Benford’s Law was published in 1938, but over 80 years later, events over the past year have resurfaced discussions of Benford’s Law. What is the law? What are its applications? Benford’s Law is a mathematical formula that calculates the probability of occurrence of the non-zero leading digits in data sets that span several orders of [...]
Most of us are familiar with the seven wastes in Lean. But often we hear of an additional eighth waste – Underutilized Skills and Talent. What contributes to it, and how can we improve? To address this, we will hear from two Lean experts and then the authors of a recent research article. First, in [...]
Having access to an online game simulator is quite useful in teaching various aspects of statistics. We will look at three in order of complexity: a basic projectile simulator, a catapult and the trebuchet. While using an online simulator loses the hands-on aspect and the associated errors, it relieves us of having to have the [...]
What assumptions must be met to use a standard control chart? What should you do if one or more are not satisfied? We will focus on the Individual’s Control Chart. Three requirements must be met. Independence Normality Subgroup size (n = 1) Independence Independence occurs when the position of one data point does not influence [...]
Use a Yamazumi Chart to highlight the three broad types of process deficiencies to improve in Lean: Muda (Waste), Mura (Unevenness), and Muri (Overburden). Yamazumi is a Japanese word translated as huge mound, heap, or pile. A Yamazumi chart is simply a stacked bar graph. But by plotting process cycle time by process steps and [...]
Data transformations are useful and necessary in some statistical applications. We will discuss one of the most famous ones, the Box-Cox transformation. We will use two of the most often used software programs for Six Sigma analysis: SigmaXL and Minitab to implement the Box-Cox Transformation. First, let’s briefly remind you of why a transformation is [...]
Learn how Six Sigma is used in the wine-making business. At the Six Sigma Ranch, Kaj Ahlmann, former Exective Vice President and director of GE Capital Services, owner of Six Sigma Ranch, and currently Managing Director and Chairman of the Global Advisory Council for insurance at Deutsche Bank, uses Six Sigma principles to produce great [...]
We’ve heard a lot about the Plan/Do/Check/Act (PDCA) and the Plan/Do/Study/Act (PDSA) Cycles. What are they? Are they different? Are they related? We will first hear from two experts: The first, explaining PDCA and the second, explaining PDSA. Then we’ll explore the history, differences, and relationship via an important paper that includes W.W. Edwards Deming’s [...]
Machine learning is mentioned frequently in the media. How is it different from classical statistics? How is it similar? We found it best to learn about this from Brian Caffo, a Ph.D. in statistics who also has expertise in computing algorithms. Brian is a professor of biostatistics at John Hopkins University. Brian uses both machine [...]
Visual Management. What is it? Why use it? Examples. Do’s and Don’t’s. To address these, we first hear from two experts giving their take on visual management. Then we’ll get information on why visual management boards fail and finish with a look at what a professional visual management company has to say. Craig Otto, Production Support [...]
