Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1530610
62 PCB007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2024 Feature Article by Dr. Patrick Valentine UYEMURA USA Can we trust our measurement system to give us reliable data? Is it accurate, repeatable, and reproducible? Measurement is the foun- dation of quality. We measure for two primary reasons: to make decisions on product quality and to provide data that will inform continu- ous improvement projects. We can engage in continuous improvement projects if we are confident in our measurement systems. What is the primary skill for which we are on the payroll? It is our problem-solving skills. erefore, our function is to solve problems and add value. Dr. Joseph M. Juran stated, "A project is a problem scheduled for solution." 1 Projects need to be connected to business strategies. eir importance must be clear to the organization. ey must have the support Statistically Testing Inner Layer Yield Improvement Projects and approval of management and be tied to the organization's financials. ey need a rea- sonable scope, typically doable in under six months for Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) or Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control (DMAIC) projects. Note that sub-projects may be required first. Project goals must be well-defined, and there must be clear quanti- tative measures of success. Projects need to be looked at from a statistical point of view. Statistical thinking views all work as a pro- cess and acknowledges that variation exists in all processes. Knowledge and management of variation are crucial for sustained success. For any given process, the output (Y ) is a function of the inputs (X): Y = f(X 1 , X 2 …X n ) + error, where the error is assumed to be ran- dom variation.