Today, control charts are a key tool for quality control and figure prominently in lean manufacturing and Six Sigma efforts. Choosing the wrong type of control chart may result in “false positives” because the chart may not be sensitive enough for your process. Or there may be ways to analyze parts and processes you thought … Continued
Learn how to quantify the value of your quality system. Video Transcription Good afternoon, my name is Steve Wise, I am the vice president of statistical methods for Infinity QS and I’ve been playing in the world of statistics and manufacturing environments since about 1986. And so, what I want to talk about today is … Continued
Recently, product recalls have been dominating the news. From cars that don’t brake properly to pills that don’t properly release time-sensitive medication to child safety seats that detach while the vehicle is moving, more and more companies are experiencing the pitfalls associated with a lack of enterprise quality management. Walmart, however, is one company that has … Continued
Imagine this scenario: a patient undergoes hip surgery, only to be told that the replacement product that was installed inside of his or her body must be recalled due to a defective feature. Months, or perhaps years, of grueling rehab are compromised due of a lack of statistical data that could have prevented such instances … Continued
Think of the amount of work required to transform a car from a random collection of assorted parts into the assembled entity that it is when it reaches the end of a production line. Cars don’t just spontaneously appear. There are a multitude of pieces that have to be put together in order to create … Continued
The next time you are walking through a store, take a moment to stop and look around. It can be any store, really, as long as there are products that line the shelves or showroom. Think about the level of care that went into inspecting each product that is for sale. Companies ensure the quality … Continued
You have four charts and only one computer screen. How do you consolidate to a multiple chart view to compare data without having to thumb through individual charts? You might be tempted to resort to flashy, “Matrix”-style moves, but fear not, there is a simpler approach that is just as effective and doesn’t require stretching. … Continued
Control limits are typically set at +/- 3 standard deviations for the statistic being plotted. That‘s how traditional Shewhart control charts have been constructed for nearly a century. The result is a statistical tool that is simple and elegant, yet robust enough to tackle all manner of different situations and distributions of data. Control limits and their widths … Continued
Never allow control limits to be automatically recalculated I was hiking in the Smoky Mountains National Park with a colleague, and we happened upon fellow hikers. Being the friendly sorts that we are, we stopped to take a breather and chat with our new female friends. We enjoyed resting and speaking with the women until … Continued