Sociotechnical Reasons for the De-Evolution of Statistical Process Control

Abstract

Increasing customer demands and the need to stay competitive create challenges in high-volume manufacturing companies competing in global markets. Increasing pressures to produce high-quality products with fewer resources can cause degradation in procedural compliance, particularly when compliance conflicts with the ability to meet production schedules. Reaction to statistical process control (SPC) out-of-control conditions is one such procedure. SPC procedures often require that processes he shut down until the cause of an out-of-control condition is identified and removed. Poor integration of SPC procedures into existing business systems makes compliance with this type of procedure stressful for many levels of the organization. Using focus group data, sample surveys, and focused interviewing, a model is derived that describes the SPC system changes that can occur. The interrelationships between these organizational functions, their respective knowledge levels, and what motivates them is critical to understanding why attempts to integrate SPC into business systems can fail. This article proposes a sociotechnical model describing the de-evolution of SPC in organizations where careful consideration is not applied to the integration of SPC into existing business systems. Advice to practitioners on the avoidance of SPC de-evolution is provided.