Tips and Techniques for Statistics and Quality Improvement

Organizations take on countless projects in the name of process improvement. Whether reducing defects or ensuring call centers are best equipped to solve issues, they’re ultimately looking to meet customers’ needs and help their business succeed. But with limited time and resources, they can only turn so many ideas into fully fledged projects. That’s where project steering committees come in.

Did you know that over 790 million gallons of wine were consumed in the US in 2016? That's a lot of wine — roughly 3,950 million bottles of wine to be exact! Wine production shows no signs of slowing down either with the number of US wineries increasing by over 50% since 2009 to a total of 10,043 wineries in 2019, however Italy, France and Spain still take the title of top three wine producing countries globally....

In hospital and clinic settings, making the right decisions doesn’t just reduce costs from duplicative work and process inefficiencies — it results in better outcomes for patients. Think about needing to take an extra X-ray because the first captured the wrong foot. Even if it’s the right limb, what if they captured it from the wrong angle?

When first learning about Six Sigma, it can be a little overwhelming to familiarize yourself with all the different terminology, methodologies, frameworks and acronyms included. From FMEA, C&E Matrix, to Gage R&R, SIPOC, and DMAIC…the list goes on and on!

The acronyms of DMAIC, DMADV, and DFSS can be some of the trickiest to keep straight though since they sound the most similar; however we can help you with that!

Did you know this past spring both Walgreens and CVS announced they would begin selling CBD products in hundreds of stores across select US states? From creams, salves and patches to sprays, oils and candies, CBD is the three-letter word popping up on all kinds of packaging as it continues to become one of the hottest ingredients in consumer products.

Trying to solve a complex problem? You should begin by listing all suspected variables. Then, identify the few critical factors and separate them from the others that are not essential to understanding the cause. Let’s take a look at a very simple graphical tool that is very intuitive, can be used by virtually anyone, and does not require any prior statistical knowledge: the Multi-Vari Chart.

Whether you're drinking beer, cocktails, wine or water, nothing is more frustrating than sitting at a bar waiting for a bartender to take your order. With the price of a drink (especially where I live in New York City!) costing nearly as much as the hourly wage of each bartender, I’ve always wondered why bars consistently have people waiting.

Good data analysis allows you to make smarter decisions faster. Here at Minitab, we are constantly striving to make it easier for you to analyze data and communicate those results so you can keep your projects moving forward. Case in point: the improved Multi-Vari Chart in the latest update to Minitab 19 (19.2.0).

At Minitab, we want our users to focus their time on drawing sensible conclusions from their data that they can use to resolve business problems or take advantage of opportunities. However, with more and more sources of data available, you often spend more time getting ready for analysis and less time interpreting it.

Here are four ideas that demonstrate how Minitab macros deliver “one-click analysis” for the...

We might not be able to observe the progressive loss of cognitive and intellectual abilities someone with dementia is experiencing from the outside, but healthcare clinicians can detect it when they observe their ability to bathe, groom or dress themselves deteriorate. Minitab consultant  and Insights 2019 speaker David Patrishkoff is researching how to help with the aid of Minitab software.