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Steps In Constructing An Exponentially Weighted Moving Average (EWMA) Chart: This document contains the step-by-step instructions to construct an Exponentially Weighted Moving Average (EWMA) control chart.

Steps In Constructing An Individuals And Moving Range Control Chart: This document contains the step-by-step instructions to construct an Individuals And Moving Range control chart.

Steps in Constructing a Median And Range Control Chart: This document contains the step-by-step instructions to construct a Median And Range control chart. The primary reason for using medians is that it is easier to do on the shop floor because no arithmetic must be done. The person doing the charting can simply order the data and pick the center element.

Control Chart Wizard – Median And Range: If the sample size is relatively small (e.g., less than 10-15) and the median is known, we can display how well a process is centered using the median or middle value. In contrast to the X-Bar and R control chart, this chart is useful when you would like to see less influence by data outliers. This can be an advantage or a disadvantage depending on your objective. The range of a sample is simply the difference between the largest and smallest observation. The Median and R control chart is used with continuous/variable data when subgroup or sample size is between 2 and 15.

Average And Range – X-Bar and R: If the sample size is relatively small (e.g., less than 10-15), we can use the range instead of the standard deviation of a sample to construct control charts on X-Bar (arithmetic mean) and the range, R. The range of a sample is simply the difference between the largest and smallest observation. The X-bar and R control chart is used with continuous/variable data when subgroup or sample size is between 2 and 15.

Continuous/Variable Control Chart Table Of Constants

Kevin Meyer from the Evolving Excellence blog has put together a nice post called Carnival of Lean Leadership. In it he includes links to posts from otherblogs around the topic of “Lean leadership”, the iSixSigma Blogosphere included: “Losing and winning are topics in two of our favorites. The Common Sense Guy shows how leadership lessons […]

Wizard Home > Continuous/Variable Data Sample Size Selector Control Chart Suggestion Individuals And Moving Range – X and Rm Control Chart Description Control charts for individual measurements (e.g., the sample size = 1) use the moving range of two successive observations to measure the process variability. The combination of the X Chart for Individuals and […]

Wizard Home > Control Chart Wizard Home Question How large is your continuous/variable data sample size? Choices Please select your sample size from the choices below: Sample Size Of One Sample Size Is Small (Usually Less Than 10-15) Sample Size Is Small (Usually Less Than 10-15), Median Value Known Sample Size Is Large (Usually Greater […]

This Control Chart Wizard will guide you through the process of determining your data type, help you determine the correct control chart, and provide the proper formulas for creating a control chart for your process.

Benchmarking results consistently identify examples of Six Sigma success. Even so, getting “naysayers” on board is a continuous challenge. What do you tell them? Nayism 6: I already know how to fix the problem. I really don’t need a Six Sigma project to tell me what I already know. Sometimes people get confused between what’s […]

iSixSigma announced today the beta release of the iSixSigma Toolbar. With the toolbar installed on your Internet Explorer browser, you will be able to instantly search against the tens of thousands of pages of content that have been written and collected over the past 5+ years. You will also be able to search against specific […]

It seems to be a tradition for bloggers to make their 100th post about… the 100th post. Well, as a Six Sigma nut why should I introduce variation into the ritual? So here is my century post to SixSigmaCompanies.com ¦ For those new to this blog the following is a rundown of what has gone on […]

The Cox-Box is Copyright © 2000-2005 iSixSigma LLC and Gary P. Cox – All Rights ReservedReproduction Without Permission Is Prohibited – Request Permission

Benchmarking results consistently identify examples of Six Sigma success. Even so, getting “naysayers” on board is a continuous challenge. What do you tell them? Nayism 5: If Six Sigma helps businesses be successful then why have some businesses that have implemented Six Sigma not done well? This question is quite typical of questions you get […]

Newell Rubbermaid, famous for their storage containers and Sharpie pens, launched the Newell Operational Excellence program in 2002 to reduce costs, inventory and lead times, and to improve service and quality levels. The 2004 Annual Report sums up the Newell Operational Excellence program to date: “It is critical to have a process for achieving cost […]

Benchmarking results consistently identify examples of Six Sigma success. Even so, getting “naysayers” on board is a continuous challenge. What do you tell them? Nayism 4: Six Sigma projects take too long to complete. I need to get this fixed now. Actually, they should have probably had the problem fixed 3 years ago. And maybe […]

Six Sigma stories have graced the pages of this specialty chemical company’s annual reports since 1999. Six Sigma at Grace has been a corporate-wide initiative from the start and has spread outside of the manufacturing processes to other functions including administration, sales, service, and R&D. Lean manufacturing and Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) methodologies are […]

