Quote:
Originally Posted by getbent
........... the concept of quality is loosely related to Deming but Deming would be the first to delineate that he is talking about processes etc not an intellectual concept of quality.
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That right there screams volumes!
It's the process: If the process can be mapped/documented, it can be evaluated. If it can be evaluated, it can be refined and improved upon. If it can be improved upon, quality will increase.
If a process tells us that wood grown in a certain region consistantly delivers the most desirable characteristics needed for your end product, your quality level will be higher using this demographically grown wood.
Does this mean that all quality related issues go away?
No. There are other factors also at play:
Health of the tree during its growth years
Care in harvesting
Quality of milling
Quality of handling
Human factors
Aesthetics of the wood
A documentable process can be overseen by process tools such as Gauge R&R Studies, and SPC (Statistical Process Control). These studies help you look at potential non-conformances, there level of severity, and maintaining process control.
The object is, is to get to a point where your process is repeatable. Your monitoring of the process is driven by continual improvement (demographically grown wood is better).
Yeah, Quality, Quality Assurance, Quality Control, it all starts getting deep. Sometimes I think you need to be a certified PHD (Piled High, and Deep!).
Well, excuse me, I gotta go run some charts, and finish off a Gauge R7R study