Choose a QI Tool
Quality Improvement
- Home
- Resources and Tools
- Project Management: Coming Soon
- Building a QI Culture: Coming Soon
- Projects and Examples
- Training
Write a QI Plan - Contact the QI Unit
- Return to Consultation & Training
Office of Performance Improvement (OPI)
Control Chart
A control chart will help to monitor, control, and improve process performance over time by studying variation and its source. It helps to distinguish special from common causes of variation as a guide to local or management action. A process can be improved to perform consistently and predictably for higher quality, lower cost, and higher effective capacity. There are many types of control charts.
Once a process is selected to be charted, the sampling method and plan are determined. Data is then collected, statistics and control limits are calculated, and the chart is constructed.
See Also: Run Chart
| Further Reading |
More Information
- McCoy and Riley: Basics of the Control Chart (PDF: 220KB / 8 pages)
- American Society for Quality: Control Chart
- Hanslik, Boelle, and Flahault: The Control Chart: An Epidemiological Tool for Public Health Monitoring
- McCoy: Finding the Right Tool for your Purpose
(PDF: 466KB / 40 pages)
Examples of Control Charts
- Woodall: The Use of Control Charts in Health-Care and Public-Health Surveillance (PDF: 316KB / 16 pages)
- Mohammed, Worthington, and Woodall: Plotting Basic Control Charts: Tutorial Notes for Healthcare Practitioners (PDF: 663KB / 9 pages)
Please note: These links are not affiliated with or directly endorsed by MDH.
