This is the fifth article in the eight-part series co-written by Drs. Hinckley and Galsworth, under Dr. Hinckley's signature, based on the training system they jointly developed:
The SMS Method for Perfect Quality. Visit us at www.visualworkplace.com for more.

Were you surprised last week to read that a cause-and-effect relationship has never been established between SPC and defect rates? The fact is: SPC has severe limitations when it comes to reducing defects. So how do you eliminate defects? The answer is profoundly important and reflects the three parts of our SMS Method: Simplify, Mistake Proof, and Set. Let's look at simplify first and the direct cause-and-effect link between the complexity of a task, mistakes, and defects. Fact: Simplifying products and processes always achieves an immediate, direct, and proportional reduction in defects--and, in doing so, saves huge amounts of cost, time, and effort.

The complexity of every process and product can be dramatically improved, as the below examples show (we have hundreds more). They clearly establish that complexity--measured in process time or cost of execution--can be cut in half or more without a major effort once you understand how.