Process control analysis allows a company to review business activities and ensure they meet some predetermined standard. Quality control can be an example of process control where a company ensures manufactured products meet a desired standard. Tips for process control analysis include the dedication of an individual to this ask, the use of a repeatable task to review an activity or item, and the use of control limits to assess an activity or item. The standards have obvious flexibility built in them as a company can create its own predetermined standard when using these techniques. Not all companies should look for the same issues in their processes due to the differences in their business operations.
A large company most likely needs a single individual or a department to work in the process control analysis field. Publicly held companies can have several individuals that work in this area in order to create a segregation of duties among process control workers. A supervisor can oversee the tasks performed under process control analysis and work as the liaison between operational managers and the owner or other executives. A manager in this department is also necessary to train new workers on tasks and activities in the process control department. Changes to the department’s policy may also come from the head supervisor.
Like most business tasks, process control analysis needs a repeatable task in place in order to produce consistent results. Common forms of process control may be the use of statistical output models or physical reviews of manufactured goods. In addition to the repeatable task, the company should use a task that involves the same time frame for testing items. For example, completing the control review every two weeks or after every third batch of manufactured goods is a common process. Again, consistency is of the utmost importance here as specific results are necessary to judge a process or good’s quality.
Control limits place a range in which a process or manufactured good can fall in and still be considered acceptable. Most companies know that it is a futile effort to produce goods or repeat certain tasks and always come out with the same result. Therefore, a lower and upper control limit allow for a small range of acceptability for process control analysis. These control limits work best when a company uses statistical control analysis to review activities or manufactured goods. The results obtained from this analysis can create a trend for further reviews and benchmarking processes.
