Six Sigma For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Chapter 9

Describing Performance with Numbers

In This Chapter

Recognizing different types of data

Understanding the basics of statistics

Seeing the difference between short-term and long-term variation

Although the idea of data, numbers, and measurements may not be exciting to some, it should be very exciting to you, a Six Sigma practitioner who is tasked with improving a process, an operational unit, or an entire organization.

In this chapter, you find out about different types of data and understand how to characterize data in a critical, scientific way. The nitty-gritty information in the following sections can help you use tried-and-true statistical tools to explain how your processes are performing.

Recognizing Different Types of Data

All data aren’t created equal. As you begin your quest to organize your data, you first need to know what type of performance data you have. Just as knowing what the fish are biting tells you which lure to use, knowing what kind of data you’re dealing with tells you which tools to use. This section defines two important data categories: attribute (also known as category) and continuous (also called variable); take a look at them in Table 9-1 and ...