#1

It is crazy to think that we are already into week 5. For this week we are talking about the process control system and the four parts that go with it. The first part is the sensor phase. The second part is the alarm . The third part is the control logic. The last part is the validation. Each part plays a role in the process control  system. An advantage for this system is that it is always measuring process performance. This allows  the members  always see the progress they are doing and what is working. If they keep seeing that they are doing good they will continue the same path they are on. A disadvantage in this system is that if one parts fails then everything is ruined and they would have to start back at square one. It does not take into account the different outcomes and different variables that could affect it. The fire department I work for now has a few different improvement process in place that work. the first is if it is broken try and fix it yourself. Along with that we take it up the chain of command and let the bosses know whats going on. They may make a few calls to get the right person to fix it. Another is for missing or broken equipment and we find out what is needed, how much it is and how long it will be till we can get it. We do this on a request form and send it to the chief who approved it or denies it. The air force also has a program where if you can come up with a better way to do something then they could pay you for fixing a problem. Good luck to everyone this week on everything due.

#2

The four phases to the Process Control System or PCS are: 

Sensor, a permanent way to measure performance. This monitor looks at how things are progressing or digressing and feeds the data back to the researcher. 

Alarm, is the upper and lower limits for the data. If the result goes lower than it should the research can look and consider changes to the process to eliminate these bad results.

Control Logic, identifies good and bad results. It tries to duplicate the results with a positive outcome and eliminates the causes of bad results. 

Validation, is the process of repeat experimentation with the same results. Getting a good result one time might be a statistical anomaly (Gunderson & Lindsey, 2011).

This process has a fairly firm set of guidelines and can be quite useful for many situations. Every process in everyday life has some sort of system to check if it working correctly. Humans do this without evening thinking about. What is the most efficient way to do get to work each day? Many people have multiple roads they could use to get to their place of business, but they quickly find the most efficient way and the fastest route of travel. There are variables for each route such as miles, traffic, number of traffic lights and stop signs, and number of turns. 

The brain takes all of these variables and after traveling each route a couple times, comes up with what it believes is the best route of travel. The sensor is time. It measures each trip and gives the amount of time it took to travel from point A to point B. The alarm is that there is only so much time given to complete the trip. If the trip is taking too long, the travel will decide to abandon that route of travel because it is inefficient. The control logic is the brain deciding on whether the route was an efficient trip or not. Lastly, the validation is whether or not repeated trips produce the same result in arriving in a timely fashion.

This system has the advantage of being fairly stable and easy to follow. Most of the time, humans are not aware they are performing these checks, and there might not be written results or hypothesis, but it does happen mentally. My department does not have an official system in place, but we use training to find more efficient ways to do our job.

If I have misunderstood something, and conveyed the information in the powerpoint incorrectly, please point it out in the comments so I can better understand better. This was a new process for me, and I’m not sure if I completely understand it, but hopefully I can learn more about it.