8th Edition

Statistical Process Control and Data Analytics

By John Oakland, Robert Oakland Copyright 2025
386 Pages 158 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

386 Pages 158 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

386 Pages 158 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

The business, commercial and public-sector world has changed dramatically since John Oakland wrote the first edition of Statistical Process Control in the mid-1980s. Then, people were rediscovering statistical methods of ‘quality control,’ and the book responded to an often desperate need to find out about the techniques and use them on data. Pressure over time from organizations supplying... Read more

Preface                                                                                                                             

Part 1    Process understanding

 

1 Quality, processes and control

Objectives 

1.1 The basic concepts 

1.2 Design, conformance and costs 

1.3 Quality, processes, systems, teams, tools and SPC

1.4 Some basic tools

1.5 SPC, ‘big data’ and data analytics

Chapter highlights 

References and further reading 

2 Understanding the process 

Objectives

2.1 Improving customer satisfaction through process management  

2.2 Information about the process  

2.3 Process mapping and flowcharting  

2.4 Process analysis  

2.5 Statistical process control and process understanding  

Chapter highlights  

References and further reading

 

3 Process data collection and presentation  

Objectives 

3.1 The systematic approach  

3.2 Data collection  

3.3 Bar charts and histograms  

3.4 Graphs, run charts and other pictures

3.5 Data quality and sharing  

3.6 Conclusions  

Chapter highlights  

References and further reading   

 

Part 2   Process variability

4  Variation understanding and decision making                                    

Objectives                                                                                                             

4.1       How some managers look at data                                                      

4.2       Interpretation of data                                                                              

4.3       Causes of variation                                                                                  

4.4       Accuracy and precision                                                                         

4.5       Variation and management                                                                   

Chapter highlights                                                                                             

References and further reading                                                                     

                                                                                                                                  

5  Variables and process variation                                                                   

Objectives                                                                                                             

5.1       Measures of accuracy or centering                                                     

5.2       Measures of precision or spread                                                         

5.3       The normal distribution                                                                         

5.4       Sampling and averages                                                                          

Chapter highlights

Worked examples using the normal distribution                                   

References and further reading                                                                     

                                                                                                                                                                               

Part 3   Process control

6  Process control using variables                                                                   

Objectives                                                                                                             

6.1       Means, ranges and charts                                                                      

6.2       Are we in control?                                                                                    

6.3       Do we continue to be in control?                                                        

6.4       Choice of sample size and frequency and control limits            

6.5       Short-, medium- and long-term variation

6.6       Process control of variables in the world of big data                

Chapter highlights

Worked examples                                                                                              

References and further reading

                                                                                                                                      

7  Other types of control charts for variables                                             

Objectives                                                                                                             

7.1       Beyond the mean and range chart                                                      

7.2       Process control for individual data                                                    

7.3       Median, mid-range and multi-vari charts                                       

7.4       Moving mean, moving range and exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) charts                                

7.5       Control charts for standard deviation (σ)                                        

7.6       Techniques for short-run SPC                                                               

7.7       Summarizing control charts for variables and big data             

Chapter highlights

Worked example                                                                                                

References and further reading                                                                     

                                                                                                                                         

8  Process control by attributes                                                                        

Objectives                                                                                                             

8.1       Underlying concepts                                                                               

8.2       Process control for number of defectives or non-conforming units                                                                           

8.3       Process control for proportion defective or non-conforming units                                                                             

8.4       Process control for number of defects/non-conformities           

8.5       Attribute data in non-manufacturing

Chapter highlights

Worked examples                                                                                              

References and further reading                                                                     

                                                                                                              

9  Cumulative sum (cusum) charts                                                                 

Objectives                                                                                                             

9.1       Introduction to cusum charts                                                               

9.2       Interpretation of simple cusum charts                                              

9.3       Product screening and pre-selection                                                 

9.4       Cusum decision procedures                                                                 

Chapter highlights

Worked examples                                                                                              

References and further reading                                                                     

                                                                                                                                         

Part 4    Process capability

10  Process capability for variables and its measurement                        

Objectives                                                                                                             

10.1       Will it meet the requirements?                                                          

10.2       Process capability indices                                                                   

10.3       Interpreting capability indices                                                          

10.4       The use of control chart and process capability data                 

10.5       Service industry example of process capability analysis                                                                                                     

Chapter highlights

Worked examples                                                                                              

References and further reading

                    

Part 5   Process improvement

11  Process problem solving and improvement                                           

Objectives                                                                                                             

11.1       Introduction                                                                                             

11.2       Pareto analysis                                                                                        

11.3       Cause and effect analysis                                                                    

11.4       Scatter diagrams                                                                                     

11.5       Stratification                                                                                            

11.6       Summarizing problem solving and improvement                     

Chapter highlights

Worked examples                                                                                              

References and further reading                                                                     

 

12  Managing out-of-control processes                                                           

Objectives                                                                                                             

12.1       Introduction                                                                                             

12.2       Process improvement strategy                                                          

12.3       Use of control charts and data analytics for trouble-shooting

12.4       Assignable or special causes of variation and big data             

Chapter highlights                                                                                             

References and further reading                                                                     

                                                                                                                                  

13  Designing the statistical process control system with big data      

Objectives                                                                                                             

13.1       SPC and the quality management system                                     

13.2       Teamwork and process control/improvement                             

13.3       Improvements in the process                                                            

13.4       Taguchi methods

13.5       System performance – the confusion matrix                                

13.6       Moving forward with big data analytics and SPC                     

Chapter highlights                                                                                             

References and further reading                                                                     

                                                                                                                                  

14  Six-sigma process quality                                                                              

Objectives                                                                                                             

14.1       Introduction                                                                                             

14.2       The six-sigma improvement model                                                 

14.3       Six-sigma and the role of design of experiments                        

14.4       Building a six-sigma organization and culture                            

14.5       Ensuring the financial success of six-sigma projects                  

14.6       Concluding observations and links with excellence models and data analytics 

Chapter highlights

References and further reading                                                               

                        

15  Data governance and data analytics

Objectives                                                                                                             

15.1       Introduction – data attributes                                                            

15.2       Data governance strategies                                                                

15.3       Data analytics and insight

15.4       Future of process control and assurance                                       

Chapter highlights

References and further reading

 

Appendices

A       The normal distribution and non-normality                                     

B        Constants used in the design of control charts for mean              

C        Constants used in the design of control charts for range              

D       Constants used in the design of control charts for median and range                                                                                      

E        Constants used in the design of control charts for standard deviation                                                                                    

F         Cumulative Poisson probability curves                                             

G       Confidence limits and tests of significance                                       

H      OC curves and ARL curves for X and R charts                               

I          Autocorrelation                                                                                          

J          Approximations to assist in process control of attributes             

K       Glossary of terms and symbols                                                             

Index

 

 

 

 

 

Biography

John Oakland is one of the world’s top ten gurus in quality and operational excellence; Executive Chairman, Oakland Group; Emeritus Professor of Quality & Business Excellence at Leeds University Business School; Fellow of the Chartered Quality Institute (CQI); Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society (RSS); Fellow of the Cybernetics Society (CybSoc); Fellow of Research Quality Association (RQA).

Robert Oakland is Director in the Oakland Group and works across the globe helping complex organizations to unlock the power in their data using advanced analytical and statistical techniques to improve the quality, cost and delivery of their products and services.