Glossary
Whether you’re new to the quality and continuous improvement arena or a seasoned expert seeking detailed information on a specific quality topic, you should find what you need in our Glossary of Terms.
Explore the concepts, tools, applications and technical terms that make up the world of continuous improvement.
Balance Chart
The Balance Chart is a graphical tool determining the CP, CPK, and Process Mean from process data.
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Balanced Scorecard
The Balanced Scorecard is a concept for measuring the company activities in terms of its vision and strategies. It provides managers with a detailed view of the performance of a business and as a strategic management process enables managers to focus upon the most critical Key Performance Indicators that drive an organisation and its success.
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Baseline
To determine and measure the current state so that Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ) and project savings can be identified.
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Bell Curve
A bell shaped curve that graphically describes the probability for Normal data. Also known as a normal distribution or Gaussian distribution.
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Benchmarking
Benchmarking is a structured process used by organisations to evaluate different aspects of their business and to contrast the results against what they perceive to be Worlds Best Practice. From this, plans are usually developed to improve those areas deemed to be below the desired standard. Through the use of Benchmarking, an organisation is seeking to reviews its performance and to identify ways in which it can continuously improve.
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Beta Risk (Type II Error)
Beta Risk, also known as Type II Error is the risk of accepting the Null Hypothesis when in fact it can be proven false. Beta risk is stated in terms of the probability, measured as 0.10 or 10% that it will not.
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Bias
Systematic error which leads to a difference between the average result of a population of measurements and the true, accepted value of the quantity being measured.
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Bimodal Distribution
A Bimodal Distribution has two distinct peaks. Each Peak is determined as mode of the proportion of the distribution.
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Binomial Distribution
The probability distribution which describes a process or experiment where there are only two possible outcomes. E.g pass/fail, defective/non defective, presence/absence.
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Black Belt
Those who have achieved recognised Six Sigma Black Belt Certification are individuals who are skilled to apply intensive and diversified process improvement techniques to achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness. In particular a Certified Black Belt is able to provide training, facilitation, direction, analysis and expertise on product and process improvements opportunities within their organisation.
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Blocking
A variable of factor that cannot be randomised. The experiment is usually run in blocks for each level of the blocking variable and randomisation is performed within blocks.
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Bottleneck
The rate limiting step of a process where demand exceeds capacity.
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Box and Whisker Diagram
A box and whisker diagram illustrates a set of data measured on an interval scale. It used in exploratory data analysis and is the type of graph that is used to show the shape of the distribution, its central value, and variability. The picture produced consists of the most extreme values in the data set, (maximum and minimum values), the lower and upper quartiles and the median. Also known as a Box Plot it is especially useful for indicating whether a distribution is skewed and whether there are any unusual observations, (Outliers) in the data set. A Box and Whisker plot is a very useful tool when large numbers of observations are involved and when two or more data sets are being compared.
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Box Behnken Design (BB)
A 3-level design used for quantitative factors and designed to estimate all linear, quadratic, and 2-way interaction effects.
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Box Plot
A Box Plot, also know as a Box and Whisker Plot summarises the mean, the upper and lower quartiles and the minimum and maximum data values.
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Brainstorming
Used to generate many ideas about a specific topic or issue. Best used in a cross functional group arrangement.
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Buffer Stock
Parts or products held to protect the customer from not being adequately supplied in the event of a sudden increase in demand.