Approaching Statistics As a LanguageGrowing comfortable in a data-driven world
Wed, 01/06/2016 - 11:56
Not long ago, I couldn’t abide statistics. I respected the field, in much the same way a gazelle respects a lion. Most of my early experiences with statistics indicated that close encounters resulted in pain, so I avoided further contact whenever… Does Every Good Analytical Chemist Need to Be a Statistician?Tools that make analysis easier
Tue, 10/27/2015 - 10:48
I read trade publications that cover everything from banking to biotech, looking for interesting perspectives on data analysis and statistics, especially where they pertain to quality improvement.
Recently I read a great blog post by Tony Taylor,… Which Supplier Should You Choose? Check the data
Tue, 09/29/2015 - 14:12
Whatever industry you’re in, you’re going to need to buy supplies. If you’re a printer, you’ll need to purchase inks, various types of printing equipment, and paper. If you’re in manufacturing, you’ll need to obtain parts that you don’t make… Using Probability Distribution Plots to See Data ClearlyBring your numbers to life
Tue, 09/15/2015 - 11:41
When we take pictures with a digital camera or smartphone, what the device really does is capture information in the form of binary code. At the most basic level, our precious photos are really just a bunch of 1s and 0s, but if we were to look at… Ten Statistical Terms Designed to Confuse NonstatisticiansPromoting statistical literacy
Mon, 08/10/2015 - 11:05
Statisticians say the darnedest things. At least, that’s how it can seem if you’re not well-versed in statistics.
When I began studying statistics, I approached it as a language. I quickly noticed that, compared to other disciplines, statistics… Lessons From a Statistical Analysis Gone Wrong, Part 3Keep asking questions
Wed, 07/29/2015 - 13:15
If you’ve read the first two parts of this tale, you know it started when I published a post that involved transforming data for capability analysis. When an astute reader asked why Minitab didn‘t seem to transform the data outside of the… Lessons From a Statistical Analysis Gone Wrong, Part 2Knowing what to look for
Tue, 07/28/2015 - 14:20
In my last post, I told you how I had double-checked the analysis in a post that involved running the Johnson transformation on a set of data before doing normal capability analysis on it. A reader asked why the transformation didn’t work on the… Lessons From a Statistical Analysis Gone Wrong, Part 1Watching horses and eating crow
Mon, 07/27/2015 - 12:32
I don’t like the taste of crow, which is a shame, because I’m about to eat a huge helping of it.
I’m going to tell you how I messed up an analysis. But in the process, I learned some new lessons and was reminded of some older ones I should… Seeing Excellence in Full Color With Crayola’s Quality TeamBeing the best is no accident
Thu, 05/14/2015 - 10:27
Last week I attended the American Society for Quality’s World Conference on Quality and Improvement in Nashville, TN. The ASQ conference is a great opportunity to see how quality professionals are tackling problems in every industry, from beverage… Creating a New Metric With Gauge R&R, Part 2Almost anything can be measured with the right system
Thu, 03/12/2015 - 12:11
In part one of this column, I showed you how to set up data collection for a gauge R&R analysis using the Assistant in Minitab 17. In this case, the goal of the gauge R&R study is to test whether a new tool provides an effective metric for…
