Polaroid
A1) Evaluate the quality control program at Polaroid prior to Project Greenlight.
Prior to Project Greenlight, Polaroid had a plan to shift its quality control efforts from a traditionally QC inspection process to an operator-based quality control process. While it was easy to convince upper management of the cost savings that would be achieved through reduced sampling, it was more difficult to prove that Project Greenlight would not give up quality.
Following the implementation of Project Greenlight, audits revealed that the defect rate had increased by 10 times their historical levels, from 1% to 10%. On the other hand, defect rates measured by production operators told a different story. Their results indicated that defect rates had declined to only half of their historical level, from 1.0% to 0.5%. This conflict of information can only be attributed to the statistical analysis used by the two different audit groups.
A2) Develop the appropriate control charts.
In order accurately assess the effects of Project Greenlight on the quality of the film being produced, statistical process control charts were utilized. Based on the data provided by the Harvard case Exhibits, 3, 5 and 6, Pareto charts, histograms and run charts were created to identify trends in the efficiency of film production of Polaroid. Specifically, Exhibit 3 represents base-line data collected at the beginning of Project Greenlight and is used to set the mean and values of the centerline for finger height and pod weight. The mean of the centerline data in Exhibit 3 is as follows:
Descriptive Statistics for Centerline Data
Pod Weight
Finger Height
Mean
2.80
2.06
Standard Deviation
.02
.13
Pareto Chart
A Pareto chart (Figure 1 of the Appendix) was compiled based on the data from August 6th and 7th that is provided in Exhibit 5. By counting the defects that both the auditors and assembly operators counted, by type, we can determine which area of film production may be in need of
Prior to Project Greenlight, Polaroid had a plan to shift its quality control efforts from a traditionally QC inspection process to an operator-based quality control process. While it was easy to convince upper management of the cost savings that would be achieved through reduced sampling, it was more difficult to prove that Project Greenlight would not give up quality.
Following the implementation of Project Greenlight, audits revealed that the defect rate had increased by 10 times their historical levels, from 1% to 10%. On the other hand, defect rates measured by production operators told a different story. Their results indicated that defect rates had declined to only half of their historical level, from 1.0% to 0.5%. This conflict of information can only be attributed to the statistical analysis used by the two different audit groups.
A2) Develop the appropriate control charts.
In order accurately assess the effects of Project Greenlight on the quality of the film being produced, statistical process control charts were utilized. Based on the data provided by the Harvard case Exhibits, 3, 5 and 6, Pareto charts, histograms and run charts were created to identify trends in the efficiency of film production of Polaroid. Specifically, Exhibit 3 represents base-line data collected at the beginning of Project Greenlight and is used to set the mean and values of the centerline for finger height and pod weight. The mean of the centerline data in Exhibit 3 is as follows:
Descriptive Statistics for Centerline Data
Pod Weight
Finger Height
Mean
2.80
2.06
Standard Deviation
.02
.13
Pareto Chart
A Pareto chart (Figure 1 of the Appendix) was compiled based on the data from August 6th and 7th that is provided in Exhibit 5. By counting the defects that both the auditors and assembly operators counted, by type, we can determine which area of film production may be in need of