like when to avoid messing with what works. When a process is working correctly, the variation will be random along the center line. This is a good time to tell operators to do nothing and let it do what it does until the chart tells you otherwise.
They help you determine if your improvement efforts are working
Suppose you have a process that is not stable and is out of control. You can make amendments to it, but how can you tell whether your efforts have paid off? By looking at a control chart, of course. The chart can also alert you if your amendments are having the opposite effect; making the process worse rather than fixing it.
On top of assessing the impact of your amendments, process behavior charts can give you the power to predict the future output of a process. When a process is stable and in control, it can be predictable, This type of information can put you in a position to make informed decisions.
They eliminate guesswork when improving a process
Some people have a natural talent when it comes to fixing processes. This allows them to tell exactly what is wrong and how to fix it. These people operate by instinct, and by looking at a process behavior chart, they would just be confirming what their gut feeling has already told them.
However, not everyone has this innate ability, and to level the playing field, they can use a control chart. If they use their gut feeling in this scenario, they would be doing a lot of guesswork and probably fall prey to myths surrounding the performance of processes.
There are many tools that can be used to tell what is wrong with a process. Ensuring that all processes, especially in the manufacturing industry, are running smoothly is essential to customer satisfaction and gaining a competitive advantage. This is essentially what process behavior charts are for, which gives way to the above-mentioned benefits.
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