Agilent 5992-0037EN Assurance of Calibration Results Applying the Power of Visual Information to Improve Qu free download

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Keysight Assurance of Calibration Results: Applying the Power of Visual Information to Improve Quality Application Note Abstract To help you mitigate the risks inherent in your measurements, Keysight maintains the ongoing reliability and validity of our calibration processes. We start with systematic monitoring of results from our highest-volume instrument calibrations, as performed using automated software at any of our calibration sites around the world. Gathering data is just the starting point. Turning data into information is the next step, and visual informa- tion--in the form of control charts--drives decisions about the need for improvement activities and corrective actions. Three success stories show how Keysight ensures the quality of test and calibration results. Introduction During the development and manufacturing of your company's products, the speciied accuracy of test equipment helps you make key decisions: Is a design meeting its performance goals? Do the products coming off the manufacturing line meet their speciications? Are they satisfactory to ship? Our calibration services help you answer these questions about pass/fail decisions by mitigating the risks inherent in the measurement process. One important way to do this is by actively monitoring the ongoing reliability and validity of our calibration processes. We do this through systematic monitoring of results from our highest-volume instrument calibrations, as performed using automated software at any of our calibration sites around the world. We save the individual points for every performance test. All this data is collected in a database that contains billions of data points. Collection happens automatically in the background and has no effect on cali- bration time. Gathering data is just the starting point. Turning data into information is the next step, and informa- tion drives decisions about the need for improvement activities and corrective actions. Going from data to information to action requires processes, tools and people. Two standards guide our process: ISO/IEC 17025 and ANSI/NCSL Z540.3. Two essential tools support the process and serve the people: graphical presentation of data and our own Calibration Measurement Monitoring System (CMMS). The key people engaged in the process are quality assurance engineers, service technicians and, when needed, metrologists. Every day, the CMMS sends a summary email to our quality assurance team. If pre-deined conditions are exceeded, the email includes an alert that triggers action by the team. By plotting the data in a consistent and proven format--the control chart--exceptions and their associated trends are instantly visible (Figure 1). Since launching the CMMS, we have observe