A Quick Guide to Variables and Attributes Data March 23, 2021 By Grace Barton Variables data is data that is acquired through measurements. This can be length, elapsed time, diameter, strength, weight, temperature, density, thickness, pressure, or height. Accuracy can be measured, for example, to the nearest inch, centimeter, millimeter, or micron. Attributes data is data that can be classified and counted. In attributes data, key concepts are “nonconformities” … Continued
The Surprising Source of Variation and How to Reduce It August 19, 2019 By Grace Barton I recently wrote a series of posts on Measurement Studies for the PQ Systems blog: Assuring Measurement Accuracy with Gage R&RMSA – When Should a Measurement System Study be Completed?Setting Up a Measurement System The next step is analyzing the data. To illustrate, we will use an example R&R study conducted on the length of … Continued
Setting Up a Measurement Study June 10, 2019 By Grace Barton Setting up a measurement study involves looking at the measurement system with respect to equipment, technique, environment, and the people involved. I’ll use an example to illustrate the approach. This example is a classic style of study and will examine a measurement study for assessing the system used to collect the pH of a product. For your … Continued
Data in Everyday Life: Are Honey Bees on the Decline? May 14, 2019 By Grace Barton Honey bees, both wild and domestic, perform about 80 percent of all pollination worldwide. A single bee colony can pollinate up to 300 million flowers each day. While grains are primarily pollinated by the wind; fruits, nuts, and vegetables are pollinated by bees. Seventy out of the top 100 human food crops — which supply about 90 percent … Continued
Assuring Measurement Accuracy with Gage R&R March 11, 2019 By Grace Barton Variation is inherent in any system, however excessive variation in the measurement process can provide misleading analysis. This excessive variation may affect your data and appear on control charts as variation in the process, potentially skewing the results and preventing accurate analysis. Most organizations have a system to calibrate measurement equipment routinely. Just because the … Continued
The perennial question: which chart is best? June 13, 2017 By Grace Barton The perennial answer is, of course, “It depends.” For decades of users, Shewhart control charts have provided information about process stability. Like all Shewhart charts, data is plotted over time and in order from oldest to most current. The traditional control chart, an old standby, is not the only possibility when it comes to garnering … Continued
A reason to celebrate: November as World Quality Month November 4, 2015 By Grace Barton From sharing quality stories and anticipating the nature of quality efforts in the future, to ordering celebration kits with magnets and bumper stickers, the annual celebration of World Quality Month in November offers a variety of ways to recognize important quality contributors and advancements throughout the world. The American Society for Quality (ASQ) sponsors the event as … Continued