Week 4 Case Study One

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MAT510_CaseStudy1Example.pptx

Case Study #1 Understanding Process Measurement Variation

MAT510 Business Statistics

Method #1 Table 1.1

Observation Measurement
1 6ft. 8in.
2 6ft. 7-7/8in.
3 6ft. 9in.
4 6ft. 7-3/4in.
5 6ft. 8in.
6 6ft. 7-3/4in.
7 6ft. 9in.
8 6ft. 8in.
9 6ft. 8-5/8in.
10 6ft. 7-7/8in.
Observation Measurement
11 6ft. 8in.
12 6ft. 8-5/8in.
13 6ft. 8-1/8in.
14 6ft. 7-7/8in.
15 6ft. 8in.
16 6ft. 8in.
17 6ft. 8-1/2in.
18 6ft. 7-7/8in.
19 6ft. 7-5/8in.
20 6ft. 8-1/8in.

Mean and Standard Deviation Group #1

Group 1
Observation Measurement
1 80
2 79.875
3 81
4 79.75
5 80
6 79.75
7 81
8 80
9 80.625
10 79.875
11 80
12 80.625
13 80.125
14 79.875
15 80
16 80
17 80.5
18 79.875
19 79.625
20 80.125
Mean 80.13125
Standard Deviation 0.400400704

Method #1 Flow Chart Vertical Measurement

Measurements written on separate sheets of paper

Data collector compiled information from each participant

Information transferred to table 1.1

Participants completed individual measurements

Provided instructions

Data collector verified 20 measurements had been taken

Assembled people

People were distracted when instructions were being given

Information could have been written incorrectly.

Difficult to find 20 people to participate in this case study.

Opportunities for Improvement (OFI’s) Discovering methods to eliminate or reduce non-value added work (Hoel & Snee, 2012).

Assemble

Assemble all people to complete the case study on the same day versus separate days and times.

Demonstrate

Demonstrate how to use a yard stick to familiarize people with using the tool.

Have

Have participants to measure twice to help ensure accuracy of first measurement.

Maintain

Maintain stability of measuring tool.

Use

Use correct side of the yard stick.

Reduce

Reduce the amount of time it took to complete the case study.

Provide

Provide a unit conversion calculator; calculations were performed on paper.

Use

Use the best device to give the most accurate measurement.

SIPOC Model

Framework for discussing business processes and other processes

“Identifies measurements for improvement” (Hoel & Snee, 2012).

S

Supplier

I

Input

P

Process

O

Output

C

Customers

METHOD #1 SIPOC MODEL

Suppliers and Input

Suppliers

Me (LaToya)-Door

Participants

Lowes (Yardstick)

Target (Pen/Pencil)

Data collector

Input

Directions

Individual measurements

Pen/Pencil

Yardstick

Process

Output and Customer

Output

Individual Measurements

Customer

Me (LaToya)

Data collector

Instructors

Assembled people

Data collector compiled information

Information transferred to Table 1.1

Provided Instructions

Participants completed measurements

Measurements written on paper

Method #2 Table 2.2

Vertical Observation Measurement
1 6ft. 8 in.
2 6ft. 7-3/4 in.
3 6ft. 8 in.
4 6ft. 8 in.
5 6ft. 7-7/8 in.
6 6ft. 7-3/4 in.
7 6ft. 7-7/8 in.
Horizontal Observation Measurement
8 3ft.
9 2ft. 11 in.
10 3ft.
11 3ft.
12 3ft.
Diagonal Observation Measurement
13 7ft.
14 7ft.
15 7ft.
16 7ft.
17 7ft.
18 7ft. 2 in.
19 7ft. 2 in.
20 7ft. 2 in.

Mean and Standard Deviation Group #2

Group 2
Observation Measurement
1 80
2 79.75
3 80
4 80
5 79.75
6 79.75
7 79.875
8 36
9 35
10 36
11 36
12 36
13 84
14 84
15 84
16 84
17 84
18 86
19 86
20 86
Mean 70.80625
Standard Deviation 20.85880143

Method #2 Flow Chart Various Measurements

Assemble participants

Provided instructions

Participants completed measurements

Wrote measurements on paper

Data collector gathered information

Data collector verified all results had been submitted.

Results written on one piece of paper

Information transferred to table.

Opportunities for Improvement (OFI’s) “Making significant improvement to business processes” (Hoel & Snee, 2012).

Demonstrate how to use a tape measure to help achieve precision and accuracy.

Maintain stability of measuring tool.

Double check initial measurement to ensure accuracy.

Always use the tool that will yield the more precise/accurate result.

Eliminate common cause variations

Reduce the number of participants from 20 to 10.

Allow participants to measure any door for both observations

Redesign the case study to allow participants to text or email results

METHOD #1 SIPOC MODEL

Suppliers and Input

Suppliers

Me (LaToya)-Door

Participants

Target (Tape Measure)

Target (Pen/Pencil)

Data collector

Input

Directions

Measurements

Pen/Pencil

Tape Measure

Process

Output and Customer

Output

Individuals Measurements

Customer

Me (LaToya)

Data collector

Instructors

Assembled people

Data collector compiled information

Information transferred to Table 1.1

Provided Instructions

Participants completed measurements

Measurements written on paper

COMMOM & SPECIAL CAUSE VARIATIONS

METHOD#1w/ Yardstick

Common cause

Inaccuracies in measurements.

Yardstick not long enough to cover the distance of the door.

Yardstick had to be moved several times to get complete measurement.

Reading yardstick incorrectly.

Special Cause

Performance/Experience

About 3 people were not comfortable with using a yardstick; didn’t know how to use it.

Unable to add measurements correctly.

Poor manufacturing of yardstick.

Possible errors when converting information for the Excel Spreadsheet.

METHOD #2 w/ Tape Measure

Common cause

Inaccuracies in measurements.

Reading tape measure incorrectly.

Special Cause

Performance/Experience

About 3 people were not comfortable with using a tape measure; didn’t know how to use it.

A few people gave measurements that included a portion of the door frame.

Metal rivet wasn’t properly secured when measuring.

Poor manufacturing of tape measure, not properly calibrated.

Possible errors when converting information for the Excel Spreadsheet.

Discussions and Recommendation

Here’s what people had to say:

Instructions were easy to understand.

“Make sure everyone understands to only measure the door and not the frame.”

“I was never good at measurements in school and in life (now); therefore, I didn’t want to participant out of fear of measuring incorrectly. “Happy to help.”

Some participants thought it was more difficult to add the measurements when using the yardstick.

“Use one tool either the yardstick or tape measure, but not both.”

Provide a tutorial or demonstration of how to measure using the yard stick and tape measure.

Tape measure was more accurate

Participants were able to handle the tape measure better than the yardstick.

Easier to find measurements because yardstick only goes up to 3ft.

More efficient.

Can get one reading using the tape measure versus using the yardstick where each person had to position the yardstick and mark the door before repositioning.

Are the Differences Important?

For many participants, the differences in measurements didn’t matter to them. In their eyes, it was just my homework assignment. In reality, differences in the measurements do matter when wood, cloth, pipes, and other materials have to be cut to fit a specific area. Proper measurements are also beneficial when determining how much material will be needed and to help estimate the overall cost of a project.

References

Hoel, R., & Snee, R. (2012). Statistcal Thinking. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.