CytologyQACompendiumTools

Healthcare Quality Tools: http://www.asq.org/healthcare-use/why-quality/quality-tools.html

 

The American Society for Quality (ASQ) is the world's leading authority on quality. With more than 100,000 individual and organizational members, this professional association advances learning, quality improvement, and knowledge exchange to improve business results, and to create better workplaces and communities worldwide. I have found this site an excellent resource for finding useful Quality Tools and Aides.

1. Flowchart/process map: Graphical tools for process understanding. A flowchart creates a map of the steps in a process, and documents the inputs and outputs for each step.
2. Check sheet: A simple data-recording device, custom-designed by the user to allow for easy data collection and interpretation.
3. Cause-effect diagram: A tool for analyzing a process by illustrating the main causes and sub-causes leading to an effect (or symptom). Also called an "Ishikawa diagram" after its inventor, Kaoru Ishikawa, and the "fishbone diagram," because the complete diagram resembles a fish skeleton.
4. Pareto chart: A graphic tool for ranking causes from most significant to least significant. It’s named for economist Vilfredo Pareto, who said most effects come from relatively few causes: that is, 80% of the effects come from 20% of the possible causes.
5. Histogram: A graphical depiction of variation in a set of data. A histogram lets people see patterns that are difficult to detect in a simple table of numbers.
6. Control chart: A chart with upper and lower control limits on which values for a series of samples are plotted. The chart frequently includes a central line to help detect a trend of plotted values toward either control limit.
7. Scatter diagrams: A graphic technique for analyzing the relationship between two variables. Two sets of data are plotted as dots on a graph: Patterns in how the dots are dispersed can help determine if the variables are related.

These tools help identify and eliminate unnecessary process steps to increase efficiency, reduce timelines and cut costs.

 
Use: When you want to understand a work process or some part of a process

• Flowcharts
• FMEA

Resource: http://www.asq.org/learn-about-quality/process-analysis-tools/overview/overview.html

Use: when you want to discover the cause of a problem or situation

• Fishbone Diagram
• Pareto Chart
• Scatter diagram

Resource: http://www.asq.org/learn-about-quality/cause-analysis-tools/overview/overview.html

Use: when you want to narrow a group of choices to the best one, or when you want to evaluate how well you’ve done something. This includes evaluating project results.

• Decision Matrix
• Multivoting

Resource: http://www.asq.org/learn-about-quality/decision-making-tools/overview/overview.html

Use: when you want to collect or analyze data

• Check sheet
• Control chart
• Design of experiments
• Histogram
• Scatter diagram
• Stratification
• Survey

Resource: http://www.asq.org/learn-about-quality/data-collection-analysis-tools/overview/overview.html

Use: when you want to come up with new ideas or organize many ideas

• Affinity diagram
• Benchmarking
• Brainstorming
• Nominal group technique

Resource: http://www.asq.org/learn-about-quality/idea-creation-tools/overview/overview.html

Use: tools to help you manage an improvement project

• Gantt chart
• PDCA Cycle (plan-do-check-act) or PDSA (plan-do-study-act)

Resource: http://www.asq.org/learn-about-quality/project-planning-tools/overview/overview.html

Use: tools to promote innovation, communicate information and successfully plan major projects. These are listed from abstract analysis to detailed planning.

• Affinity diagram
• Relations diagram
• Tree diagram
• Matrix diagram
• Matrix data analysis
• Arrow diagram
• Process decision program chart (PDPC)

Resource: http://www.asq.org/learn-about-quality/new-management-planning-tools/overview/overview.html