Seven Basic Tools of Quality

The seven basic tools of quality are the tools which can be used to identify and resolve quality related issues quickly and efficiently.

The seven tools are:

1.     Cause and effect diagram (fishbone diagram or Ishikawa Diagram): The Ishikawa Diagram is a cause and affect diagram that helps the person to identify the reasons for variations or defects. The diagram looks just like a fish’s skeleton with the problem at its head and the causes for the problem as branches or spines.

2.     Check Sheet: It’s a document which is used to collect data in real time at the location where the data is generated. It can be used to capture both quantitative and qualitative data.

3.     Control Chart: This is a quality improvement tool to help determine if the process is stable and predictable, making it easy to identify factors which might lead to variations or defects.

4.     Histogram: This is the most prominent way to visualize frequency distributions. It helps to easily identify areas of improvement within your processes. The bar represents the group while the height of the bar represents the frequency of data within that group.

5.     Pareto Chart: It is a type of chart which contains both bars and line graphs. It represents individual values in descending order using bars, while the cumulative total is represented by a line.

6.     Scatter Diagram: It is useful in depicting the relationship between two variables which helps in identifying the cause-and-effect relationships.

7.     Stratification (flow chart or run chart): It is a tool used to sort data, objects and people into separate and distinct groups. Separating data helps in determining its meaning, revealing patterns which might not have been visible when the data is lumped together.

These methods can effectively help you in identifying the root cause of problems and taking measures in reduction or elimination of the identified issues.