Michael Cyger

The three descriptors that can be used to describe the variation or dispersion of your data are the standard deviation, variance and range. The range is the easiest to calculate, but not the most useful in describing the variation of your data.

If you wanted to improve the gas mileage of your car, what factors would you look at to do that? How would you measure the impact or effect of those factors? Computing the main effect could answer your question.

There are several ways that companies conduct inspections of their software. One such method is Fagan Style Software Inspection.

To answer the question of how strong and in what direction is the relationship between two continuous variables you would use the Pearson correlation coefficient (r). Let’s learn more about this statistical descriptor and what it tells you about your data.

Looking for good books to read on the topics of quality, Six Sigma, Lean and OpEx? This reading list shares the best quality-topic books of all-time and book recommendations by topic.

Here’s the story about how the hypothesis testing flow chart was developed in Barcelona in 1995, as told by Mike Carnell.

After more than six months of hard work, iSixSigma is celebrating its relaunch today and I’m excited to announce the brand new, redesigned iSixSigma.com.

Xs are the independent inputs to a process that cause or control a problem to occur in the output (Y) of a process. Once quantified through Design of Experiment, a transfer function Y=f(X) can be developed to define the relationship of elements and help control a process.

Work cells are a key lean six sigma strategy designed to improve quality, eliminate waste, and enhance the end-user experience.

A Z value is a data point’s position between the mean and another location as measured by the number of standard deviations. Z is a universal measurement because it can be applied to any unit of measure. Z is a measure of process capability and corresponds to the process sigma value that is reported by […]

The probability of a defect when defects are correlated. For example, when linewidths are printed too wide the process can cause thousands of ‘bridging’ defects, so although the number of defects is extremely high, there is only one opportunity. Unless of course there are say four sensitive areas on the circuit so that a slight […]

A measure of the distance in standard deviations of a sample from the mean. Calculated as (X – X bar) / sigma

What is more misunderstood than the humble upper control limit? Is it a probability limit? Is it an economic limit? Read on to find out! Overview: What is the Upper Control Limit (UCL)?  A control chart consists of several parts. It has two control limits and an average line. The bottom dashed line is called […]

Visual Quality Document

Each work cell is supervised by a Team Leader, who is responsible for maintaining optimal quality and productivity. Generally, this is a top-level technician who also is a natural leader. (See also Work Cell). It is a person who gives orders and plans to technician and operator in a manufacturing company.

TRIZ (pronounced “TREEZ”, the Russian acronym for the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving) is an established science, methodology, tools and knowledge- and model-based technology for stimulating and generating innovative ideas and solutions for problem solving. It is short for Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch. Historically it has been widely spread in Eastern Europe, particularly in the […]

A random variable with a numerical value that is defined on a given sample space.

Japanese management philosphy. Used to increase time between failure (MTBF) or life of machinery.

The mathematics of the collection, organization, and interpretation of numerical data, especially the analysis of population characteristics by inference from sampling.

The term defined for the resource waste time during the processing due to the motivational reasons. Example: Workers taking extra processing time, or break time for their due course of action because of the motivational reasons. This term is a management concern.

Customer’s expectation for product or service deliverable/output. Parameters by which an output can be verified.

The Six Sigma product report is a Minitab tool that calculates the DPMO and short-term capability of your process.

Toyota’s continuous improvement practices are known as TPS; Toyota employs practices to eliminate waste.

The entire network of communication; sattelite; radio; telephone; television; internet; etc: “This discovery will be spread throughout the entire telecosm.”