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Approaching Statistics as a Language
Not long ago, I couldn’t abide statistics. I did respect it, but in much the same way a gazelle respects a lion. Most of my early experiences with statistics indicated that close encounters resulted in...
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Talking the Statistical Talk with Those Who Don’t Walk the Statistical Walk
When you work in data analysis, you quickly discover an irrefutable fact: a lot of people just can't stand statistics. Some people fear the math, some fear what the data might reveal, some people find...
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How to Add an "Update Data from My Database" Button to a Minitab Menu or Toolbar
Many of us have data stored in a database or file that we need to analyze on a regular basis. If you're in that situation and you're using Minitab Statistical Software, here's how you can save some...
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Checking the “Naughty” or “Nice” Assessment with Attribute Agreement Analysis
Each year Santa’s Elves have to take all the information provided by family, friends and teachers to determine if all the children of the world have been “Naughty” or “Nice.” This is no small task, as...
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A simple guide to multivariate control charts
This is an era of massive data. A huge amount of data is being generated from the web, from customer relations records but also from sensors used in the manufacturing industry (semiconductor,...
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Installing Minitab 17 on a Virtual Machine, Part 1
While Minitab 17 is currently a Windows-only application, there are people who only have a Mac available for the installation who also find they need to use Minitab 17. It is possible to run Minitab 17...
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Installing Minitab 17 on a Virtual Machine, Part 2
In my last post, I walked through the steps to install Minitab 17 on a Mac using Apple Boot Camp. Minitab 17 can also be installed on a Mac using desktop virtualization software.In addition to your...
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What Is Acceptance Sampling?
If you're just getting started in the world of quality improvement, or if you find yourself in a position where you suddenly need to evaluate the quality of incoming or outgoing products from your...
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How to Perform Acceptance Sampling by Variables, part 1
Earlier, I shared an overview of acceptance sampling. Now we'll look at how to do acceptance sampling by variables, facilitated by the tools in Minitab Statistical Software. If you're not already using...
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How to Perform Acceptance Sampling by Variables, Part 2
In my last post, I showed how to use Minitab Statistical Software to create an acceptance sampling plan by variables, using the scenario of a an electronics company that receives monthly shipments of...
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How to Perform Acceptance Sampling by Variables, part 3
Now that we've seen how easy it is to create plans for acceptance sampling by variables, and to compare different sampling plans, it's time to see how to actually analyze the data you collect when you...
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How to Perform Acceptance Sampling by Attributes
In an earlier post, I shared an overview of acceptance sampling, a method that lets you evaluate a sample of items from a larger batch of products (for instance, electronics components you've sourced...
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Exploratory Graphs of 2016 Qualified Health Plans
At the start of a new year, I like to look for data that’s labeled 2016. While it’s not necessarily new for 2016, one of the first data sets I found was healthcare.gov’s data about qualified health and...
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How to Compare Regression Slopes
If you perform linear regression analysis, you might need to compare different regression lines to see if their constants and slope coefficients are different. Imagine there is an established...
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The Minitab Blog Quiz: Test Your Stat-Smarts!
How deeply has statistical content from Minitab blog posts (or other sources) seeped into your brain tissue? Rather than submit a biopsy specimen from your temporal lobe for analysis, take this short...
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Bottled Water Stats & Time Series Plots
Ahh, bottled water. Refreshing, convenient...and sometimes pricey. Or in my case, I should say usually pricey. Confession: I’m a sucker for water that comes in the “pretty” plastic bottles, and my...
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David Bowie: Look Back in Quality
Unless you live under a black country rock, you’ve no doubt heard that the world recently lost one of the greatest artists of our time, David Bowie. My memories of the Thin White Duke go all the way...
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3-Point Shooting in the NBA: Long-Term Trend or Fad?
Any time you see a process changing, it's important to determine why. Is it indicative of a long term trend, or is it a fad that you can ignore since it will be gone shortly? For example, in the 2014...
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Area Graphs: An Underutilized Tool
In my time at Minitab, I’ve gotten a good understanding of what types of graphs users create. Everyone knows about histograms, bar charts, and time series plots. Even relatively less familiar plots...
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When Should You Fit a Non-Hierarchical Regression Model?
In the world of linear models, a hierarchical model contains all lower-order terms that comprise the higher-order terms that also appear in the model. For example, a model that includes the interaction...
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