Software
Flowcharter 4.0
by Micrografx
$495
ABC FlowCharter 4.0 by Micrografx is an easy-to-use flowcharting package
supplied with 29 flow-mapping palettes. Choose from standard process, data
flow and org chart palettes, to palettes for such obscure things as CATALYST
and DIN 66001 information processing. A unique feature allows mathematical
accumulation of data in symbol data fields (sum, average, mean, etc.). FlowCharter
4.0 supports OLE. Also included is ABC DataAnalyzer, an SPC charting package;
ABC SnapGraphics, presentation graphics; and ABC Viewer, free distribution
software to allow others to view FlowCharter graphs.
Minimum system requirements: 386-based, IBM-compatible PC; Windows 3.1 or
higher; DOS 3.1 or higher; mouse; 4MB RAM; VGA or other Windows-supported
video card.
Price: $495 (list)
Contact: Micrografx, Richardson, TX
(214) 234-1769 or fax (214) 994-6477
Review
You could buy a flowcharting package, an SPC software tool kit and a presentation
graphics software package, or just purchase ABC FlowCharter 4.0. This three-in-one
package from Micrografx contains everything a quality manager needs to map
a process, analyze data and prepare presentations for the next team meeting.
Integrated number crunching
FlowCharter 4.0 utilizes the standard pick-and-click method for laying down
flow-mapping symbols. Pick a symbol from a palette and click it onto the
worksheet. Easy. To connect symbols, click in a source node, click in a
destination node, and a line appears between the two. Move a symbol node
by dragging it with your mouse; the connections follow.
Where this package really stood out was in its handling of symbol text,
notes and data fields. Entering data for any node is a snap, but more than
that, a feature unique to this product allows mathematical accumulation
(sum, average, mean, etc.) of data in symbol fields. Map a process and enter
cost and time data at each node (step). Once finished, FlowCharter 4.0 can
sum cost fields and average time fields for all nodes without having to
export the data to a spreadsheet. But if you want to export, all data, shape
information and text, with the exception of notes, can be exported as a
tab-delimited file.
FlowCharter does provide automated symbol alignment, although not as sophisticated
as others we've seen. It has no line autorouter, so think ahead when laying
out your drawing. Massive moves of symbols once the drawing is done will
leave you with spaghetti.
Individual charts can be linked together, allowing you, for instance, to
create a general process flowchart with elements linked to detailed flowcharts.
Click on an element of the general chart, and the related detailed flowchart
appears.
Printing went smoothly but had the same drawback as other programs we've
tested. Notes print out in the order in which the symbols were placed, and
there is no provision for changing the order or exporting notes for processing
off-line.
Complaints: Palette symbols are not labeled except with pop-up definitions-a
real drag when trying to select a symbol from a large palette. The user
interface was not very intuitive; we constantly were running to the manual
to find out how to perform mundane operations. Fortunately, the documentation
was extremely complete.
Bundled with FlowCharter 4.0 is ABC DataAnalyzer. This automated statistical
process charting package makes it easy to create SPC charts.
A "quick entry" button automatically formats an Excel-style spreadsheet
for the type of chart the user plans to generate. Enter the data in the
spreadsheet, select the type of chart you want to draw, and the software
does the rest. Aside from the time required to input the data, a chart takes
less than a minute to generate. Data can be imported from other applications
such as Lotus or Excel. Chart attributes such as color, size, etc. are user-editable.
We were very pleased with the speed performance of this software on our,
by now, archaic 386-based PC. FlowCharter 4.0 bucks the trend of programs
written to perform well only on 88 MHz Pentiums.
This is a nice package. Yes, you might find individual flow-mapping, SPC
or presentation software that will out-maneuver any one of the programs,
but I doubt you're going to put them all together for $495.
BaSE
by International Quality Technologies
$345
BaSE '95 2.2 by International Quality Technologies is an easy-to-use, Baldrige-based
self-evaluation program. The software allows users to compare their organization
to specific Baldrige criteria. Army, Air Force and President's Quality award
versions are also available. The software contains the complete Baldrige
criteria on-line. User-defined scoring options and full edit and export
capability provide for program applicability across a variety of organizations.
Minimum system requirements: Windows version: 386-based, IBM-compatible
PC; Windows 3.0 or higher; any DOS version; mouse; 6 MB RAM, 4 MB hard disk
space; VGA or other Windows-supported video card. Macintosh version: System
7.0 or higher and 6MB RAM.
Price: $345, with discounts for multiple site licenses
Contact: International Quality Technologies,
Colorado Springs, CO
(800) 245-9722 or fax (719) 531-5702
Review
If you're contemplating applying for the Baldrige Award or if you just want
to see how your organization stacks up against the Baldrige criteria, BaSE
is for you. This deceptively simple program allows users to quickly and
easily do a Baldrige-based self-evaluation with virtually no hassle. Other
versions of the software allow users to do self-evaluations for the Air
Force, Army and President's Quality awards. Health-care and education versions
are due out soon.
On-line Baldrige criteria
BaSE allows users to do a detailed self-evaluation of their organization
using the 1995 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award criteria, which is
conveniently displayed on-line as needed.
Users start the self-assessment process by entering key business factors,
which are the predetermined elements of the organization environment that
affect performance and influence scoring. These factors might include products
or services, business region, industry profile, customer demographics, competitors
and supplier information. Entering the key business factors is a breeze.
Next, users move on to the real heart of BaSE, the evaluation form. This
is where the user actually does the self-evaluation. The evaluation form
is divided into categories, which mirror the Baldrige Award's seven primary
categories. Users click on one of the 24 Baldrige criteria points (each
of the Baldrige seven primary sections is divided into subsections), and
the actual Baldrige scoring criteria appear on the screen, along with an
area where users enter data about how their organization meets that criteria
point.
Users also assign a percentage score to their organization for each criteria
point. The scores range from 0% (anecdotal information, no system in place)
to 90% (a sound systematic approach). The scoring system is based on three
factors: approach, deployment and results. Users also have the option to
modify the scoring process.
After completing the evaluation form, users have a variety of reports to
choose from, including score summary, evaluation detail, key business factors,
issues and graphical analysis.
We reviewed BaSE '95 version 2.2 on a 386 IBM-compatible PC running Windows
3.1. A Macintosh version is also available. The program ran quickly with
no crashes or problems. Even though the Windows version of BaSE does not
self-install, installation was straightforward, if a bit time-consuming.
BaSE isn't as elegant and sophisticated as your average Microsoft memory-hogging
behemoth, but it does the job quite well. Especially nice touches include
the built-in spell checker, customizable header and footer capability, data
export capability and minimal memory requirements. Even nicer is the misnamed
help section. While it doesn't provide on-line help, it does contain the
entire Baldrige criteria with excellent explanatory notes.
One minor complaint: The manual that accompanies the software is not as
user-friendly as it could be. While easy to read, it leaves the user guessing
in a few instances. Specifically, the sample data file section. The manual
should walk you through the sample data file; it doesn't. Users are left
wondering what to do until they flip a few pages farther back in the book
to Chapter Four, which does a good job of walking users through the self-evaluation
process.
Despite the simplistic user manual, BaSE is a terrific program that makes
a self-evaluation easy and meaningful. While the program shouldn't be used
as a reference tool for the Baldrige process, it serves as an excellent
tool in the continuous-improvement journey.