Ken Feldman

Have you ever wondered whether the outgoing inspection values from your vendor are equivalent to the values of your incoming inspection? Maybe it’s time to use orthogonal regression to see if one of you can stop inspecting. If your vendor is doing final outgoing inspection, do you need to also do incoming inspection on the […]

Have you or a family member ever had to visit a hospital Emergency Room? What was your experience? How was your wait time? Let’s see how one hospital handled long wait times and extensive patient dissatisfaction using queuing theory. The Emergency Room of a public hospital was experiencing long wait times to treat patients. Wait […]

ANOVA will tell you whether there is a statistically significant difference in the population means of three or more groups of data. But which means are different? Tukey’s will tell you that. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) is used to determine whether the population means of several sample data sets are statistically different or not. If […]

Statistics is a branch of math that involves the collection, description, analysis, and inference of conclusions from quantitative data. But what is a statistic? Let’s find out. The word statistic is a word with numerous possible definitions. In its simplest form, a statistic can be defined as a descriptor of a set of data. The […]

You are probably familiar with the notion that there are costs of poor quality, often shown as COPQ. These represent both internal and external failures to maintain good quality. There are also costs associated with maintaining good quality sometimes represented as COGQ. These costs represent appraisal and prevention costs. Total Cost of Quality (TCOQ) is […]

The Bartlett Test is named after the English statistician, Maurice Stevenson Bartlett. The test is also known as the Bartlett’s test for homogeneity of variances. It is most used in the context of doing a 1-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). ANOVA is used to determine whether there is any statistical difference between the means of […]

What are you blending when you speak about blended learning? You are combining face to face classroom learning with an instructor and online or computer driven learning. Let’s learn a little more about this concept of learning. In the 1960’s, technology-based training emerged as an alternative to instructor-led training. One of the major advantages of […]

Many statistical tools have an assumption of normality. Is there an option if my data is not normal? Transforming your data might help. Some statistical methods, such as hypothesis testing, have an underlying assumption of normality of your data before they can be used. Although control charts are generally robust to normality issues, sometimes the […]

When an organization attempts to implement a Six Sigma deployment, somebody needs to be selected to lead and manage it. Champions are upper-level managers who lead the execution of the Six Sigma deployment plans for the organization. That makes it one of the most critical roles in the eventual success of your Lean Six Sigma […]

The term levels is used in the context of Design of Experiments (DOE) and refers to the different settings you can use for running your experiments. Let’s look at this in a little more detail. The purpose of doing a Design of Experiments (DOE) is to identify what variables or factors have a causal effect […]

It is often not possible or practical to collect all the data from your process. It can be too costly or take too much time. It may not be possible to access all the data. If this situation exists in your process, then you will need to sample your data. Overview: What is sampling?  There […]

A binomial distribution can be described as the probability of a binary outcome in an activity that is repeated multiple times. It is a distribution of discrete data rather than continuous data. For example, a coin toss has only two possible discrete outcomes: heads or tails. Inspecting and testing a manufactured part can have two […]

ISO 9000 is a series of standards, developed and published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). It defines, establishes, and maintains an effective quality management system for manufacturing and service industries. Overview: What is the ISO 9000 series?  ISO 9000 is a series of individual standards. The core standards contained within the series are: […]

There are two broad categories of data in statistics: quantitative data and categorical data. Quantitative data is something you measure or count while categorical data presents data in categories or groups rather than the actual values themselves.  Overview: What is quantitative data?  Quantitative data describe values and numbers which are measured or counted and can […]

In the context of Six Sigma and Continuous Improvement, a root cause is defined as an issue or factor that causes a nonconformance or defect which, if eliminated, will improve the process. The root cause is the base issue which sets a cause-and-effect reaction in motion eventually resulting in a problem. Overview: What is root […]

The strategy of continuously improving your organizational processes by setting your goals, identifying deviations from those goals, and then taking appropriate actions to adjust your processes to close the gaps.

Tests that do not require a specific distribution to be valid.

The difference between the first and third quartiles.

A frequency plot is a graphical representation of the distribution of continuous data based on how often a particular value occurs.

A term used to describe CEO, CFO, COO, CIO, and other senior executives within an organization.

A statistical tool for describing a causal relationship between variables using controlled experiments.

Quantitative data represents values and numbers which can be measured or counted and used in mathematical operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division.

The 5Z process uses the Genba (Gemba) Kanri principles to maintain, evaluate, promote, and improve control of your process.

This major beverage manufacturer was spending millions of dollars per year to replace recyclable plastic shells to transport 2-liter bottles from the plant to their customers. Where did all the plastic shells go? Let’s find out. The process of retrieving delivered plastic shells from the customer should have been easy, but apparently it wasn’t. The […]