The Psychology of Quality and More

A Toolbook for Quality Improvement and Problem Solving (contents)

Relating tools and applications

The Quality Toolbook > Tools for Applications > Relating tools and applications

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The table below uses a Matrix Diagram to show the relationship between the tools described in this book and the applications identified on the Applications in Quality Improvement page in the chapter on Applications for Tools.

Table 1. Relating Tools to Applications

In this table, it can be seen that there is at least one tool that has a strong focus in each application area, although the greatest number of tools appear around the numeric and textual organization of problem information. This is probably because this is often a difficult area of problem solving, where you have a large amount of data, and simply want to arrange in some order that will enable you to identify important elements of the problem which must be addressed.

Many tools have some relation to collection, at least in that they require the collection of specific information. There are fewer tools whose prime objective is the collection process, although these are still important.

Most tools also aim to help with the identification of areas for further decision making, as enabling effective decisions is a key reason for using tools. This decision may simply indicate areas for further investigation or may be a more focused selection from a number of different possible courses of action.

Fewer tools are aimed at planning, although these tend to have a particular focus in this, more specialized, area.

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