The Generally Weighted Moving Average Control Chart for Detecting Small Shifts in the Process Mean

A generalization of the exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) control chart is proposed and analyzed. The generalized control chart we have proposed is called the generally weighted moving average (GWMA) control chart. The GWMA control chart, with time‐varying control limits to detect start‐up shifts more sensitively, performs better in detecting small shifts of the process mean. We use simulation to evaluate the average run length (ARL) properties of the EWMA control chart and GWMA control chart. An extensive comparison reveals that the GWMA control chart is more sensitive than the EWMA control chart for detecting small shifts in the mean of a process. To enhance the detection ability of the GWMA control chart, we submit the composite Shewhart‐GWMA scheme to monitor process mean. The composite Shewhart‐GWMA control chart with/without runs rules is more sensitive than the GWMA control chart in detecting small shifts of the process mean. The resulting ARLs obtained by the GWMA control chart when the assumption of normality is violated are discussed.