"I'm not in manufacturing. How can I use data?"

Although this question has been asked by many, only a few have attempted to provide an answer. One immediate barrier that exists for those outside manufacturing is the very terminology of data analysis. For example, statistical process control (SPC) just doesn't sound like something that is needed in a service sector environment. Even the less technical "continual improvement" sounds like something that applies to widgets rather than transactions. This book shows how techniques for working with data may be used in service-sector environments to improve operations for the future.

This book specifically addresses the complicated issues of using statistical tools in a service setting—with the practical expertise you have come to expect from Dr. Donald J. Wheeler.

The book is written in the reader-friendly style of Understanding Variation, but with the in-depth content of Understanding Statistical Process Control. Newcomers to these ideas will appreciate the clarity, while more seasoned practitioners will gain from Dr. Wheeler's thorough treatment of the ideas and concepts.

More than just teaching how to create process behavior charts, this book shows you how to build a framework for understanding and using your data effectively. You will learn where to start, what to measure, how to measure it, and how to understand the measurements—all the ways to effectively use your business information.

Contents

• 1 Why Continual Improvement
  
• 2 Visualize Your Process
  
• 3 Collecting Good Data
  
• 4 Visualize Your Data
  
• 5 Graphical Purgatory
  
• 6 Some Arithmetic
  
• 7 Visualize Your Process Behavior
  
• 8 Interpreting the Process Behavior Chart
  
• 9 Using XmR Charts Effectively
  
• 10 How to Create Good Charts
  
• 11 What Makes the XmR Chart Work?
  
• 12 Avoiding Man-Made Changes
  
• 13 Charts for Count Data
  
• 14 Traditional Charts for Count Data
  
• 15 Using Count Data Effectively
  
• 16 Average and Range Charts
  
• 17 Smoothing Out Seasonal Data
  
• 18 Deseasonalizing Data
  
• 19 The Learning Way
  

Expert Advice
Donald J. Wheeler, Ph.D., is a consulting statistician who had the good fortune to work with W. Edwards Deming and David S. Chambers. Dr. Wheeler graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with bachelor's degrees in physics and mathematics, and has master's and doctorate degrees in statistics from Southern Methodist University. From 1970 to 1982 he taught in the statistics department at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where he was an associate professor. Between 1981 and 1993, he periodically assisted Dr. Deming with his four-day seminars. He is the author of more than 15 books and more than 60 articles. Dr. Wheeler is a fellow of the American Statistical Association.

Details
Weight	3.00 lbs
ISBN:	N/A
Pages:	396; hardcover

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