Quality and Productivity Management Training Course

Participants can relate quality management system requirements to operational controls and performance measures.

• ISO 9001 process approach, risk-based thinking and documented information requirements
• Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle applied to operational control and improvement
• Quality policy, objectives and process measures aligned through management review
• Interested parties and customer requirements recorded within process planning
• Documented procedures distinguished from work instructions, records and specifications
• Internal audit findings converted into correction, corrective action and improvement

Participants can define process boundaries, customers, suppliers and measurable process outputs.

• Process hierarchy distinguishes value streams, processes, sub-processes and work activities
• SIPOC diagrams establish suppliers, inputs, process steps, outputs and customers
• Start and end points set using customer-triggered process boundaries
• Customer requirements classified as stated, implied, regulatory and contractual
• Inputs separated into controllable factors, noise factors and external constraints
• Process ownership assigned for performance, risks, controls and improvement decisions

Participants can map an end-to-end workflow and identify handoffs, decisions and control points.

• Swimlane maps show roles, handoffs, approvals, decisions and rework loops
• Standard flowchart symbols distinguish operations, inspections, transport, delays and storage
• Actual process maps compared against documented procedures and intended workflows
• Decision points tested for criteria, authority, evidence and escalation routes
• Handoffs assessed for information quality, queue time and ownership gaps
• Process maps annotated with cycle time, waiting time and defect opportunities

Participants can establish credible baseline measures for quality, productivity and process performance.

• Operational definitions specify units, boundaries, timing, inclusions and exclusions
• Data collection plans identify sources, frequency, owners and validation checks
• Leading and lagging indicators separated within performance measurement systems
• First-pass yield, rolled throughput yield and defect rates calculated
• Cycle time, takt time and throughput measured using consistent boundaries
• Measurement error assessed through repeatability, reproducibility and data verification

Participants can identify non-value-adding activity and select appropriate waste-reduction actions.

• Lean value defined from customer need, timing, quality and willingness to pay
• Eight wastes identified through defects, overproduction, waiting, talent and transport
• Motion, inventory, overprocessing and unused capability evaluated within workflows
• Value-added analysis separates necessary controls from avoidable process activity
• Gemba observation captures actual work, delays, workarounds and interruption patterns
• Waste observations converted into quantified improvement opportunities and priorities

Participants can build a current-state value stream map and target major flow constraints.

• Current-state value stream maps connect material, information and customer demand
• Process data boxes record cycle time, uptime, changeover and defect measures
• Lead time separated from processing time, queue time and transport time
• Push systems compared with pull systems, Kanban signals and replenishment rules
• Future-state design uses flow, pull, pacing and controlled work release
• Kaizen bursts identify owners, actions, expected gains and implementation timing

Participants can diagnose capacity constraints and protect throughput at the system bottleneck.

• Theory of Constraints identifies the system constraint and throughput limitation
• Capacity calculated from available time, staffing, equipment and process yield
• Bottleneck signals include queues, overtime, missed deadlines and blocked work
• Constraint exploitation reduces downtime, changeover losses and avoidable interruptions
• Non-bottleneck resources subordinated to constraint pace and release schedules
• Capacity actions assessed using throughput, inventory, operating expense and investment

Participants can interpret process variation and use control charts to guide response actions.

• Common-cause and special-cause variation distinguished using operational data
• Run charts reveal shifts, trends, cycles and unusual process patterns
• Control chart selection matches data type, subgrouping and sampling frequency
• X-bar, R, p and c charts interpreted using control limits
• Out-of-control signals trigger containment, investigation and documented response
• Tampering avoided by separating signal-based action from routine process noise

Participants can assess whether a stable process can meet defined customer specifications.

• Specification limits distinguished from control limits and customer tolerance requirements
• Process capability assessed only after process stability has been established
• Cp and Cpk indices interpreted for centred and off-centre processes
• Pp and Ppk indices compared with short-term capability measures
• Capability gaps translated into defect risk, rework and customer impact
• Improvement choices address centring, variation reduction or specification review

Participants can investigate recurring failures and define verified corrective actions.

• Problem statements separate symptoms, effects, scope, timing and measurable evidence
• 5 Whys analysis traces causal chains beyond immediate operator error
• Fishbone diagrams organise potential causes through people, methods, machines and materials
• Cause-and-effect matrices rank input factors against critical output requirements
• Root causes verified through data, observation, testing or controlled trials
• Corrective actions distinguish containment, correction, prevention and effectiveness review

Participants can use FMEA to prioritise risks before defects reach customers or downstream processes.