Six Sigma at Air Products and Chemicals is doing more than just blowing hot air. The 7.4 billion dollar chemical company is a worldwide supplier of industrial gases and equipment, specialty and intermediate chemicals, and environmental and energy systems. They piloted Six Sigma in the Polyurethane Chemicals division in 2000, and the initiative grew into […]

The Wall Street Journal article “Rethinking Quality Improvement”, published this morning, raises the question of whether Six Sigma and new product development, research, and innovation can work together: “The critics say process management helps improve existing products and routines, but can hinder a company’s ability to innovate. ‘For stuff you’re already good at, you get […]

The Cox-Box is Copyright © 2000-2005 iSixSigma LLC and Gary P. Cox – All Rights ReservedReproduction Without Permission Is Prohibited – Request Permission

Benchmarking results consistently identify critical factors that are needed to increase the probability of Six Sigma success. Even so, getting “naysayers” on board is a continuous challenge. What do you tell them? Nayism 3: When picking a Black Belt, I can’t afford to let one of my best people go. Open any book about Six […]

ArvinMeritor is a global supplier of integrated systems, modules and components to the automotive industry. They began their lean journey in 2000 with a pilot initiative at the Asheville, North Carolina (USA) plant. Then only a year later the senior leadership team deployed the “ArvinMeritor Performance System” (AMPS) and “S3” (S-cubed) throughout the company: “AMPS […]

   Six Sigma Slogan: Pleasant and Happy Changes For POSCO, Six Sigma is not merely a series of projects to be completed, but a potent tool for management reform designed to help reach business objectives, change corporate culture, and present the most ideal solutions for every business issue. 2004 Annual Report POSCO, the South Korean […]

Burlington Northern Santa Fe, one of the largest Railroads in the United States, has developed a system called World Class Maintenance (WCM) which includes several methodologies including Six Sigma and Lean Process. In September 2002 BNSF CEO, Matthew Rose, spoke at the AREMA conference in Washington D.C. In his address here viewed the WCM system […]

Benchmarking results consistently identify critical factors that are needed to increase the probability of Six Sigma success. Even so, getting “naysayers” on board is a continuous challenge. What do you tell them? Nayism 2: I’m already working 60 hours a week, so how do you expect me to devote anytime to champion a Six Sigma […]

Six Sigma at CSX is a GE success story. What started out as a GE “At the Customer for the Customer” engagement, turned into a corporate-wide deployment of Six Sigma at one of the leading transportation companies in the United States. Bill Smith, National Account Executive at GE Transportation Systems, tells the story best in […]

Fortune 1000 and Global 500 companies in the Transportation and Logistics industry that are practicing Six Sigma: Burlington Northern Santa Fe CNF CSX Corporation FedEx Norfolk Southern Sirva Union Pacific United Parcel Service United States Postal Service

The Cox-Box is Copyright © 2000-2005 iSixSigma LLC and Gary P. Cox – All Rights ReservedReproduction Without Permission Is Prohibited – Request Permission

Benchmarking results consistently identify critical factors that are needed to increase the probability of Six Sigma success. Even so, getting “naysayers” on board is a continuous challenge. What do you tell them? Nayism 1: Black Belts and Green Belts are actually doing the work, so why does the senior leadership team need to be “belt” […]

In October 2000 Norfolk Southern began an initiative called “Norfolk Southern for the 21st Century” (NS21). NS21 is an internal effort to improve performance, focus on customer service, and reduce costs. Six Sigma is used in conjunction with NS21 and has helped the railroad giant become one data-driven locomotive! In 2003 Norfolk Southern refocused the […]

Notes from the deployment frontline 31 Aug 05 Having been raised 20 miles from salt water in Tampa, I am in love with warm and salty water and mesmerized by hurricanes. That said, I think we should all pause this week and think about what is really important. Those of us that think our companies, […]

Lockheed Martin has been using Six Sigma and Lean since the late 90s. Like many other companies the early use of the methodologies took place in small pockets around the company without a centralized effort. Then in 1999 Lockheed Martin started the LM21 initiative. LM21 stands for Lockheed Martin in the 21st Century and is […]

Union Pacific (UP) has been using the Six Sigma methodology for a number of years to increase customer satisfaction, reduce failures, and conserve energy. Last year Thomas A. Myers, Michael Carver, and Dr. Michael Echols wrote a case study describing how UP reduced the cost of training Six Sigma Black Belts by partnering with Bellevue […]

