Managing Measurement Uncertainty

	"It was not what I expected - and that is probably good."
					- David Krukar,
					Sandia National Laboratories.

- the key to cost-effective metrology.

Managing Measurment Uncertainty is the discipline of optimizing the uncertainty and cost of the measurements we make in the company. Without a systematic approach and the right tools, we are bound to make our measurements either too good, too poor or too expensive - and we will not even know it!

Just the facts:

The seminar focuses on the concept of uncertainty, where the uncertainty comes from and how you can control it.
If you are comfortable using a calculator with a square root function, you have the mathematical background needed to get the full benefit of this seminar.
There is no statistical theory, endless crunching of numbers or partial derivatives to worry about.
You will learn how to use the knowledge you already have about your measuring processes to develop uncertainty budgets that can be used as a management tool to help you make informed decisions.
You will learn how to start with a rough uncertainty estimate, that can be generated in 5 minutes and refine it only to the extent it makes sense for your purpose.
You will learn how to use an uncertainty budget to: determine your calibration needs set up the specifications for new equipment optimize measuring processes in terms of uncertainty, time and cost apply ISO 14253-1.
The seminar is based on the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement(GUM) and ISO/TR 14253-2

Abstract:

Managing Measurement Uncertainty is a basic activity in measurement laboratories and on production lines in modern industry. ISO 9000 and the new edition of QS 9000 has put increased focus on this issue. Accounting for the measurement uncertainty is also a prerequisite for a calibration laboratory to gain accreditation to ISO Guide 25.

The official ISO document "Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement" (GUM) (recently published as US national standard ANSI/NCSL Z540-2) is a reference type document containing much theory and advanced mathematics, which makes it very difficult to apply at an industrial level.

The training seminar teaches uncertainty estimation based on the PUMA method, documented in ISO/TR 14253-2, which is a simplified, iterative method based on GUM. The PUMA method, is much more straightforward and easier to apply than GUM itself. The training seminar focuses on the physical understanding of the measurement task and makes only very limited use of complex mathematical and statistical tools.

The training seminar also teaches the use of uncertainty budgets to optimize measurement processes in terms of uncertainty and cost. This is a very powerful aspect of the seminar, that can lead to significant savings.

Target audience:

Metrologists, Quality Engineers, Manufacturing Engineers, Quality Managers, Metrology Managers, Auditors, Assessors etc. who are involved in quality assurance, metrology, calibration and ensuring process capability. The seminar is also useful for quality system developers.

Learning Objectives:

Upon successful completion of the seminar, the participants will be able to:

Use the GUM based PUMA method for uncertainty estimation.
Identify the major uncertainty contributors to a measurement process.
Optimize a measurement process both in terms of uncertainty and cost based on the information in the uncertainty budget.
Use uncertainty budgets as a tool to design new measurement processes.
Establish meaningful requirements to measuring equipment and calibration based on uncertainty budgets.

Training Method:

The seminar consists of a mixture of lectures and practical exercises, giving the participants opportunity to estimate/calculate uncertainty contributors, build and document uncertainty budgets and optimize measurement processes, all in a hands-on environment.

Class size is from 5 to 12 students, giving you ample opportunity to interact and ask questions. The seminar is designed to give you as much valuable information as possible while keeping you away from your company for as short a time as possible.

Recall Material:

Each participant will receive a comprehensive set of recall materials for easy application of their new skills back in the company.

Content:

The seminar covers the following topics:

The concept of uncertainty.
The difference between error and uncertainty.
When to correct for a known error and what happens if you don't.
The philosophy in the GUM method and why it makes sense.
Uncertainty budgeting - identifying uncertainty contributors, combining contributors - when is the budget good enough?
The tool box - type A and type B evaluations. When to use which type. How to translate available information to standard uncertainties.
Specifications for measuring equipment - what to specify and how to set the tolerance limits.
Uncertainty in the traceability chain and calibration requirements.
Optimization of measurement processes - what to do if the uncertainty is too high - how to identify cost savings in measurement processes.
Examples and exercises.

Duration:

2 days, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm each day.

This seminar as a company course:

This seminar can be run as an on-site company seminar. This option is attractive if you and your team need to have a common background, or if you have several people across different functions, who need specific training.

The course can be tailored to your specific situation and special courses within my area of expertise can also be developed at relatively short notice.

Contact me for more information.