Research issues and ideas in statistical process control

An overview is given of current research on control charting methods for process monitoring and improvement. The discussion includes a historical perspective along with ideas for future research. Research topics include, for example, variable sample size and sampling interval methods, economic designs, attribute data methods, charts based on autocorrelated observations, multivariate methods, and nonparametric methods, Recommendations and references are provided to those interested in pursuing research ideas in statistical process control (SPC). Some issues regarding the relevance of SPC research are also discussed.