Managing for Quality and Performance Excellence 9th Edition by James Evans,William Lindsay

Exercise 19

Note: Data sets for many problems in this chapter are available in the Excel workbook C09Data.xlsx on the Student Companion Site. Click the appropriate worksheet tab as noted in the problem ( e.g. Prob. 9-12, etc.) to access the data. We also recommend using the ASQ Learn about Quality Excel templates noted in this chapter to facilitate your solutions to appropriate problems.
The maintenance of products such as aircraft engines is part of a complex supply chain. Distribution centers fulfill orders for spare parts to customers around the world and typically run on a 24/7 basis. Each day, as many as 4,000 different SKUs are shipped out and over 1,000 SKUs are received in inventory. It is critical that each order be 100 percent accurate. For example, orders that don't match the shipping list are returned to the distribution center because of customs regulations.
a. If the distribution center has identified inaccurate shipments as a significant problem, explain how the DMAIC process might be applied.
b. Develop a logical cause-and-effect diagram for the problem "inaccurate shipment."
c. Think about how a process for fulfilling orders might work and create a process map (you might want to refer back to process design concepts in Chapter 7).