- Please visit Acronyms.
Radar
Chart See Spider Diagram.
Random Sampling A commonly used sampling technique
in which sample units are selected so that all combinations of n units
under consideration have an equal chance of being selected as the sample.
Records Information captured on worksheets, forms,
and charts.
Red Bead Experiment An experiment developed by W. Edwards
Deming to illustrate it is impossible to put employees in rank order
of performance for the coming year based on their performance during
the past year because performance differences must be attributed to
the system, not to employees.
Registrar Accreditation Board (RAB) A board that evaluates
the competency and reliability of registrars (organizations that assess
and register companies to the appropriate ISO 9000 series standards
and to the ISO 14000 environmental management standard). RAB provides
ISO course provider accreditation.
Referral Laboratory External laboratory to which
a sample is submitted for a supplementary or confirmatory examination
procedure and report.
Requirement An expression of customers, including assessment providers, of need or expectation.
Review Activity undertaken to determine the suitability,
adequacy and effectiveness of the subject matter to achieve established
objectives.
Right the First Time A term used to convey the concept that
it is beneficial and more cost effective to take the necessary steps
up front to ensure a product or service meets its requirements than
to provide a product or service that will need rework or not meet customer
needs. In other words, an organization should engage in defect prevention
rather than defect detection.
Risk The combination of severity of harm and probability
of occurrence of that harm.
Risk Analysis The systematic use of available information
to identify hazards and estimate the risk.
Risk Assessment Identifying potential failure modes, determining
severity of consequences, identifying existing controls, determining
probabilities of occurrence and detection, and evaluating risks to identify
essential control points.
Risk Evaluation The process of comparing the estimated risk
against risk criteria to determine the risk acceptability.
Risk Management The identification, analysis and economic control
of those risks which can threaten the assets or earnings of an enterprise.
Risk Priority Number (RPN) The risk priority number
of a failure mode and its effect(s) before improvement.
Root Cause That which has the most impact on the problem
being tackled.
Root Cause Analysis A tool designed to help identify
not only what and how an event occurred, but also why it happened.
Safety Those processes implemented to protect laboratory workers,
visitors, the public, and environment.
Scatter Diagram A graphical technique to analyze the relationship
between two variables. s one of the "seven tools of quality."
SCC Standards Council of Canada.
Scorecard A scorecard is an evaluation device, usually
in the form of a questionnaire, that specifies the criteria customers
will use to rate your business's performance in satisfying their requirements.
Seven
Tools of Quality Tools
that help organizations understand their processes to improve them.
The tools are the cause and effect diagram, check sheet, control chart,
flowchart, histogram, Pareto chart and scatter diagram.
Shall/Should Statements See Quality Management Standards on page J-Q. See Standards Vocabulary.
SHEA Society
for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.
SI
Units History in Canada: In 1960, the International System of
Units was established as a result of a long series of international discussions.
This modernized metric system, called SI from the French name le Systeme
international d'unites replaced all former systems of measurement, including
former versions of the metric system. In 1970, The White Paper on Metric
Conversion in Canada was tabled in the House of Commons by the Minister
of Industry, Trade and Commerce. One year later (1971) Canada's Weight
and Measures Act proclaimed that “all units of measurements used
in Canada shall be determined on the basis of the International System
of Units.” Since 1972, Sector Committee 9.10 of Metric Commission
Canada has been holding quarterly meetings and has decided to unify Canadian
medical measurement practices with those of other countries using SI.
November 1981 was selected as the start date for conversion in the Canadian
health sector.
sigma 's' Denotes standard deviation.
Sigma 'S' Denotes the process Sigma.
SIPOC chart/ diagram A tool used by a team to identify
all relevant elements of a process improvement project before work begins.
It helps define a complex project that may not be well scoped, and is
typically employed at the Measure phase of the Six Sigma DMAIC methodology.
It is similar and related to Process Mapping and 'In/Out Of Scope' tools,
but provides additional detail. Suppliers (the 'S' in
SIPOC) of your process, the Inputs (the 'I') to the process,
the Process (the 'P') your team is improving, the Outputs (the 'O') of the process, and the Customers (the 'C')
that receive the process outputs. In some cases, Requirements of the Customers
can be appended to the end of the SIPOC for further detail.
Six Sigma A quality process that measures defects in
parts per million.; stands for Six Standard Deviations (Sigma is the Greek
letter “s” used to represent standard deviation in statistics)
from mean. Six Sigma methodology provides the techniques and tools to
improve the capability and reduce the defects in any process by constantly
reviewing and re-tuning the process. To achieve this, Six Sigma uses a
methodology known as DMAIC.
