Statistical methods–still ignored? The testimony of Swedish alumni

Abstract

Researchers have promoted statistical improvement methods as essential for product and process improvement for decades. However, studies show that their use has been moderate at best. This study aims to assess the use of statistical process control (SPC), process capability analysis, and design of experiments (DoE) over time. The study also highlights important barriers for the wider use of these methods in Sweden as a follow-up study of a similar Swedish study performed in 2005 and of two Basque-based studies performed in 2009 and 2010. While the survey includes open-ended questions, the results are mainly descriptive and confirm results of previous studies. This study shows that the use of the methods has become more frequent compared to the 2005 study. Larger organisations (>250 employees) use the methods more frequently than smaller organisations, and the methods are more widely utilised in the industry than in the service sector. SPC is the most commonly used of the three methods while DoE is least used. Finally, the greatest barriers to increasing the use of statistical methods were: insufficient resources regarding time and money, low commitment of middle and senior managers, inadequate statistical knowledge, and lack of methods to guide the user through experimentations.