Operational Systems · Standards and quality · Component
The check points
Where quality is verified, placed as close to the source of the defect as possible rather than at the end of the line.
The deliverable
What it is
A defect caught at its source costs a fraction of one caught downstream, and the ratio grows the further it travels. Placement of the check is therefore an economic decision.
Checks at the end of a process are the easiest to implement and the most expensive to operate, which is why they are so common.
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 placement
Where in the process each check happens.
3 attributes: After step · Catches defect from · Steps downstream
LearnThe checker
Who performs the check, and whether it is self-check, peer or independent.
3 attributes: Check type · Performed by · Check time
LearnThe failure path
What happens when output fails the check.
3 attributes: Action on failure · Decides · Failure rate
Learn
Measure how many steps sit between where a defect is created and where it is found. That distance is the cost multiplier.
The other components in standards and quality
The standard
What good output looks like, written as conditions that can be checked rather than qualities that must be judged.
LearnThe defect record
Defects logged by where they were created rather than where they were found, because only the first is actionable.
Learn