Assessment Task

You will conduct a review of the academic literature on the subject of statistical process control.

Following your review, you are to analyse a given set of data to evaluate the performance of a fictional brewery in a given scenario.

You will be expected to illustrate your discussion with examples from academic journals, the trade press and other authoritative sources.

The word count should be 2000 words ±10% (tables, diagrams and appendices are excluded from the count).

Assessment Breakdown

1. Prepare a literature review on the subject of Statistical Process Control, covering the concept from its inception up to the present day.

Ensure that you include references to at least 10 peer-reviewed articles, no more than ten years old. You may also acknowledge older works, providing they are of sufficient importance in charting the development of SPC. 

(50% of word count)

2. The supplied spreadsheet contains historic data recording the temperature of combined effluent discharged by a fictional brewery, Waterside Lager Limited (WLL). The data comprises temperatures recorded four times a day over the month of September 2022.

The brewery’s discharges are normally controlled within the range 25oC to 35oC. The maximum legally permitted temperature is 40oC. 

Regular maintenance is performed on the balancing system (which neutralises the pH of the effluent at the expense of heating the discharge in the process), normally on a weekly basis.

Use the data to visualise the performance of the effluent control process, describing your analytical approach in detail. Include any graphs generated.

In your view, how well has the plant performed?

What priorities for quality improvements should the plant management set?