Manufacturing Operations · Quality management · Component
The specification
What output must meet, in measurable terms, with tolerances derived from what the next step actually needs.
The deliverable
What it is
A specification is only as good as the measurement method attached to it. Two people measuring the same characteristic differently will disagree about conformance.
Tolerances inherited from a previous product or tightened defensively cost money continuously and are rarely revisited.
One level in
What it is made of
Each element is a constituent part of the component. Follow one to see the attributes it carries.
The characteristics
What is being specified, and which of those actually matter.
3 attributes: Characteristic · Criticality · Reason
LearnThe tolerances
The acceptable range for each characteristic, and where it came from.
3 attributes: Tolerance · Derived from · Last reviewed
LearnThe measurement method
How each characteristic is measured, precisely enough that two people agree.
3 attributes: Method · Measurement precision · Verified
Learn
Where measurement precision approaches the tolerance, conformance decisions are partly random. Check the measurement first.
The other components in quality management
The capability measure
Whether the process can hold the specification consistently — a question about the process rather than about today’s output.
LearnThe root cause record
Why defects occurred and what was changed as a result — the step that turns a defect record into an improvement.
Learn