What type of software should be used? That is a difficult question to answer, because all applications have unique requirements and the capability of the software is constantly changing. However, several features are necessary for successful results:
1. The software should be capable of stand-alone operation on a personal computer, on a multiterminal local area network, or on a multiterminal minicomputer-host system. SPC packages that are exclusively tied to a large mainframe system are frequently not very useful because they usually cannot produce control charts and other routine reports in a timely manner.