Multivariate one-sided control charts

Process knowledge can be exploited to improve the performance of control charts and it is not unusual to know that a specific variable shifts above or below its mean under an assignable cause. In such a case, a one-sided control chart is common. The available statistical theory for the one-sided tests is used to provide a reasonable compromise for a numerical procedure to design and implement multivariate solutions. Although simulation is used in the analysis, it is not a direct estimate of performance through simulation. Instead, weights are estimated and these are used to easily set a desired on-target average run length. Furthermore, an interesting quadratic programming solution is incorporated into the analysis. Then the statistical results are extended to a partial one-sided case where only some (not all) variables are known to shift in one direction and the numerical procedure is extended to design and implement the charts. A modern method can blend theory and algorithms into a practical solution. We conclude that modern computer software permits an efficient solution to this problem with meaningful performance advantages over traditional multivariate control charts.

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge many helpful improvements from two anonymous reviewers. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under grant DMI-0085041.