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GO TO Q, Qa, Qc, Qi, Qm, Qr Qs Quad, Qual, Quan, Quar Queue Qui Qv last entry
Q Chart: see Quality Score Chart.
QA Standard: see Check Standard.
QC Standard (aka QC Sample): see Check Standard.
QE: Quantum Efficiency.
QFD: See Quality, Function, Deployment.
QIP: quality improvement process.
QIT: quality improvement team.
QMS: Quality Management Systems, a term used in the ISO 9000 : 2000 set of procedures (qv).
QR: Quick Response - a term similar to Mass Customisation, denoting the quick final assembly of customer options in Assemble-to-Order. See Final Assembly Schedule.
QRM: Quick Response Manufacturing - a term similar in meaning to Mass Customisation, denoting the quick final assembly of customer options in Assemble-to-Order. See Final Assembly Schedule.
QS 9000: A set of procedures, controls and required documentation issued in 1994 jointly by Chrysler, Ford and General Motors, incorporating ISO 9000 : 1994 plus 60 further provisions. The three companies insist that their "first tier" suppliers (qv) should attain accreditation in this standard. The forerunner of ISO TS 16949.
Quadratic Sum (or Sum in Quadrature): the quadratic sum of two numbers is obtained by squaring them, adding the two squares, and taking the square root of this sum. Thus for x and y, it is (SQRT(x**2 + y**2)).
Quality: There are numerous definitions of this phenomenon including the following: (1) the totality of features and characteristics of a product or service that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs (BSI); (2) conformance to requirements (Philip Crosby); (3) a predictable degree of uniformity and dependability, at low cost and suited to the market (W. Edwards Deming); (4) fitness for purpose or use (Joseph M. Juran); (5) a system of production methods which economically produce quality goods or services meeting the requirements of customers (Japanese Industrial Standard).
Quality of Conformance (to Design): an assessment as to how closely the design of a newly developed product matches the design goals encapsulated in the "Product Design Specification" (qv).
Quality, Function, Deployment (QFD): (Read this title as three separate, semi-independent words.) QFD is a product development technique intended to ensure that what is finally produced is truly wanted by the customer. Four stages are involved, each involving a matrix drawn on a very large sheet of paper. In Stage 1, a QFD team writes out customers' desires, or wishes, as short phrases on the vertical (left hand) scale of Matrix 1, and on the horizontal (top) scale writes out how these desires are to be satisfied (ie the customers' needs). At Stage 2 a second matrix is drawn up with the needs from Matrix 1 now drawn vertically on the left scale. The team completes the matrix by entering the design features needed to satisfy them on the horizontal (top) axis. At Stage 3, yet a third matrix is constructed with the design features from Matrix 2 now vertically on the left. The process requirements needed to fulfil these features are entered horizontally at the top. A fourth matrix is finally constructed at Stage 4, this time with process requirements vertically on the left, and process control requirements horizontally at the top. The technique was originally developed by Yoki Akado in 1966. For a good description, see Quality, Function, Deployment by R.G.Day (1993).
Quality Grades: In the process industries, it is possible for the operation of the production process to result in the production of a grade of material other than "grade 1". In these circumstances, it is essential that the stock record of the appropriate grade should be augmented to show stock quantities by individual grade.
Quality Lever: imagine a see-saw (which is a lever, of course) that is 10 feet long, and which is rested on a fulcrum 8 feet from the end. Now imagine three points on the long end of the see-saw which are 8 feet from the fulcrum (point A), 6 feet from the fulcrum (point B) and 4 feet from the fulcrum (point C). The effect of a force on the short end of the see-saw exerted at point A is very considerable; the effect at point B is less so; and the effect on the short end exerted at point C is least. The see-saw is the quality lever. At the short end, we have the quality attributes of a product or service. At point A we have the effect on these quality attributes of product design. At point B we the effect on quality of process design. And at point C we have the effect of design for manufacture. See especially Taguchi.
Quality Score Chart: A variant of the Demerit Chart, in which an undesirable quality attribute is given a score depending on the severity of its manifestation (eg small hole = 5, medium hole = 10, large hole = 20 ...).
Quango: quasi autonomous government organisation (also qualco: quasi autonomous local government organisation) In the UK, especially under a socialist government, quangos manage to spend enormous sums of money, although in their own defence they argue this is mainly spent in complying with civil service red tape (the provision and audit of plans, budgets, performance indicators, advertising proposals etc.).
