{"id":57,"date":"2019-09-06T07:47:48","date_gmt":"2019-09-06T14:47:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.plm.automation.siemens.com\/t5\/Siemens-Opcenter-Blog\/Industrial-Machinery-and-the-Seven-Tools\/ba-p\/620651"},"modified":"2026-03-26T05:02:43","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T09:02:43","slug":"industrial-machinery-and-the-seven-tools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/opcenter\/industrial-machinery-and-the-seven-tools\/","title":{"rendered":"Industrial Machinery and the Seven Tools"},"content":{"rendered":"

In his 1990 bellwether Introduction to Quality Control<\/em>, Ishikawa stated: \u201cThey were named the Seven QC Tools after the famous seven weapons of the Japanese Kamakura-era warrior-priest Benkei which enabled Benkei to triumph in battle; so too, the Seven QC Tools, if used skillfully, will enable 95% of workplace problems to be solved. In other words, intermediate and advanced statistical tools are needed in about only 5% of cases.\u201d<\/p>\n

What are these seven weapons?\u00a0 Let\u2019s look more closely at the Seven Basic Quality Tools:<\/p>\n

Pareto Diagram:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Juran defined this tool with the rule of 80%-20% to classify problems from \u201cvital few\u201d to \u201ctrivial many.\u201d This is a useful tool that helps to provide priority among many problems \u2013 20% of which represent the opportunity for 80% of the improvement. In all DMAIC projects, it is a starting point to define which problem to attack at first.<\/p>\n

Cause & Effect Diagram:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Also known as a Fishbone diagram or the Ishikawa diagram, the Cause & Effect Diagram is useful to find the root causes of a problem. In a manufacturing problem, this tool is often applied by identifying the 5Ms as potential areas for cause \u2013 Men, Machines, Materials, Method and Measurement.<\/p>\n

Histogram:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Histogram is simply a bar chart graph that shows the number of times a particular outcome range occurs. Used as a quality tool, it shows the distribution of outcomes, and reveals causes most often associated with a result.<\/p>\n

Control Charts:<\/strong><\/p>\n

A control chart shows how a process is changing over time. Plotting results over time, the control chart shows the average value of the measured attribute, with a line showing the upper acceptable limit and the lower acceptable limit. It is a quick way to see whether a process is operating properly, or trending out of spec.<\/p>\n

Scatter Diagrams:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Also knows as a scatter plot, the scatter diagram plots the relationship between two process variables, one on the X axis and one on the Y axis. It is a quick way to see a correlation, or the tendency of one variable to have an effect on the other.<\/p>\n

Graphs:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Multiple types of graphs are visual representations of process performance. They allow trends in processes to be quickly detected.<\/p>\n

Check Sheets:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The check sheet is simply a point of data collection in real time at the source. The data can be qualitative or quantitative.<\/p>\n

Even though these tools were classified twenty years ago, they are far from obsolete. In fact, they are still the starting point for all quality evaluation of root cause analysis.<\/p>\n

How does Siemens Opcenter Quality (formerly known as QMS Professional) support quality work with the quality tools?<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

As the age of Industry 4.0 is now upon us, machines and systems are being networked, and they communicate with each other to produce individual pieces as well as mass-produced goods. Using a company-wide quality management solution like Siemens Opcenter Quality, a quality team manages interdisciplinary cooperation and achieves the transparency needed to pursue a zero-defect strategy. What type of system support do your employees have in quality management to reduce quality costs and warranty costs, and approach zero-defect performance?<\/p>\n

With\u00a0Siemens Opcenter Quality (formerly known as QMS Professional), these weapons are at your fingertips.<\/p>\n

In one example of a Siemens Opcenter Quality (formerly known as QMS Professional) application, a manufacturer is now employing:<\/p>\n