| Course | APS-4020 Applied Quality Management |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 7 |
| Paper type | Written assignment: statistical process control |
| Length | About 513 words, 4 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Thomas Edison State University |
| Program | B.S.B.A. in Operations Management |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for APS 4020 Module 7
Twenty Ounces Every Time? Control Charts and Capability for Bagel Bag Weights
Student Name
B.S.B.A. in Operations Management, Thomas Edison State University
APS-4020: Applied Quality Management
Mentor Name
Month Day, Year
Twenty Ounces Every Time? Control Charts and Capability for Bagel Bag Weights
The Process and the Specification
Each bag holds six bagels and is labeled 20 ounces. The bakery's internal specification allows bags between 19.6 and 20.8 ounces, so no bag falls more than 2 percent below its label. Dough is portioned by a divider that cuts each piece by volume, and dough density changes as it warms during the shift.
Data Collection
Shewhart (1931) introduced control charts on the principle that some variation is common to any process while other variation comes from special, traceable causes a team can find and remove. To separate the two, I weighed five consecutive bags each hour across five shifts, producing 25 subgroups of five.
Control Charts
Montgomery (2013) describes the X-bar chart for tracking the process mean and the R chart for tracking variation within subgroups, with limits calculated from the data using constants for the subgroup size. With five bags per sample, the chart factors are 0.577 for A2, zero for D3 and 2.114 for D4.
The R chart showed all ranges within limits, so variation within each hour was stable. The X-bar chart showed four subgroup means below the lower limit of 19.80, all in the seventh or eighth hour of a shift, and a run of six consecutive points decreasing in the later hours of three shifts. These patterns signal a special cause: the mean drifts downward as the shift goes on.
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Grand mean of subgroup means | 20.04 ounces |
| Average range | 0.42 ounces |
| X-bar chart limits | 20.04 plus or minus 0.577 times 0.42: 19.80 to 20.28 ounces |
| R chart limits | 0 to 2.114 times 0.42: 0 to 0.89 ounces |
The Special Cause
Bakers confirmed that dough warms and rises in the hopper over the shift, so the divider's volume cut yields lighter pieces. The divider is adjusted only at the start of each shift.
Process Capability
Capability compares the process's natural spread with the specification. Estimating the process standard deviation from the average range gives 0.42 divided by 2.326, or about 0.18 ounces. The capability index for the lower specification is (20.04 minus 19.6) divided by 3 times 0.18, or about 0.81. A value below 1.0 means the process, even when stable, will produce some bags below 19.6 ounces; Goetsch and Davis (2020) note that a capability index of at least 1.33 is a common target.
Recommendations
First, check portion weight every hour and adjust the divider when the mean falls below 20.0 ounces, which removes the drift. Second, move the target to 20.15 ounces, which raises the lower capability index above 1.0 at small cost in dough. Third, keep the hopper cooler by refilling it in smaller batches, reducing the drift at its source. The X-bar and R charts will continue to be kept at the bagging station so bakers can see the process.
Conclusion
Control charts showed that the bakery's weight problem has a findable cause, late-shift drift, and capability analysis showed that the process also needs re-centering. Together they turn a vague complaint into specific, measurable fixes.
References
Goetsch, D. L., & Davis, S. B. (2020). Quality management for organizational excellence: Introduction to total quality (9th ed.). Pearson.
Montgomery, D. C. (2013). Introduction to statistical quality control (7th ed.). Wiley.
Shewhart, W. A. (1931). Economic control of quality of manufactured product. Van Nostrand.
Reading the APS 4020 Module 7 assignment instructions
Statistical process control is the focus of Module 7 in APS-4020, and this written assignment, one of six worth 20 percent together, applies it. Collect subgroup data from a real process, calculate control limits for the appropriate charts, interpret patterns for special and common cause variation, assess capability against specifications and recommend action. Goetsch and Davis's chapter on statistical process control and a statistical quality control text supply the formulas and constants. Show your calculations clearly, explain what the charts reveal in plain language and connect the cause you find to a practical fix. State the subgroup size and the constants you used. Interpret runs and trends as well as points beyond limits.
