The study of destructive measurement systems

Modern quality management decision making typically requires a great amount of data. It goes without saying, of course, that the quality of those decisions is itself dependent on the level of quality of the data that forms the underlying basis for the decisions. Since data generally result from measurement, effective and efficient measurement systems are critical components of the quality toolkit. To ensure that the appropriate measurement system is in use, it is important to know whether the measurement process is properly classified as non-destructive or destructive. This distinction will affect the necessary format of subsequent data analysis and thus the basis upon which quality decisions emerge. Of the two types, destructive measurement systems have received far less attention. This paper aims to address that gap by illustrating an appropriate method for the analysis of data obtained from a destructive measurement system with an example from the electronics industry.