Technometrics, November 1996
Publisher's note: The Complete Guide to the CQE was originally
titled The Quality Engineering bible.
Quality Engineering bible [The Complete Guide to the CQE],
by Thomas PYZDEK, Tucson: Quality Publishing, 1996. xvii + 614 pp., $99.00.
Quality engineering, as an engineering discipline, has survived since
the 1970s perhaps as a result of the increasing international competition
in commerce, aided by the free market's growth that encourages specialization.
This economic upswing, together with the realization of the important role
"quality" plays in that growth, has spurred the growth of the
American Society for Quality (ASQ). The ASQ has promoted quality
engineering as a discipline through its certification process.
This book, Quality Engineering bible, is intended to serve
as a single reference source for all the essential material and bodies of
knowledge of quality engineering.
The author implies that this reference source will be a useful tool for
the ASQ certification process and to those interested in the quality engineering
field at all levels of expertise. He assumes an ambitious challenge in incorporating
these varied topics into a single volume. He suggests that a course of study
should accompany this material to prepare one for the ASQ Certified Quality
Engineer Examination. The author states that by mastering the material covered
in this book you are preparing to join others recognized by the ASQ as
a Certified Quality Engineer. These are ambitious goals.
I found the material easy to read at a university undergraduate level.
Overall, the level of technical sophistication targeted for the engineering
community ranges from elementary to moderate. Topics covered include general
knowledge, conduct and ethics: quality practices and applications statistical
principles and applications; product process and material control; measurement
systems; and safety and reliability.
The first section covers quality standards. philosophies, communication
and presentation skills, engineering drawing practices, project management
skills, and the ASQ code of ethics, The material on communication and presentation
skills, although brief, outlines a body of knowledge that is of paramount
importance in today's world of teams, chains of customers. and system interfaces
in any organizational setting. I would like to see this material enhanced
in future editions of this book.
The biggest portion of the book covers quality practices and applications.
Starting with the motivational theories of Maslow, Herzberg, and McGregor,
the author integrates these theories into the operator's behavior, team
dynamics, and psychology of people. I would like to see more references
to this material [especially the work of Kohn (1996)] in the future editions.
Quality planning and quality-planning tools, including the Quality Function
Deployment process, Juran's Strategic Planning, and Feigenbaum's Total Quality
Model, are reviewed briefly. Basic quality tools, the seven quality tools
(Pareto diagrams. cause and effect diagrams. flow charts, control charts,
check sheets. scatter diagrams, and histograms), and seven management tools
(affinity diagrams, tree diagrams, interrelationships, prioritization matrices,
activity network, nominal group, and force fields, are discussed with varying
supporting examples for each.
In his treatment of control charts, the author quotes Shewhart and Deming
on the topics of common and special causes of variation and the philosophy
behind reducing variation as it applies to continuous improvement. In a
later chapter on statistical process control (SPC), he reviews the basic
theory and the uses for the various types of control charts. In the next
edition I would like to see an expanded discussion of Wheeler's (1992) interpretation
of Shcwhart's work and the basics behind the power of the statistical control
chart. The author suggests a solid founliation in this subject Is expected
of a quality engineer. I would expect a quality engineer to be conversant
in automatic process control as well as statistical process control.
In the section on statistical principles and applications, the author
opens with a nice discussion of analytic versus enumerative studies, descriptive
and inferential statistics, and distributions. He covers these topics in
a readable fashion and provides rationale on the usefulness of each. In
the next edition, it would be useful to include some references, such as
King (1981). that might enhance an engineers understanding of the application
of these tools (distributions).
Regression, correlation, and time series are treated at an elementary
level with the reader advised to consult a reference for additional information.
In the next edition, additional references on the material covered at the
end of each section might be helpful to the reader.
Experimental design basic concepts and acceptance sampling constitute
the remainder of this chapter. Taguchi's robustness concepts are introduced
without the usual controversy found in many books. The author does acknowledge
the controversial nature of acceptance sampling today and provides some
general comments that may be useful to the reader The section entitled "Product,
Process and Materials Control" contains a review of work instructions,
identification status, traceability, material review boards, and configuration
control practices. The remainder of this section involves SPC, including
process capability studies (70 pages).
Measurement systems-including the concepts of bias, repeatability, reproducibility,
stability, and linearity are examined with typical examples. Perhaps in
the next edition this material could be enhanced with examples of nested
experimental design methods and actions to improve (reduce measurement error)
this component of variation.
The safety/reliability section covers 14 pages and needs additional references
and examples to be useful.
Here are some general observations: Compiling and integrating all elements
of "quality" into a single volume is a daunting task. The author
should be commended for his efforts. I suggest, however, that not everything
that is known about quality engineering is included in this bible (especially
considering that many authors are omitted from the references). I am
not confident that. if you obtain mastery of this knowledge, you will be
able to think differently to solve the problems of today. I would also question
whether these tools, methodologies, and practices will be relevant in the
future for my (or society's) success. Because no new knowledge was presented
in this book, one always takes the chance of distortion the further one
moves away from the original source of knowledge. Sole reliance upon the
material as presented in the book, without being under the guidance of a
master, may lead the novice or beginner off into the Milky Way. (Caveat
emptor.) As George Box once said, "Just because it's in my book doesn't
make it right."
Daniel SPECK
Carleton Technologies Inc.
REFERENCES
King, J. (1982). Probability Charts for Decision Making,
Teamworth. NH: TEAM.
Kohn. A. (1986), No Contest: The Case Against
Competition, Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.
Wheeler, D. ( 1992). Understanding Statistical Process Control,
Knoxville, TN: SPC Press.
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