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Advantages And Disadvantages Of Distribution-Free Control Charts

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We present an overview of literature on nonparametric or distribution-free control charts for uni-variate variable data. We highlight various advantages of these charts while pointing out some of the disadvantages of the more traditional, distribution based control charts. Specific observations are made in the course of review of articles and constructive criticism is offered so that opportunities for further research can be identified. Connections to some areas of active research are made, such as sequential analysis, which are relevant to process control. We hope that this article leads to a wider acceptance of distribution- free control charts among practitioners and serves as an impetus to future research and development in this area. …show more content…

Clearly, the quicker the detection and the signal, the more efficient the chart is. The number of samples or subgroups that need to be collected before the first out of-control signal is given by a chart is a random variable called the ran length. The efficiency of a CC depends on the probability distribution of the run length. The most common efficiency criterion is to consider the average run length (ARL), which is the expected value of the run length distribution. It is desirable (often stipulated) that the ARL of a chart be large when the process is in-control and small when the process is out-of control. The false alarm rate is the probability that a chart signals a process change when in fact there is no change, that is, when the process is in-control. This is similar to the probability of a Type I error in the context of hypothesis testing. In practice, the stability of a process is usually determined relative to one or more of its output characteristics such as the mean and/or the variance. Two control charts are often compared on the basis of out-of-control ARL, such that their respective in-control ARL's are roughly the same. This parallels comparing two statistical tests on the basis of power against some alternative hypothesis when they are roughly of the same

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