CUSUM control charts with variable sample sizes and sampling intervals

Traditional control charts for process monitoring are based on taking samples of fixed size from the process using a fixed sampling interval. Variable sample size (VSS) and variable sampling interval (VSI) control charts vary the sampling rate from the process as a function of the data from the process. By sampling at a higher rate when there is an indication of a change in the process, VSS and VSI control charts can detect process changes faster than traditional control charts. Previous research has considered the properties of CUSUM charts which use the VSI feature. This paper considers CUSUM charts with the VSS feature and with both the VSS and VSI features. Two ways of developing the control statistic of these charts are considered. It is shown that using either the VSS or VSI feature in a CUSUM control chart will improve the ability to detect all but very large process shifts. The VSI feature usually gives more improvement in detection ability than the VSS feature, but using both features together will give more improvement than either one separately. Guidelines are given for choosing the possible sample sizes and the possible sampling intervals for these charts. Methods for setting up these charts for practical applications are also given.