The Air India Fiasco
Air India is a government-owned airline. Since airlines are a very competitive business, any airline which is even slightly mismanaged makes losses. Since Air India is heavily mismanaged, it is making a lot of losses. The Indian government has been mulling the divestment of this firm for a very long time. This is, in fact, […]
What is Hypothesis Testing ?
What is Hypothesis Testing ? Hypothesis testing is one of the statistical method used to confirm the effect that critical few inputs have on the outputs. Hypothesis testing must be used when the inputs are measured discretely. The outputs may be discrete or continuous. However the inputs must be discrete, if the inputs are continuous […]
Identify the Vital Inputs in Six Sigma Project
The list derived from the detailed process map needs to be shortlisted. This can be done in multiple ways. The different tools that are commonly used in six sigma projects to meet the purpose have been written down. They are as follows: Cause Effect Matrix: The cause and effect matrix takes the list of inputs […]
The Importance of Soft Skills for Project Managers
Project Management is both an Art and a Science Project Management is both an art and a science. It is a science because project managers need to estimate budgets, draw up schedules, and manage costs and earn profits. It is an art because they have to ensure that the team gets along well and the […]
What is a Process?
If you speak to a small business owner about their capability to manage a grocery store, you will constantly find that they feel that they have a shortage of time. It is not uncommon for them to erroneously omit certain activities. This negligence in turn causes bad customer service or increased costs to customers. On […]
Shift in the Process: A shift in the process is defined as a pattern in which seven consecutive data points appear on only one side of the mean. Statistical studies have shown that if the number of points on one side of the mean is less than 7 then it is not a non-random pattern and could have occurred due to random causes.
A shift in the process is very important for the management to detect. This is because it signifies that the average of the process has moved to a different level. Therefore, the control chart with the mean and control specifications based on old measures is redundant and will give wrong information. It is for this reason that it is important for the organization to detect this pattern as early as possible and take corresponding measures. The most common causes of the appearance of non- random shift patterns is as follows:
Process Improvement: Shifts in process means usually happen as a result of a deliberate attempt through a process improvement initiative. The best practises to do any task are continuously evolving. Introduction of new technologies enables newer and better ways of performing the work. This pattern can be detected on the control charts and the process improvement can be institutionalised.
Introduction of New Inputs: Another common reason for shift in the process mean is the introduction of new inputs. These new inputs could be markedly better or worse than the inputs used earlier and as a result change the performance of the entire process
Change in Quality Control Measures: The shift could also be the result of a change in quality control measures. The thrust may have changed from cure to prevention and as a result the quality checks may have dramatically improved the process, shifting its mean.
As the name suggests, this may be quite straightforward. However the logic behind this pattern is interesting. The normal curve states that 95% of all data points will lie between 2 standard deviations. However, if 2 out of 3 consecutive points are lying on or above the standard deviation, we can be rest assured that the 95% criteria is not being met, at least in that point in time.
This is therefore an early sign to the management that the process may be about to go out of control. A thoughtful management will make corrective action plans that will look into the process, understand the issue and correct it as soon as possible.
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Step 3B: Choosing the Correct Control Chart (Continuous Data)
February 12, 2025
