Quality 4.0: Data Quality and Integrity – A Computational Approach

Abstract

Quality practices began to include processes at the beginning of the 20th century. As a group of activities, a "process" is seen as taking an input, adding value to it, and delivering it as an output. Shewhart started focusing on controlling processes during the mid-1920s, making quality relevant not just for the final product, but also for the processes that led to it. Statistical techniques can be used to analyze industrial data to determine whether a process is stable and in control, or if it has been influenced by a special cause that needs to be addressed. Shewhart established the basis for modern-day control charts. As a statistician for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Census Bureau, W. Edwards Deming was a proponent of Shewhart's Statistical Quality Control (SQC) methods and ultimately led the quality movement in both Japan and the U.S. According to Joseph M. Juran, who helped establish the field of quality management, created the 80-20 rule, and wrote the "Quality Control Handbook," the quality of Japanese goods would surpass that of U.S. goods by the mid-1970s. The Japanese were revolutionizing quality improvement. As a result, Japan adopted a "total quality" approach to its strategies. In the United States, Total Quality Management (TQM) encompasses not only statistics but also approaches that encompass the entire organization. There were several subsequent quality-management initiatives. In 1986, Motorola developed Six Sigma to improve its business processes by minimizing defects. A philosophy that views all work as a process, which can be identified, measured, analyzed, improved, and controlled. Generally, "Six Sigma quality" is an indicator that a process is well controlled. Lean manufacturing (1988), also known as just-in-time manufacturing, derives from Toyota's 1930 operating model "The Toyota Way." Lean describes a set of management practices that reduce waste and increase productivity. The ISO 9000 series of quality-control standards appeared in 1987. ISO 9001 integrates a process-oriented approach into enterprise management based on the plan-do-check-act method. The quality movement has matured as we enter the 21st century. ISO 9000 was revised in 2000 to emphasize customer satisfaction. The fifth edition of ISO 9001, published in 2015, emphasizes risk-based thinking to improve the application of the process approach. In addition to the manufacturing sector, quality has moved into service, healthcare, education, and government. For example, through standards such as ISO/IEC 17025 for testing and calibration laboratories and ISO 15189 for medical laboratories. More recently, it has been recognized that the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Industry 4.0, best defines the present industry model. As its part, "Quality 4.0" refers to the future of quality and organizational excellence. The book will aim to introduce a comprehensive overview of the up-to-date models used in quality management systems by experts in the field.