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Stoplight_controlcharts

The Stoplight Control Chart is a statistical tool used to monitor process performance by categorizing data points into Green, Yellow, and Red zones, indicating whether the process is in control. It is particularly useful in environments where operator competence may be low, and it simplifies the monitoring process without requiring complex calculations. However, it may have a high false alarm rate, potentially misclassifying a good process as bad.

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Dilip Kumar
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14 views

Stoplight_controlcharts

The Stoplight Control Chart is a statistical tool used to monitor process performance by categorizing data points into Green, Yellow, and Red zones, indicating whether the process is in control. It is particularly useful in environments where operator competence may be low, and it simplifies the monitoring process without requiring complex calculations. However, it may have a high false alarm rate, potentially misclassifying a good process as bad.

Uploaded by

Dilip Kumar
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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SPC: Stoplight Control Chart

Content: SPC: What is Stoplight Control?

1. What is the Stoplight Control?

2. Where it can be used?

3. How to use it?

4. Conclusion
Objective

Walter Shewhart and W Edward Deming have done tremendous work to understand the
variation in the process and its causes through statistical studies (mean, range, UCL, LCL, Cp,
Cpk, Pp, Ppk, p, np, c, u).

Understanding these variations is important to improve quality, reduce cost and increase
productivity (QCD).

The Stoplight Control Chart can be used where the process is in statistical control, measurement
variability is acceptable and where high competence of the operator is not possible.

Once you go through the article, you will understand the meaning of the Stoplight Control Chart,
what is the purpose and how to make its best use.

Definition: SPC: AIAG Manual 2nd Edition

SPC (Statistical Process Control): It is a collection of statistical techniques intended to


understand the behaviour of a process.

Process Capability: It is determined by the variation that comes from the common causes. It
generally represents the best performance of the process itself. This is demonstrated when the
process is being operated in a state of statistical control regardless of the specification.
Common Cause: Variations that are consistently acting on the process. Produce a stable and
repeatable distribution over time (in a state of statistical control)

Special Cause (Assignable causes): Variations that affect only some part of the process output.
Often intermittent and unpredictable.

Variable Chart: It explains the process data in terms of its process variation, piece-to-piece
variation, and its process average.

Specification Limits are the targets set for the process/product by customer or market
performance or internal target. In short, it is the intended result on the metric that is measured.
They have discrete values and can be counted for recording and analysis.

Control Limits are the indicators of the variation in the performance of the process. It is the
actual values that the process is operating on. It is the real-time value.
Detailed Information

Dr Walter Shewhart developed the first control chart in the 1920s to describe common and
special causes for Detection (tolerates waste) and Prevention (avoid waste)

The key objective of implementing statistical techniques is to


- Improve quality.
- Increase productivity.
- Reduce cost.

There is a fundamental law of nature that no two products or characteristics are exactly alike as
processes contain many sources of variation. The differences may be immeasurably small or
large, but they will always be there.

The statistical study is built on the strategy of prevention. Based on the statistical study, there
can be 3 key types of variation in the process
1. Location (mean/central value)
2. Spread (width/span)
3. Shape (Pattern of variation-skewed, asymmetrical etc.)

The key goal is to maintain the location to the target value with minimal variability.
What is a Stoplight Control Chart?

The stoplight control chart is similar to a traffic light wherein by using three different colour
codes (Green, Yellow and Red), an organization can identify whether the process is in control or
not.

In this chart, both process location and variation are controlled using one chart. In this, the
chart tracks the number of data points in the sample in each category (Green Yellow and Red)

One important aspect of this chart is that specification limits (Say 5.0 -0.1, +0.1) are plotted to
check the performance of the process, unlike the mean and control charts wherein control
limits are plotted.

Assumption Before Starting the Study:

1. The process is in statistical control


2. Process performance and measurement variability (MSA) is acceptable
3. The process is on target
It means that before going
ahead with the stoplight
chart, the organization
should use a control chart
to check the common and
special causes and once
the process is stable, they
can opt for this type of
chart.
What is the Purpose of the Stoplight Control Chart?

The following are the key purposes for using this chart.

•Ease of operator: This chart can be implemented at the operator level without involving any
mathematics.
•Loose Tolerance: Wherever the tolerances are wide enough any variation does not impact the
process immediately. Like in the furnace, the tolerance is generally -10 to +10 degrees.
•Easy to use: There is a myth that SPC study is very complicated and requires a complicated
formula.

How to Use Stoplight Control Chart?

The quantification and analysis of the process require variable data. In this study, double
sampling is used. There are three categories.

•Target area: Green (86.6%)


•Warning area: Yellow (13.2%)
•Stop Zone: Red (0.3%)
Steps for conducting the study:

1. Break the sample size of 5 into 2 and 3


2. Check 2 pieces, if both pieces are in the Green area, continue to run the production
3. If one or both samples are in the Red, stop the production, take action and repeat step 2
4. If one or two are in the Yellow zone, take 3 more samples. If any piece is in the Red, stop
the production, take action and repeat step 2.
5. If no piece falls in the Red zone but 3 or more falls in the Yellow zone, stop the
production, take action and repeat step 2.
6. If 3 pieces are in the Green and 2 are in the Yellow, continue the production.
In certain cases, the instrument like the dial indicator or air indicator column is best suited as
the instrument background can be coloured in Green, Yellow and Red.

Conclusion:
The purpose of the SPC study is to understand the process variation. The Stoplight control
chart can be used where the competence of the operator is low and the process is stable. By
using Green, Yellow and Red colours, the monitoring of the process performance can be done.

Possible Challenges
1.The disadvantage of the stoplight chart is that it has a high False Alarm rate (the possibility
of calling the process Bad when it is Good).

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