Taguchi Method Of Quality Control

Two ways you can make a thing: be mindful and careful while you’re making it so that defects at the end will be few...or prioritize speed, paying heed to defects...later. The Taguchi Method of Quality Control is all about the former.

Fixing defects and problems that are an issue of production are easier to tackle than issues of design. Fixing problems caused by design after production is already happening is bad news. Basically, you have to go back to the drawing board, and/or come up with a janky fix. Not ideal, and definitely not efficient.

The Taguchi Method of quality control is an engineering approach that puts design over production, making sure everything’s good before the design is put into mass production. This makes product research, development, and design a thorough process—but well worth it for efficiency’s sake, according to Japanese engineer and statistician Genichi Taguchi, the method maker.

He’s worked with big boys like Boeing, Toyota, and Xerox, so...he probably knows what he’s talking about. The Taguchi Method of quality control uses a statistical calculation, optimizing for efficiency while minimizing loss due to defects. The more consistent each product is with the design, the better.

The cool thing about the Taguchi Method is that efficiency includes the entire process, from start to finish. That includes things like worker safety, as injured workers count as a loss of quality in the product in the Taguchi Method calculation.

See: Total Quality Management. See: Just In Time Inventory.