Histogram

Identify variations in process data at a glance.

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What is a Histogram?

A histogram is a graphical frequency distribution of raw data values. Histograms reveal the distribution of data values, compare them with specification limits, and generate useful metrics and statistics that describe the data set in detail.

When analyzing data, histograms are often used with statistical process control (SPC) control charts. That is, the same data used to create control charts can be used to create histograms. While control charts display data in time sequence, histograms do not. Instead, histograms show individual data values summarized and compared to engineering specifications.

Using Histograms

Histograms communicate the central tendency and spread of a data set. When compared with specification limits, histograms reveal how close the average of the data is to the engineering target. In the histogram below, the average (represented by the black vertical line) falls to the right of the target value. This indicates that the process is not centered. This fact is also indicated by the yellow bars, which show that most of the data values fall to the right of the target.

Histograms also allow users to compare individual data values to both upper and lower engineering specification limits. This allows quality professionals to access a variety of different statistics and improvement metrics.

This histogram represents the measurements of a feature, “Location C,” from a specific part, revealing the following important information:

  • The mean value is larger than the target value.
  • Data values are “bunching up” against the upper specification limit.
  • The yellow bars do not seem to match the normal curve fit.
  • No data value falls below the lower specification limit.
  • If unchanged, the process is expected to generate a loss of about 4.8% above the upper specification limit.

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See the Histogram in Action

Histograms can be combined with other SPC tools and control charts to reveal important quality information and opportunities for improvement at a plant—and even across sites.

Modern SPC software solutions make these complex analyses possible. When data is centralized and standardized in a unified data repository, SPC software provides instant access to quality information, ensuring immediate attention to your greatest quality challenges.

See how InfinityQS® reveals valuable quality information and makes SPC easy.

 

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