An Excel Add-In for Statistical Process Control Charts

An Excel Add-In for Statistical Process Control Charts: "

Vol. 30, Issue 13, Jun 2009

Abstract:

Statistical process control (SPC) descibes a widely-used set of approaches used to detect shifts in processes in, for example, manufacturing. Among these are "control charts". Control charts and other SPC techniques have been in use since at least the 1950s, and, because they are comparatively unsophisticated, are often used by management or operations personnel without formal statistical training. These personnel will often have experience with the popular spreadsheet program <b>Excel</b>, but may have less training on a mainstream statistical package. Base <b>Excel</b> does not provide the ability to draw control charts directly, although add-ins for that purpose are available for purchase.

We present a free add-in for <b>Excel</b> that draws the most common sorts of control charts. It follows the development of the textbook of Montgomery (2005), so it may be well-suited for instructional purposes.

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Six Sigma Introduction

Michael Jackson's untimely death...

As the world moans the death of Micheal Jackson, one of the most iconic celebrities on the planet, it brings a sadness yet a revelation about life. Now i do know that this blog is about information and how to acquire it and use it to make sensible decisions. What i am about to write though may be relevant. First Off, the most important thing to note is that Michael did live a very very fulfilled life. It probably felt like he lived more than one persons life through his music and what he stood up for.See, we all make decisions on what our morals are and what we believe in and that in turn determines what decisions we make. Michael at a very young age decided to make his impact through entertaining music that talked about his life and his experiences and the whole world embraced him. It is up to you to collect information on what vehicle you want to use to leave your mark on this planet and never never settle for less. When you do settle for less, you get trapped in living a less fulfilled life. I bet you where ever Mike goes, he will be fine because of who Mike is.The question to ask is if your life was cut short today, will you have lived a full life? What are you waiting for? Start right now after reading this blog post and leave your mini/great legacy whenever your time comes.

Transition

The website is up and running and i need some feedback!Please go to
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Reflect and Predict Course

I have been working tirelessly on the "Reflect and Predict"Course and i almost there. The course is very intensive and has two parts
Part 1
Statistics
In this part i start with the importance of understanding stats or at least the usefulness of stats. I shift gears and go into the definition of terminologies popularly used in stats. I the break down stats in to simple and complex depending on the variable size. I finally show the applications in real life.
Part 2
Strategy
I start with the six sigma approach(DMAIC and DMADV) move forward with Systems design and finally the approach.
Part 3
This is a bonus chapter that covers ideas and where to get them.
stay tunned for more information.

Eliminating "Waste"

Waste by definition is anything that is a distraction or is not contributing to what it is meant to do! Recently as i am working on this "Reflect and Predict" home study course, i have noticed that there are so so many things that i "think" i need yet in real sense they are not contributing to the overall goal of creating the home study course.
Which led me to this question.
How do I as a creator, eliminate what is "unnecessary" and goal hindering so that i can create a better product?
I came up with 4 solutions which i have now incorporated and are working fine.
#1 Outsource what is taking too many of my resources..i.e. time and money.
#2 Have selective amnesia- Now this one takes time and practice but the brain is such a powerful organ that it will adapt to your command if you have a great desire and intention.
#3 Create a Gantt chart which sets out your specific goals and breaks them in to milestones.
#4 Force some relax time. Use violence or any unorthodox methods to get your concentration peaking up so that with time being a constraint you only concentrate on what is important!

Check Out the cool interview of Tim Ferriss

http://www.techzulu.com/Videos.html

The Power Of Information....

Ok yesterday i wrote about what happens when we are over exposed to information and what happens when we are under exposed to information. Well today i want to go over a little bit about the importance of the power of information. Information first of is extracted from data and data is the "jibberish" or the response that we collect in the quest of finding why something is not working the way we want it to or how we can improve on how that thing is working. It can also be used to make decisions as what is the best way,place,restaurant,school etc ! It has been going on for ages and ages and has been used in practically every field.
Today,businesses thrive on information! They put aside a certain budget for research and technology and they know very very well that their bread and butter is in the product info not the product! Why did China become such a major contender in outsourcing? They have the creativity and a keen eye on precise duplication and re-manufacturing of almost any product for the fraction of the cost!That is power!When companies like coke spend millions and millions of dollars to protect their formula of making the famous coke drink, thats power! Lately i have noticed that we are in a "recessive state of mind" not because we don't work hard.....on the very contrary! Actually some of the hardest working people are in the deepest "recessive state of mind"! So not at all! Remember Tesla and Alexander Graham Bell.......?They were both scientists but who of the two do you think lived a lavish life? If you said Bell then you are right! Tesla did a whole lot of research and actually had a gazillion patents to his name but died almost a pauper! In a nutshell the point i am trying to put across is that when it comes to information, consider it just as tangible as money and it really is money if you know whee to sell it! Remember the Mossad and the Scotland Yard and most of the other "secret" service agencies? What is theire number one fear? Oh not Osama i gurantee you! Their #1 concern is the loss or leak of pertinent information! Thats why it is guarded with an 2 arms and 2 legs! This is to say that when one collects or has information, one must
1.Research to know it's value and what it's capable of doing/being etc.
2.Know the right channels and where to use it/profit from it.
Today we are in a world where information is a product! Can you imagine that! There are a gazillion amount of people eating because they have information and not necessarily the one acquired from college but more important the one they learned through talents,observation,research and experience!So trust me don't ever look at acquired information as a waste of time.....you may never know when that information will come in handy and believe me it WILL come in handy!
Tomorrow i will talk about how one can acquire information and how do you know it's worth!
Have a lovely wonderful weekend and don't drink and drive..............finish the drink..THEN drive
Lol!
Inshallah.
Lee Kariuki

Open Sesame

Recently i have noticed that there has been an overwhelming amount of information for whatever field you are interested in. I once read an article couldn't remember exactly which one it was but the article was talking about the overload of information! How back in the day, information was privileged to only the "elite" and years years later it became available to everyone!
It had me but wonder if really this was a ploy by the "elite" to confuse our intelligence by bombarding us with tons and tons of information! Look at the stock market for example! Some had said before that it failed because people didn't have enough information back in the day yet when it failed this time round, same said that it was due to "too much" information!
All i can say is that your intuition is very much determined by past experiences! Despite the availability of information, one's bias will not hinder him from doing what he or she wants to do! This then brings me to the point of today's discussion.Information should only be used for making decisions!Which means that as you collect it, ask yourself two things;-
1.How pertinent is this information to my quest?
2.What is "noise" and what is data that is crucial to my/your quest!

Stay tuned as i will follow up on this discussion........tomorrow!
Until then "Inshallah" i will see you tomorrow!

Lee Kariuki