Vince Thomson

A review of research on cost of quality models and best practices

This article presents a survey of published literature about various quality costing approaches and reports of their success in order to provide a better understanding of cost of quality (CoQ) methods. Even though the literature review shows an interest by the academic community, a CoQ approach is not utilized in most quality management programs. Nevertheless, evidence is presented which shows that companies that do adopt a CoQ concept are successful in reducing quality costs and improving quality for their customers. The survey shows that the method most commonly implemented is the classical prevention-appraisal-failure (P-A-F) model; however, other quality cost models are used with success as well. The selected CoQ model must suit the situation, the environment, the purpose and the needs of the company in order to have a chance to become a successful systematic tool in a quality management program.

Estimating Design Complexity

A new metric for estimating design complexity is described and its properties are discussed in terms of its ability to estimate design effort. A previous metric for estimating design complexity is reviewed, and criteria for evaluating design complexity metrics are presented.

Models for estimating design effort and time

Abstract In todays competitive environment, it is necessary to deliver products on time and within budget. Unfortunately, design projects have been plagued by severe cost and schedule overruns. This problem persists in spite of the significant advances that have been made in design technology over the last two decades. In most of the cases, the problem of overruns was due to poor estimations. The search for a solution has become even more pressing in the present era of shrinking product cycle times. Driven primarily by this need, this paper proposes parametric estimation models. Unlike existing estimation techniques which are based on process or product physical decomposition, the proposed models are based on product functional decomposition. The models were applied to project data collected from two Canadian companies. The results indicate that the proposed models have good accuracy for estimating design effort.

Managing cost of quality: insight into industry practice

Purpose – The objective of this paper is to present results of the study of the quality costing practices at four large successful multinational companies.Design/methodology/approach – The method of benchmarking was used for the purpose of this study. Company representatives, who were invited for a benchmarking session, described the quality management programs running at their companies. Direct observation and archival records data collection were also used to extract more precise information for the following analysis and discussion.Findings – The findings of the study show that all four companies use systematic quality initiatives; however, a formal cost of quality (CoQ) methodology was only employed at one of them. This is in agreement with the literature findings arguing that a CoQ approach is not utilized in most quality management programs.Originality/value – This paper discusses and compares the quality programs of four companies and explains the benefits of the eventual adoption of a CoQ approach...

Metrics for design projects: a review

Abstract Design projects have been plagued by severe schedule and cost overruns. This problem persists in spite of the significant advances that have been made in design technology over the last two decades. Underestimation of design effort and thus project duration has been identified as one of the major reasons for the problem. Adopting a metrics approach to estimate design effort and duration is one promising way of overcoming this difficulty. This paper reviews the problem and the literature on metrics for engineering design. The limitations of these metrics are identified, and the main factors for the estimation of design effort are indicated along with key parameters.

A generic framework to support the selection of an RFID-based control system with application to the MRO activities of an aircraft engine manufacturer

Radio frequency identification (RFID) has received a lot of attention lately. It is said that RFID tags will provide real time tracking of every item in the supply chain, providing end to end visibility and therefore total control over the supply chain. Yet, the technology is still in its infancy and it is very difficult for practitioners to distinguish between the hype created by vendors and reality. This paper, first, briefly reviews the literature on current technology, implementation studies and research trends. It then introduces a generic framework to be used in the design of an RFID based tracking and control system that should be useful for all practitioners for the selection of right type of technology. The framework is then applied to the service centre of an aircraft engine manufacturer which specialises in maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) activities. Two RFID part tracking systems are proposed. The first system is classical in nature and uses currently available technology. The second system exploits new concepts that are currently in development such as decentralised processing, wireless communication and holonic control that really make use of the full potential of RFID technology. It is our opinion that such intelligent systems will be the way of the future. We conclude by identifying a number of research issues that need to be solved in order to implement a true holonic manufacturing system with RFID technology.

Implementing concurrent engineering

This publication contains reprint articles for which IEEE does not hold copyright. Full text is not available on IEEE Xplore for these articles.

Estimating design effort for GE hydro projects

Effort estimation is an essential process in determining the final cost, as well as the duration of, a future design project. This paper discusses the construction of a parametric model done in collaboration with General Electric (GE) Hydro (GE Hydro is a world leader in the design and construction of generators and turbines for hydro-electric power generation), the purpose being to estimate the effort needed to create designs for hydro-electric generators. An analysis of the data showed that the developed model resulted in a mean relative error of 13% compared to original estimation errors by GE Hydro staff, which averaged 27%. GE has been using the estimation model for its projects since the beginning of the year 2000.

An analogy-based model for estimating design effort

Abstract This paper describes an analogy-based model for estimating design effort. It is based on estimating the productivity of an upcoming project by incorporating the concept of an eigenvector to estimate the influence of various factors on productivity. The model is intuitive and does not require any prior mathematical relationships to be developed. It has been tested in two case studies from industry.

A reference model for production control

Abstract The paper describes a reference model from which specific models for production control can be built. The reference model consists of a six-level Factory Automation Model (FAM) which provides the structure for allocating the various tasks in a manufacturing enterprise and furnishes a useful mechanism for expressing control and information flow. Details of activities at the various levels of this FAM are described by a network of Generic Action Models which are overlaid on the FAM structure.