Variations in Quality

This week we taught our team about Dr. William Edwards Deming and his theory of variation in Quality Management. You can find a short article about Dr. Deming's life at the link below:
deming.org/deming-the-man/

Dr. Dreming said there are four factors as to why there is variation when it comes to the quality of a product. 
1. Common cause variation
2. Special cause variation
3. Tampering
4. Structural variation

Understanding the different variations, and then collecting data to better understand which variation could be at play, is so beneficial in figuring out how to fix the problem. 

Although we believe we have a high level of quality accountability at Bridgeview (you won't find shoddy work from us), sometimes variations happen that then results in products not meeting our high standards. When that happens, we come together as team to figure out what went wrong. Are our tools worn out? Did someone hiccup as they were crimping? Were the instructions not followed correctly? Did the level of humidity in the shop cause electrical interference? When you know what happened, you can then figure out how to make sure it doesn't happen again.

How do you use Dr Deming's theory of variation to help with quality management?

Below: Seth (left) is studying customer requirements for the assembly he is inspecting. Collin (right) is working with Peter to make sure instructions and production procedures match.