Created: 2004-01-15 — Last modified: 2004-01-16
Keywords: American Society for Quality (ASQ); Certification; Control charts; ISO 9000; Quality profession; Software; Statistics.
| Abstract: In his final 'Statistics Corner' column, the author provides personal opinions on matters such as the state of the quality profession, ISO 9000, quantitative methodology, the statistician's tool box, and quality engineer certification. He finds the quality profession to be in deplorable condition, having moved away from its activism, professionalism, and grasp of quantitative methodology to softer aspects of quality. Symptomatic of this condition is the ISO 9000 scam that produces mountains of documentation but little quality improvement in products and services. Soft methodologies that deal with communications procedures, personnel, and even how to hold meetings have overshadowed the difficult but effective tools of quantitative methods. This is diluting the quality field and may endanger its professional nature. There are problems even within the quantitative methodology toolbox. Statistical control charts are 70 years old, and although their underlying theory remains valid, today's production processes and service firms need more relevant tools. Such tools do exist, as does software that assists ordinary users in their application, but quality engineers seem to be embarrassingly out of date in the use of this new software. The role of certification is out of date, too, for it needs to be reinvented to affirm that certificate holders are experts in continuous reeducation of themselves. |
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In his farewell Quality Progress "Statistics Corner" column in
1998, Bert Gunter bluntly said:
ISO-mania is symptomatic of an ever more pervasive decline in the Quality profession (…); the retreat from quantitative methodology to soft quality (…) [which] emphasizes human relations, personnel organization, communications procedures, meeting conduct and the like. I do not wish to dismiss this stuff as useless; some is both necessary and important. However, without the core quantitative disciplines that actually measure and effect real improvement, it ends up being fluff and distraction —all form and no substance. (…) I believe that the flight from quantitative methodology in general —and statistical methodology in particular— is basically a capitulation. (…) It is a lot easier to send everyone through a class on how to hold better meetings or improve interdepartment communication than it is to learn SPC or experimental design. So by dismissing quantitative methods as inadequate and ineffective, one avoids having to expend that effort. |
Na sua coluna «Esquina da Estatística»
de despedida, na Quality Progress, em 1998, Bert Gunter
dizia cruamente:
A ISO-mania é sintomática dum declínio cada vez mais infiltrado na profissão da qualidade (…); o recuo face à metodologia quantitativa, no sentido da qualidade macia (…) [que] dá relevo às relações humanas, organização do pessoal, procedimentos comunicacionais, conduta em reuniões e similares. Não quero rejeitar estas coisas como inúteis; algumas são necessárias e importantes. Contudo, sem as fulcrais disciplinas quantitativas que realmente medem e efectivam a verdadeira melhoria, isto acaba em futilidade e distracção —tudo forma e nada de substância. (…) Estou convicto de que a fuga à metodologia quantitativa em geral —e à metodologia estatística em particular— é essencialmente uma capitulação. (…) É muito mais cómodo mandar toda a gente para um curso sobre como dirigir melhores reuniões ou melhorar a comunicação interdepartamental do que aprender SPC ou planeamento de experiências. Assim, desprezando os métodos quantitativos como inadequados e ineficientes, evita-se ter de dispender o esforço. | |
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http://web.ist.utl.pt/~ist11038/acad/gesQ/text/BertGunter.php Created: 2004-01-15 — Last modified: 2004-01-16 |