Case Study: Use Category Resolution to Assess Gage R&R Results

Published:

Although the gage reproducibility and repeatability (GR&R) study is a crucial tool in Six Sigma’s DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) toolset, it is not the most glamorous; mistakes in its execution are common among new Six Sigma practitioners. The standard for assessing if a gage is acceptable can vary significantly from organization to organization, […]

Read more »

MSA: Be Sure that Your Data Is Valid

Published:

Data is the lifeblood of Lean Six Sigma. But that data must be measured reliably. Be sure to choose the right method to validate your data.

Read more »

A Comparison of Measurement System Analysis Metrics: Part 2 of 2

Published:

The precision of a measurement system is commonly assessed using a gage repeatability and reproducibility (GR&R) study.  Part 1 of this article discussed metrics used in measurement system analysis. Here, Part 2 compares commonly used GR&R metrics with probabilities of misclassification. Comparison of GR&R Metrics with Probability of Misclassification Using Numeric Simulation A simulation study […]

Read more »

A Comparison of Measurement System Analysis Metrics: Part 1 of 2

Published:

The precision of a measurement system is commonly assessed using a gage repeatability and reproducibility (GR&R) study. In Part 1, this article describes available GR&R metrics. Part 2 covers their applicability to two broad cases of comparative study.   Measurement system analysis has been a major part of process characterizations and improvements, with key guidance […]

Read more »

Help with a Future iSixSigma Article on Gage R&R

Published:

Hello iSixSigma readers! We are working on an article about gage R&R and need your help with data collection for analysis. What we need: Raw data itself (either 5-part or 10-part analyses including operators, parts, trials and measurements) The tolerance spread Is this one- or two-sided tolerance What we would like: Gage family information (e.g., […]

Read more »

Brewing a Better Beer with TQM

Published:

Recently, a well-established, rapidly expanding beer company invested heavily in a modern, state-of–the-art brewing facility. The new facility dramatically improved quality and productivity, and also reduced costs through the application of new technology. As a next step, the beer company began exploring methods of achieving a further quantum jump in performance. Recognizing that technology and […]

Read more »

Characterizing the Measurement Process

Published:

Measurement system analysis (MSA) can be fun, always impresses the customer, and can often result in an important surprise or two. Learn why gage R&R is only one part of the equation for achieving near risk free measurements of all types. Characterizing measurement error is one of the most important yet overlooked and misunderstood aspects of […]

Read more »

Making Sense of Attribute Gage R&R Calculations

Published:

Measurement error is unavoidable. There will always be some measurement variation that is due to the measurement system itself. Most problematic measurement system issues come from measuring attribute data in terms that rely on human judgment such as good/bad, pass/fail, etc. This is because it is very difficult for all testers to apply the same […]

Read more »

Measurement Systems Analysis in Process Industries

Published:

The gage R&R study is the standard tool in the Six Sigma process improvement methodology to evaluate the adequacy of a measurement system with regard to measurement variability. While it is well established and widely used in the discrete manufacturing industry, it is less useful in process industries where the nature of measurements is different, […]

Read more »

Case Study: Optimizing Patient Flow at Fort Drum Clinic

Published:

A project to optimize family practice patient flow at the Guthrie Ambulatory Healthcare Clinic, part of the U.S. Army Medical Activity (MEDDAC) at Fort Drum, N.Y., was initiated in November 2007. The goal: to reduce process cycle time while maintaining the same quality of care and to increase patient satisfaction from the time the patient […]

Read more »

The Power of Gage R&R in the Pharmaceutical Industry

Published:

There is usually a strong belief that a validated analytical method, either partly automated or fully manual is simply perfect and cannot generate any defect since it complies with highly demanding regulations. Thus, any apparent variation in a production process is automatically attributed to the manufacturing process or raw material suppliers. The latter being also […]

Read more »

Trusting the Data: Gage R&R in Transactional Projects

Published:

An essential component of any Six Sigma project is the gage R&R step conducted during the Measure phase. Traditional training will cover the full analysis of variance (ANOVA) of a set of continuous data, an attribute gage R&R for discrete data and the destructive gage R&R. Since it is sometimes difficult to apply these tools […]

Read more »

A Simple Way to Test Data Without Doing a Gage R&R

Published:

In Six Sigma work, practitioners normally are expected to conduct a gage R&R study to verify that that the measurement systems being used are providing measurements free from variations due to repeatability and reproducibility problems. This is usually done in the Measure phase of DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) prior to data analysis so […]

Read more »

Measurement Uncertainty as a Real World Issue

Published:

As the industrial world continues to become more competitive, measurement tolerances will become tighter. At the same time, customers insist that products be produced at a lower cost. In this environment, the production floor of Six Sigma companies must continually improve the certainty of measurements without increasing costs. Most companies are at the early stages […]

Read more »

Challenges of Discrete and Attribute Data Measurement

Published:

More than ever, companies today realize the importance of measurement – everything from measuring performance to measuring gap closure – in order to achieve goals. Measurement is the process of estimating the ratio of the magnitude of a quantity to a unit of the same type. A measurement is the result of such a process, normally expressed […]

Read more »

Turning Judgment Calls into Reliable Data with Gage R&R

Published:

One of the biggest challenges in making improvements in transactional processes is getting data which can be relied upon. There is an abundance of categorical data in transactional areas – situations where a judgment call is required: Is something right or wrong? Is the application complete? What type of error was made on the request […]

Read more »
To top