What is a key concern when relying on control charts for process management?

When utilizing control charts for process management, one of the critical concerns is related to the possibility of miscalculating control limits. Control limits are derived from statistical calculations and are fundamental in determining whether a process is in control or not. If these limits are inaccurately calculated, this can lead to misleading conclusions about the process's stability and capability.

For instance, if the control limits are set too wide, it may unfairly suggest that the process is performing well when it is, in fact, producing unacceptable variations. Conversely, if the limits are too strict, you might see unnecessary alarms indicating issues that are not genuinely problematic. Thus, accuracy in calculating control limits is paramount for effective process management and for ensuring that decisions based on control chart data are sound.

Other aspects of control charts, such as ease of interpretation, the necessity of supervision, and the ability to capture every event accurately, can vary depending on the context and the specific processes involved but do not pose the same fundamental concern as the mathematical underpinnings of control limits.