(Minitab: State College, Pennsylvania) -- Statistics can be complicated and daunting, but the statistical analysis of data is at the heart of proven business improvement methods such as lean and Six Sigma.

As more businesses search for ways to boost efficiency—and profits—in the current economic climate, Minitab Inc. is offering a free tool on its web site that can help quality professionals be sure they’re making the best use of their data.

The tool, called the Method Chooser, can be downloaded free at http://www.minitab.com/training/tutorials/method-chooser.aspx 

Minitab’s Method Chooser is set of interactive decision trees that walk you through the key choices in determining the most appropriate statistical tool. Each decision point includes brief but informative details and illustrations to help you make the right choice.

“We developed the Method Chooser to help people involved in quality improvement find the statistical techniques that will give them the best, most meaningful information from the data they collect,” says Michelle Paret, product manager at Minitab.

“Our goal for the Method Chooser is to help people find the right analysis for their data, every time.”

Five Method Chooser PDF documents are available from Minitab:

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