How this APS 4020 Module 7 example is built
The paper defines the process and its specification, 19.6 to 20.8 ounces, before collecting data. Shewhart's distinction between common and special causes justifies hourly subgroups of five. Montgomery's formulas and constants produce X-bar and R chart limits, shown in a table with the calculations. The R chart is stable, while the X-bar chart shows low points and downward runs late in shifts. A margin note stresses reading patterns, not only limits. Bakers confirm the warming dough cause. A capability index of 0.81 shows the need to re-center, and three recommendations close the paper. The charts stay at the bagging station so bakers can watch the process themselves.
Reading the APS 4020 Module 7 grading rubric
Mentors grade this assignment on correct data collection, accurate calculation of control limits, sound interpretation of chart patterns, correct capability analysis, practical recommendations and APA writing. Papers that show calculations and constants let readers check the work. Interpreting runs and trends, not only points beyond limits, shows understanding of control chart rules. Distinguishing a stable but incapable process from an unstable one shows command of SPC concepts. Linking the special cause to a fix confirmed by workers shows practical application. Mentors also credit plans to keep charts where workers can see them, since SPC works best when operators use it. Computing both limits and capability separates a steady process from one able to meet the spec.
APS 4020 Module 7 help from the desk
Students lose marks by calculating limits from specifications instead of data, by confusing control limits with specification limits or by reporting charts without interpreting them. Others skip capability analysis. Collect rational subgroups, compute limits with the right constants, read the charts for patterns, compare the process spread with the specification and recommend fixes for both instability and capability. A free first draft of your APS-4020 Module 7 assignment can be built on your process data. Post the chart where the work happens and train the people who keep it. Check whether the process is stable before judging its capability, since capability figures mean little for an unstable process.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Thomas Edison State University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
More APS 4020 and B.S.B.A. in Operations Management sample papers
- APS 4020 Module 1: Written Assignment: What Organizational Excellence Would Mean for a Wholesale Bakery
- APS 4020 Module 2: Written Assignment: A Quality Strategy That Wins Back Supermarket Accounts
- APS 4020 Module 3: Discussion: Day-Old Bread, Honest Labels and a Bakery's Responsibilities
- APS 4020 Module 4: Written Assignment: Leading the Change From Inspection to a Quality Culture
- APS 4020 Module 5: Discussion: Should a Wholesale Bakery Seek ISO 9001 Certification?
- APS 4020 Module 6: Written Assignment: Check Sheets, a Pareto Chart and a Fishbone for Bakery Returns
- APS 4020 Module 8: Written Assignment: A Plan-Do-Check-Act Cycle to Get the Trucks Out on Time
- APS 4020 Module 9: Discussion: What Lean Means for a Bakery That Already Bakes to Order
- APS 4020 Module 10: Final Project: Quality Management in a Local Organization, a Paterson Wholesale Bakery
- OPM 4150 Module 2: Written Assignment: Truckload, LTL or Intermodal From Chicago?
- OPM 4200 Module 2: Case Assignment: Mapping the Order-to-Delivery Process for Dealer Orders
- OPM 3010 Module 5: Written Assignment: Control Charts for Loaf Weight and a Two-Stage Schedule
APS 4020 Module 7 questions, answered
Where can I find a free APS 4020 Module 7 sample paper?
The written assignment above builds X-bar and R charts and a capability index for a bakery's bag weights.
What is the difference between control limits and specification limits?
Control limits come from process data and show its natural variation; specification limits come from requirements.
What are special and common causes of variation?
Common causes are built into the process; special causes are assignable events, such as drift, that can be found and removed.
How are X-bar chart limits calculated?
The grand mean plus or minus the A2 constant times the average range, using the constant for the subgroup size.
What does a capability index below 1.0 mean?
The process spread is too wide for the specification, so some output will fall outside limits even when the process is stable.