A Box Plot, or Box and Whisker Plot, is a graphical view of a data set that is divided into fourths or “quartiles.” It shows the center and spread of a data set but is most useful when comparing two or more “strata” or data sets such as the cycle…
A Baseline Measure results from data collected to establish the initial capability of a process to meet customer expectations. By collecting a baseline prior to making any changes to the process it is possible to determine if solutions implemented later on have the desired impact. For a better understanding of…
Attribute data refers to categories or counts that can only be described in whole numbers; i.e. you can’t have half a defect or half a customer. This type of data is the opposite of continuous or variable data (temperature, weight, distance, etc.). Typical Attribute Data refers to the number of…
Assumption Busting is a brainstorming and questioning technique that does two things: Identifies and challenges conventional assumptions Eliminates them if they are obstacles to optimal solutions For a better understanding of Assumption Busting and an overview of Lean Six Sigma, check out our Free Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt Training, Green…
The Analyze Phase is the third phase of the DMAIC process, and focuses on identifying the root cause (or causes) of a process problem. The Analyze Phase requires data and knowledge gleaned from the previous Define and Measure phases of DMAIC. This phase focuses on analysis of the data and…
Used in process mapping, the Alternative Path method shows multiple ways of achieving the same result. Ideal for the mapping of very large and detailed processes, alternative paths are a process analysis tool. This is often done by assigning percentages to each path (e.g, time/incidents) for comparison purposes. For a…
An Affinity Chart (or Affinity Diagram) organizes a large amount of data according to their natural relationships. Useful for bringing order out of chaos, Affinity Charts make complex processes & procedures easier to grasp by 1) breaking them down into their constituent parts and 2) reorganizing them into groups based…