Control charts are a critical asset to any health system seeking effective, sustainable improvement. With a simple three-line format, control charts show process change over time, including the average of the data, upper control limit, and lower control limit. This insight helps improvement teams monitor projects, understand opportunities and the impact of initiatives, and sustain improved processes.
Also known as Shewhart charts or statistical process control charts, control charts drive effective improvement by addressing three fundamental questions:
1. What is the goal of the improvement project?
2. How will the organization know that a change is an improvement?
3. What change can the organization make that will result in improvement?