• Process FMEA identifies failure modes, effects, causes and current controls
• Severity ratings reflect customer harm, compliance exposure and operational consequence
• Occurrence ratings use evidence from defects, history and process conditions
• Detection ratings assess control capability before failure reaches the customer
• Action priority guides risk treatment beyond simple risk-priority-number ranking
• FMEA actions assign accountability, due dates, verification and residual-risk review

Participants can design daily controls that make correct work visible and repeatable.

• Standard work defines sequence, timing, quality checks and expected work content
• Job instruction training breaks tasks into steps, key points and reasons
• 5S establishes sort, set in order, shine, standardise and sustain
• Visual controls display status, limits, priorities, abnormalities and escalation routes
• Andon signals support timely response to quality, safety and flow problems
• Layered process audits verify adherence to critical operational controls

Participants can analyse equipment-related productivity losses using OEE and reliability measures.

• Overall equipment effectiveness combines availability, performance and quality loss measures
• Planned downtime separated from breakdowns, minor stops and changeover losses
• Mean time between failures and mean time to repair calculated
• Total productive maintenance assigns operator care and specialist maintenance responsibilities
• Pareto analysis prioritises recurring equipment losses and defect-producing conditions
• SMED principles reduce internal and external changeover activity

Participants can quantify the financial case for quality and productivity improvement actions.

• Cost of quality categories linked to process failures and control activities
• Hidden factory costs identified through rework, sorting, delay and customer recovery
• Savings calculations distinguish one-time gains, recurring savings and cost avoidance
• Productivity benefits converted into capacity release, throughput or reduced expenditure
• Benefit assumptions tested against volumes, yield, labour rates and implementation cost
• Improvement charters state financial measures, owners, timing and validation methods

Participants can manage supplier-related quality risks through specifications, measures and corrective action.

• Supplier requirements define specifications, acceptance criteria, delivery and traceability expectations
• Incoming inspection plans balance supplier capability, risk and sampling effort
• Acceptance sampling uses lot size, inspection level and acceptance criteria
• Supplier scorecards track quality, delivery, responsiveness and corrective-action closure
• Nonconforming material controls cover segregation, disposition and supplier notification
• Supplier corrective action requests require cause evidence, actions and verification

Participants can use audits and review meetings to test controls and direct improvement priorities.

• Audit programmes prioritise process risk, customer impact and previous findings
• Audit questions test evidence, implementation, effectiveness and process understanding
• Conformity, nonconformity, observation and opportunity classifications applied consistently
• Audit reports state objective evidence, requirement reference and clear finding language
• Management review inputs connect KPIs, audits, complaints, risks and resources
• Review decisions assign actions for performance gaps, changes and improvement priorities

Participants can select, scope and govern improvement projects with clear measures and accountability.

• Project selection screens customer impact, financial value, feasibility and strategic relevance
• Impact-effort matrices compare quick wins with complex improvement opportunities
• Improvement charters define problem, scope, target, sponsor, team and timeline
• RACI matrices clarify decision rights, tasks, consultation and information responsibilities
• Stakeholder analysis identifies supporters, affected groups, resistance and communication needs
• Stage-gate reviews test evidence before analysis, implementation and closure decisions

Participants can establish monitoring and response arrangements that sustain improved process performance.

• Control plans specify characteristics, methods, frequencies, limits and reaction plans
• KPI trees connect operational measures with customer, financial and strategic outcomes
• Daily management boards show targets, actuals, abnormalities and corrective actions
• Escalation rules define response times, authorities and evidence for recurring issues
• Before-and-after results validated against baseline definitions and comparable conditions
• Standardisation plans update procedures, training, audits and process ownership

Participants can build, review and present a complete quality and productivity improvement dossier for a defined process.

• Improvement dossier integrates customer requirements, process map, baseline and quantified problem
• Current-state analysis combines waste evidence, variation data and bottleneck findings
• Root-cause evidence supports selected countermeasures, risk controls and implementation priorities
• Future-state process design identifies standards, capacity effects and expected benefits
• Control plan defines measures, limits, ownership, escalation and review cadence
• Implementation roadmap sequences actions, resources, dependencies, risks and benefit validation