Category: Concepts

Quality Control Just Got Easier: Learn How to Use U Charts
Updated:A U chart is one of four quality control charts that engineers use to track variation in a manufacturing process. The other three typical quality control charts are the p chart (which plots the proportion of defective items, the c chart (which shows the number of defects), and the np chart (which shows the number […]
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Documenting Tribal Knowledge: Ensuring Continuity in Operations
Updated:Tribal knowledge is the information regarding a product or service process that resides only in the minds of the employees. Familiarize yourself with how non-documented tribal knowledge creates inefficiencies within the process, and understand the benefits of addressing these gaps.
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Variance Explained: Definitions and Formulas
Updated:When you hear the word variance, you can think of it in terms of finance or statistics. In statistics, variance is a calculation describing the spread, or variation, of the data around the average, or mean, of the data.
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Tree Diagram
Updated:Is there a simple graphical tool for looking at a series of linked hierarchical activities? Yes, a tree diagram would be a good one to use. Letโs see how it would work. If you have a series of hierarchical tasks and subtasks to complete before you reach some objective, then a tree diagram would allow […]
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The Importance of Total Probability of Defect in Risk Analysis
Updated:Defects in quality put a severe dent in the potential profits of companies all over the world year after year. Having an understanding of the total probability of defect puts the power in an organization’s hands to make improvements and reduce the chance of its customers receiving faulty products.Knowing the total probability of defect for […]
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Practical Tips for Obtaining Unbiased Estimates in Sampling
Updated:Itโs not practical to measure every value in a population, whether it be people or all the jars of peanut butter you produced. Taking samples helps. But if your samples are biased and donโt represent the population, then you have a biased statistic or estimator.ย Letโs learn how you can calculate an unbiased statistic.
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Managing Work in Process: Best Practices for Optimal Workflow
Updated:Proper WIP management creates both quick wins and long term improvements. Here’s what you need to know.
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Simplifying Complex Systems with Value Stream Mapping
Updated:Gain a better understanding of value stream mapping and how you can use it in your business. We’ll cover the flow, department interactions, bottleneck identification, and key metrics — as well as a few best practices.
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How to Map and Optimize Your Value Stream
Updated:Do your processes deliver value for your customer? How do you know if what you do is valued by your customer? Letโs find out.
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Transfer Function Y=f(X)
Published:Are you ready to dust off your calculus differential equations and Laplace transformations? No? Then we will have to provide a simpler discussion of what a transfer function, or Y=f(X), is all about.ย
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Discover the Power of The Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ)
Updated:Sometimes you really need to look at problems in a creative and innovative manner. TRIZ is a problem-solving approach that fosters invention for project teams who have become stuck while trying to solve a business challenge. TRIZ (Teoriya Resheniya Izobretatelskikh Zadach) is a problem-solving methodology that was developed in the former Soviet Union by Genrich […]
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Maximizing Value-Added Work: Driving Efficiency and Productivity
Updated:Being busy and working hard donโt necessarily mean what you are doing will have value to your customer. Letโs see why not.
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Creating Effective Specifications: What to Include and How to Structure Them
Updated:It is important that you clearly specify your expectations about a company process or product. These detailed expectations are called specifications and serve as a guide as to how well you are satisfying both internal and external expectations. A specification (spec) is a detailed description of the requirements, characteristics, and features of a product, service, […]
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Maximizing the Telecosm: Strategies for Effective Communication
Updated:Do you remember the days of having to get off the internet when your mother had to use the phone? How about waiting to watch a video while an advertisement seems to buffer endlessly? Advancements in the telecosm have made the amount of bandwidth across all mediums feel infinite in comparison to the early days […]
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Standard Order
Published:The term standard order refers to the sequence of the runs you will do in your Design of Experiments. The question we will answer is whether to use the standard order or a random order.
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How to Choose the Right Statistical Test for Your Data
Updated:If you have a question about how your process or organization is performing, statistics will be the methodology for answering those questions. Statistics is the discipline and science used for the collection, organization, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of your data. Statistics usually fall into one of two categories: Descriptive statistics: methods used to summarize or […]
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Using Variance Inflation Factor to Optimize Regression Models
Updated:The variance inflation factor measures the degree of multicollinearity of multiple predictor variables in a multiple linear regression. Holy smokes, thatโs a lot of big words. Letโs find out what it all means.
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The Importance of SS Product Reports in Quality Assurance
Updated:An SS product report is a critical document that summarizes the results of the product development process, including quality, reliability, and performance. Understanding SS Product Reports The Six Sigma methodology is a highly effective process improvement approach that has been widely adopted across various industries. It provides a data-driven and customer-focused approach to reduce defects […]
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Unintended Consequences
Published:If you hear someone say, โDarn, I didnโt expect that to happenโ, they are probably experiencing an unintended consequence from some action they took. No one plans for things to go awry, but unfortunately, they do.
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Spread
Published:Spread comes in a variety of forms. It refers to the variation of the data and can be calculated in a number of different ways. Letโs explore these.
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Understanding Thulla and Its Impact on Team Dynamics
Updated:When workers lack motivation, this can be incredibly frustrating. There can be a temptation to address these frustrations using terms that one has heard elsewhere. Take care to keep criticism constructive, to be very aware of how certain terms are used culturally, and to avoid them if they could be inappropriate. When workers have used […]
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Enhancing Data Visualization Through Stratification
Updated:Webster’s dictionary defines stratification as: formed, deposited, or arranged in stable layers or strata. Thatโs interesting, but how does it apply to Six Sigma? Letโs find out.
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Add Business Value to Your Organization with Total Productive Maintenance
Updated:If your machines are not working, you canโt produce products for your customers. Your customers will likely not remain your customers for very long. Letโs see how Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) can keep your equipment up and running. Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) is a maintenance strategy aimed at maximizing the productivity of equipment, machines, and […]
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