Assisting Professionals with Data Analysis

My name is Andy Cheshire, and I currently work in Minitab's Technical Support department. Every day, I assist professionals who have questions about how to use Minitab to accomplish their analyses. Sometimes the call can be as simple as how to find a specific menu in Minitab. Other times, it can be more statistical in nature, as I try to explain how one Gage tool differs from another. The range of topics discussed vary greatly--one call could involve setting up a Capability Analysis, then next could be tweaking a Design of Experiments.

We try to make Minitab as user-friendly as possible for our customers by providing the ability to obtain results that are sometimes two clicks away. That should be half the battle already. However, understanding the techniques being used to analyze your data is important as well. Are the assumptions being met? Am I aware of the options available to me for a specific tool? What specific sections in output outweigh everything in importance, when the font size and color remain the same?

I have found that each area of statistics covered by Minitab comes with its own set of commonly asked questions. I see this blog as an opportunity to provide you with answers to these commonly asked questions so that you don’t potentially make the very same mistakes that others have. With statistics being a vast science, it can be easy to overlook some concepts or assumptions key to analyzing your data. 

Hopefully, you'll be able to benefit from the experiences I've shared with customers!