Seven Basic Quality Tools

1. Cause-and-effect Diagram

It shows the causes of a problem to establish the root cause of the problem. The cause and effects diagram is also known as the Fishbone Diagram or the Ishikawa Diagram.

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2. Check Sheet

The check sheet is a manual data collection tool. It is used to record quantitative measurements and communicate their status.

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3. Control Chart

Control charts help in identifying the special causes in the process. This tool helps in deciding when to take action and when not to take action.

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4. Histogram

A histogram plots the pattern of variation in values.

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5. Pareto Chart

In Quality Management, it means that 20% of the errors result in 80% of the problems.

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6. Scatter Diagram

A Scatter Diagram shows the relationship between two variables. This tool helps in understanding how the change in one variable leads to the change in another variable.

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7. Stratification

Stratification is a tool to make sense of a mixed set of data by splitting the data based on a particular parameter.

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Ishikawa

Japanese professor Kaoru Ishikawa originally developed the seven quality tools.