Special and Common Cause System of Variation The collection
of variables that produce both common cause variation and special cause
variation and the interaction of those variables.
Spider Diagram A visual report card for the performance
of a number of indicators on a single chart. Also know as a "radar
chart" and a "gap analysis" tool, this diagram makes visible
the gaps between the current and desired performance.
Standard Standards are documents, most often reached through the process of consensus of expert opinions that have been authorized by recognized bodies as best practices. A document rises to the level of a standard
when an agency with authority states that adherence to the document is
required to develop and manage materials, products, services, technologies,
processes, and systems. See Quality Management Standards.
Standards Vocabulary
Horizontal Standards Horizontal standards are said to be very broad, but not deep or specific on many points. Horizontal standards tend most commonly to set down principles or systems such as quality management systems.
Vertical Standards Vertical standards are often referred to as technical standards on a specific subject. They do not tend to cover a broad range of subjects or topics, but provide a large amount of specific detail.
Normative statements In international standards statements the described required action include the term “shall”. In less formal standards the word “must” or “required” may be used.
Normative standards may be found in the body of the document or may be within an annex.
Informative statements In all standards, statements that clarify, or give examples, or give caution are usually included. Such statements are intended to provide information only and are not required to be enacted.
Statistical Process Control (SPC) A statistical technique
used to monitor processes, usually involving the use of control charts.
Traditional SPC standards call for improving defect levels measured in
percentages (parts per hundred).
Statistical Tools Methods and techniques used to generate,
analyze, interpret, and present data.
Supplier Organization or person that provides a product
or service.
Survey The act of examining a process or of questioning
a selected sample of individuals to obtain data about a process, product
or service.
SWOT Analysis Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats.
SWOT analysis headings provide a good framework for reviewing strategy,
position and direction of a company or business proposition, or any idea.
TDG Transportation of Dangerous Goods.
TDGR Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations.
Learn about the Transport of Dangerous Goods Act from Transport
Canada .
Team A group of individuals organized to work together
to accomplish a specific objective.
Test Determination of one or more characteristics according
to a procedure.
Theory of Constraints (TOC) Also called constraints
management, it is a set of tools that examines the entire system for
continuous improvement. The current reality tree, conflict resolution
diagram, future reality tree, prerequisite tree and transition.
Time to Result Length of time that a sample’s first result
may be issued orally (e.g. telephoned) or written (e.g. faxed) to the
ordering physician.
Total Quality Management Any management system that
addresses all areas of an organization, emphasizes customer satisfaction,
and uses continuous improvement methods and tools.
Toyota Production System see LEAN. Traceability Ability to trace the history, application
or location of that which is under consideration. Task: A specific,
definable activity to perform an assigned piece of work, often finished
within a certain time.
Tree Diagram A tool to expand a proposed change from
a general idea to a specific series of concepts or actions. Used to
systematically map out in increasing detail the full range of paths
and tasks that need to be accomplished to achieve a primary goal and
related sub-goals.
Turn Around Time Length of time that a sample’s
final result may be issued to the ordering physician.
Ultimate Customer The person or unit who receives the
output from a series of processes and for whom these processes are designed.
Without the ultimate customer, there would be no need for the intermediate
processes to exist.
Unfreezing Reassessing old values and behaviors and
becoming open to the acceptance of a new culture.
Universal Precautions An approach to infection control
in which all human blood and certain human body fluids are treated as
if known to be infectious for HIV, HBV, and other blood-borne pathogens.
Validation Confirmation, through the provision of objective
evidence, that the requirements for a specific intended use or application
have been fulfilled.
Value Added The parts of the process that add worth
from the perspective of the external customer.
Value Based Management (VBM) A series of measures of
companywide adherence to defined values, as opposed to result-oriented
processes.
Verification Confirmation, through the provision of
objective evidence, that specified requirements have been fulfilled.
Vision An overarching statement of the way an organization
wants to be; an ideal state of being at a future point.
VOC Voice of the customer (Six Sigma)
Waste Any activity that consumes resources and produces
no added value to the product or service a customer receives.
Wheel-within-a-Wheel See nested PDSA.
WHMIS Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System.
Work Environment All the factors that influence work; these
include social, cultural, psychological, physical, and environmental
conditions. The term work environment includes lighting, temperature,
and noise factors, as well as the whole range of ergonomic influences.
It also includes things like supervisory practices as well as reward
and recognition programs. All of these things influence how work is
performed.
World-class Quality A term used to indicate a standard
of excellence: best of the best.
Zero Defects A performance standard and methodology
developed by Philip B. Crosby that states if people commit themselves
to watching details and avoiding errors, they can move closer to the
goal of zero.