Have you taken an eLearning course in the past? Do you offer eLearning training through your consulting company? Have you researched eLearning options in the past? We want to hear from you. iSixSigma is preparing to research eLearning options available within the Six Sigma industry. For this study, we’re defining eLearning as: “Any learning that […]

Patricia Collins wrote an article in the September/October 2005 issue of iSixSigma Magazine titled, “Better Business Leaders.” Patricia is the senior deployment champion for Merrill Lynch’s enterprise-wide Six Sigma program. The article details Merrill Lynch’s unique approach to leadership development through Six Sigma. “The goal is not only to give the company’s future business leaders […]

When I accepted this invitation from Mike Cyger, he suggested that I post once a week and so I have set aside Tuesday mornings from 5:00 to 7:00 to put down something I think is worthwhile. This week I got a call at 4 am from my beautiful wife, Aimee, telling me to catch the […]

Recently EMC began an initiative called Total Customer Experience (TCE) and Six Sigma is at the heart of it. Six Sigma at EMC is driven from the top as an enterprise-wide initiative. EMC President, CEO, and Green Belt candidate, Joe Tucci, recently spoke about TCE and Six Sigma at the EMC Technology Summit in New […]

The Cox-Box is Copyright © 2000-2005 iSixSigma LLC and Gary P. Cox – All Rights ReservedReproduction Without Permission Is Prohibited – Request Permission

Notes from the deployment frontline Why does this stuff work? For those of you who don’t know me, I work in the land of Laverne and Shirley for a fine 100 year old company that is trying to change without losing what makes people want to spend a career here. I am five months into […]

Xerox has a successful history applying Lean Manufacturing techniques in their operations since the early 90s. In 1998 Six Sigma was introduced in various manufacturing and supply chain operations. Although these operations achieved efficiencies, the scope of the deployment was limited. In 2002, Six Sigma and Lean were integrated and driven as a corporate-wide strategy. […]

Autoliv makes the world a safer place. Simply put, their products save lives. They are a leading manufacturer of auto safety products, and supply all the leading auto makersthroughout the world. Quality is vital when it comes to life and Autoliv is living up to their name. Modeled after the Toyota Production System (TPS), Autoliv […]

It does not matter how small the business, Six Sigma can help improve any process. Even a niche bed and breakfast business can profit from Six Sigma principles. Case in point: Al O’Donnell, who runs a Six Sigma program for Southern Clay Products in Gonzales, Texas, USA, wrote us this note. “My wife owns the […]

Avery Dennison began using Six Sigma in the Fasson Roll operation in 1998. It didn’t take long for the initiative to stick, and it soon spread throughout the company. Today, Six Sigma and Lean manufacturing are the foundation for driving productivity improvements across the company. The annual reports and press releases continually highlight the impact […]

The Consumer Products industry sector containsa wide array of industries: Apparel, Home Equipment and Furnishings, Household and Personal Products, Textiles, Tobacco, Toys and Sporting Goods. Listed below are Fortune 1000 companies in these industries (broadly labeled “Consumer Products”) that are using Six Sigma. 3M Alberto-Culver Clorox Colgate-Palmolive Estée Lauder Kimberly-Clark Masco Newell Rubbermaid Procter & […]

The Cox-Box is Copyright © 2000-2005 iSixSigma LLC and Gary P. Cox – All Rights ReservedReproduction Without Permission Is Prohibited – Request Permission

I had the pleasure of being invited to the Northwest Quality Forum on Wednesday (3 Aug 2005). It’s an informal group of like-minded peers (deployment champions and regional leaders) in the Seattle area that get together every other month to discuss Six Sigma, Lean, management, leadership, change management and related issues faced by their organizations. […]

Barclays is just starting out on their Six Sigma journey. They began their initiative just over a year ago and were recently recognized with a Six Sigma Excellence award in the category “Best Defect Elimination in a Service & Transaction Project.” Chris Lorimer, Head of Supplier and Service Improvement at Barclays International and Private Bank, […]

LG Electronics (LGE), part of South Korea’s LG Group, was the first LG company to embrace Six Sigma back in 1996 (about the same time as GE). As shown in the timeline below (2000 Annual Report), LGE has a solid history of innovation activities and quality improvement activities dating back to 1989. Since 2000, LGE […]

McKesson is the largest pharmaceuticals distributor in the United States. While they do not manufacture drugs or supply healthcare services, they are the leading provider of supply, information, and care management products to the entire healthcare industry. In the words of McKesson’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, John Hammergren, “McKesson is helping transform healthcare into […]