Eldon H. Christensen

This new handbook was developed to assist those preparing for the Certified Quality Process Analyst certification. It covers the certifications Body of Knowledge explicitly and comprehensively. The book and certification are aimed at the paraprofessional who, in support of and under the direction of quality engineers or supervisors, analyzes and solves quality problems and is involved in quality improvement projects. This book is perfect for both recent graduates and those with work experience who want to expand their knowledge of quality tools and processes.

The first section of the handbook, Quality Basics, begins with the quality principles embodied by the ASQ Code of Ethics. The fundamental elements of a quality system are described by this section. The second section focuses on Problem Solving and Improvement, including such tools as Pareto charts, scatter diagrams, the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle, quality management, project management, the Taguchi loss function, and Taguchis signal-to-noise ratios, concluding with lean tools. To support any effective problem solving and improvement endeavors, the Data Analysis section provides the analytical methods to interpret and compare data sets and model processes. Basic statistics, probability, sampling methods, statistical process control (SPC), basic statistical decision tools, regression and correlation, and Design of Experiments (DOE) are explained in this third section.

Finally, any successful enterprise must understand its Customer-Supplier Relations, the last section of the book. Effective customer-supplier relations are key to high customer satisfaction and the ultimate measure of a companys worth.