How do you ensure the reliability and validity of your measurement data in APQP?

1 Define your measurement objectives

Before you collect any data, you need to define your measurement objectives clearly and align them with your product and process specifications, customer needs, and quality standards. Your measurement objectives should specify what you want to measure, why you want to measure it, how you will measure it, and how you will use the data to make decisions and improvements. By defining your measurement objectives, you can avoid collecting irrelevant, redundant, or inaccurate data that may lead to wrong conclusions or actions.

2 Choose appropriate measurement methods and tools

Once you have defined your measurement objectives, you need to choose the most appropriate measurement methods and tools to collect the data. Depending on your product or process characteristics, you may use different types of measurement methods, such as dimensional, functional, visual, or sensory. You also need to select the most suitable measurement tools, such as gauges, instruments, software, or testers, that can provide accurate, precise, and consistent data. You should also consider the cost, availability, ease of use, and maintenance of the measurement tools.

3 Conduct measurement system analysis

Before you use your measurement methods and tools to collect data, you need to verify that they are reliable and valid. This is where measurement system analysis (MSA) comes in. MSA is a set of techniques that evaluates the variation and error in your measurement system and determines its capability and suitability for your measurement objectives. MSA can help you identify and reduce the sources of variation and error in your measurement system, such as repeatability, reproducibility, stability, linearity, accuracy, and bias.

4 Perform capability analysis

After you collect the data using your verified measurement system, you need to analyze the data to assess the performance and capability of your product or process. This is where capability analysis comes in. Capability analysis is a set of techniques that compares the variation and distribution of your data with your specification limits and quality targets. Capability analysis can help you determine how well your product or process meets the customer and regulatory requirements, how stable and consistent it is, and how much improvement potential it has.

5 Monitor and control your measurement data

Finally, you need to monitor and control your measurement data throughout the APQP process and beyond. You should establish a data management system that ensures the security, integrity, accessibility, and traceability of your data. You should also use control charts and other statistical tools to track the trends and changes in your data and detect any signs of abnormal variation or instability. You should also review and update your measurement objectives, methods, tools, and analysis periodically to ensure their relevance and validity.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?