Quantity per: See Usage.
Quantity Variance: See Variance (Volume).
Quantum Meruit (legal): Latin for "as much as he has deserved" - an agreement or court ruling that a buyer should pay proportionately for the work that has been done or the goods that have been delivered. For example, if only 600 units of an order for 1000 units are delivered, under a quantum meruit settlement, the buyer will simply pay a 60% portion of the bill. Sometimes, quantum meruit is not acceptable: for example, here, the contract may state that it is absolutely essential that the full 1000 units are to be delivered. The 600 units are not acceptable - they are returned, the buyer pays nothing, and sues in the courts for breach of contract. See severable/non severable agreement.
Quarantine Area: A factory area associated with either the shop floor or goods-in area in which stock is to be held pending its investigation with regard (usually) to quality.
Quarantine Stock: see Stock (Quarantine).
Queue(1): (See also Queue (2) below). Work in progress physically present at a work centre, waiting to be loaded onto the machine for processing. Hence queue time, a major component of production leadtime in many factories (typically, queue time constitutes 90% of total lead time). While some degree of queue is usally welcome on the shop floor, to ensure men and equipment are kept busy, total queue should be carefully managed to strike a balance between WIP and activity. This is achieved in many factories through Input/Output Control (qv) - the principle that at the gateway work centres, no more work goes in than comes out. A graph showing the relationship between queue size and the percentage occupation of a work centre is also of interest.
Queue (2): (US terminology = waiting line). Queues are a phenomenon of everyday life and require to be considered carefully by operations managers responsible for providing service to customers - queues for service at banks, queues for airline passengers, queues for petrol pumps etc.. Two examples of queues in industry other than in definition (1) in this Glossary above are (1) queues of shop floor staff for a central tool service, and (2) queues of suppliers' vehicles waiting to unload goods at the stores or warehouse. The general approach to managing queues is to provide a service such that the total cost of the queue plus the cost of providing the service is minimised. In the example of the central tool service, the cost of the queue is represented by the idle time of shop floor operators queuing for service, while the cost of service is the cost of providing central tools staff needed to provide that service. Operational theory relating to queue management is extensive and Glossary readers are referred to the many texts on Operations Research. Some of the terms encountered in this theory are as follows. The calling population: the units or people wanting service from the queue, such as staff wanting a tool or suppliers' drivers waiting to be unloaded. The calling population may be considered to be infinite (eg suppliers) or finite (shop floor employees). We also need to know the characteristics of the calling population - ie the time between arrivals. It is generally observed in queuing theory that the rate of arrivals for service is Poisson distributed. Finally, we must also decide the length to which a queue could grow (it is unlikely that a queue could in reality grow to infinite length - in the case of a petrol pump, for example, car drivers would be reluctant to join a queue greater than one vehicle!) The next term is the service facilty - ie the entity providing the service. Options here might be a single-channel system (ie one provider of service) or a multi-channel system (many stations each providing service). As well, we must also state the "queue discipline" (are some members of the queue to receive priority, or is it strictly FIFO?). Finally, what length of time does the actual provision of the service finally take (ie after reaching the head of the queue)? The general assumption here is that the variation in duration of actual service provision is exponentially distributed. The theoretical calculations involved in describing queues and determining the least cost option to providing service are not especially difficult if it is assumed that all the variables such as arrival distribution and service time are exactly as in the text books. Because, of course, they never are, the approach to queue management taken in industry and commerce is to set up a simulation model. The simulation model allows the user to specify any characteristics of the queue that he wants, and to "observe" the effect of various options on queue size and queuing duration, by simulating matters over any desired length of time. There are several proprietory simulation models on the market, some illustrating the results of the computer processing with coloured animation. An example of the use of simulation is in determining the number of receiving and despatching docks to be provided in a new warehouse. Any Glossary reader who is to embarking on a simulation to be conducted on his behalf by a consultancy service should remember that he should first determine beforehand precisely what data the consultancy requires to conduct the investigation.
Quick Response (QR): the ability to respond quickly to a customer order for a highly differentiated product with many options - see FAS and Two-Level Master Scheduling.
qv: quod vide (Latin), meaning "which see", an instruction directing the consultant of a term in this Glossary to a further reference elsewhere.
