Statistical Process Control

Dr. Thomas P. Ryan

Aim of Course:

Statistical Process Control (SPC) is an integral part of Six Sigma training programs. It can fail, though, if it is implemented mechanistically, without a thorough understanding of the methodology. This includes understanding the assumptions on which control charts are based.

This course will go beyond the basics of SPC and present some improved control chart methods, some of which are just slight variations of the standard charts, with better ways of determining the control limits of standard charts such as an R-chart, p-chart, np-chart, c-chart and u-chart. These refinements were developed by the course instructor and by others. The course will also address the following questions. Are control chart assumptions important? If so, which ones are especially critical? What is the effect on control chart properties if the assumptions are not met? How should the assumptions be checked? What action(s) should be taken if the assumptions are not met?

Who Should Take This Course:

This course will benefit anyone who has received an introduction to SPC and is ready to learn some finer points that can be very important in enabling the proper and most efficient use of control charts. This includes Six Sigma black belts and, in general, everyone who uses control charts at a comparable level, as well as those people who are responsible for Six Sigma training programs.

For those enrolled in a Program of Advanced Statistical Studies, this is a required or elective course in the following Programs:

• Engineering Statistics - required

Course Program:

The course is structured as follows:

The Instructor:

Dr. Thomas P. Ryan is the author of Modern Engineering Statistics, Modern Experimental Design, Modern Regression Methods and Statistical Methods for Quality Improvement, all from Wiley, plus numerous papers in peer-reviewed journals. He is an elected Fellow of the American Statistical Association, American Society for Quality, and Royal Statistical Society, and has been listed in Marquis Who's Who in America. He served on the Editorial Review Board of the Journal of Quality Technology from 1990 through 2006 and was the Book Review Editor of that journal from 2003 through 2006.

Organization of the Course:

The course takes place over the internet, at statistics.com. During each course week, you participate at times of your own choosing - there are no set times when you must be online. Course participants will be given access to a private discussion board. In class discussions led by the instructor, you can post questions, seek clarification, and interact with your fellow students and the instructor. The course is scheduled to take place over 4 weeks, and typically requires 15 hours per week. At the beginning of each week, you receive the relevant material, in addition to answers to exercises from the previous session. During the week, you are expected to go over the course materials and work through exercises. Discussion among participants is encouraged. The instructor will provide answers and comments.

Certificates and Grades:

You may be interested only in learning the material presented, and not be concerned with grades or certificates. Or you may be enrolled in a statistics.com Program in Advanced Statistical Studies that requires demonstration of proficiency in the subject, in which case your work will be assessed for purposes of issuing a grade. Or you may require only a "Certificate of Course Completion," along with professional development credit in the form of Continuing Education Units (CEU's). As you begin the class, you will be asked to specify your category.

Credit:

This course offers continuing education units (CEU's). For those successfully completing the course (generally this means marks of 50% or better on the homework), 5.0 CEU's and a certificate will be issued by statistics.com, upon request.

Dates:

Jan. 14 - Feb. 11, 2011
Click here to be notified of future course offerings.

Participants gain access to the online materials on the first day of the course, and typically spend about 15 hours per week (at their convenience). You retain full access to course materials, including discussion board, for two weeks after the course closing date.

Level:

Intermediate

Prerequisite:

The equivalent of Introduction to Statistics 1: Inference for a Single Variable, and Introduction to Statistics 2: Working with Bivariate Data (and, if necessary before these courses, Introduction to Statistics for Beginners or Survey of Statistics for Beginners).

Participants should also be familiar with basic statistical process control (SPC) procedures and control charts. For additional information about course prerequisites, click here.

Course Text:

The text for this course will be Statistical Methods for Quality Improvement, by Thomas P. Ryan. You can get it from the publisher, Wiley here. Wiley typically offers statistics.com customers up to 15% discount on this book (and all other statistics titles): enter the code aff15 in the Promotion Code field when prompted during checkout and click the Apply Discount button. (If you are located in Asia, the web procedure for your location may not accept this discount -- try calling your regional Wiley representative.)

Software:

Virtually all of the computations for the course can be handled using Microsoft Excel, as well as general purpose statistical software. This course does not require the use of specialized SPC software capabilities such as those found in Minitab, JMP and Statgraphics, though it does afford a useful opportunity to familiarize yourself with those features and understand them in the context of the underlying concepts behind SPC.

Registration:

Register Online - $499
Register Online (academic) - $399 (you must be affiliated with a college, university or high school)

Add $50 service fee if you require a prior invoice, or if you need to submit a purchase order or voucher, pay by wire transfer or EFT, or refund and reprocess a prior payment. Please use this printed registration form, for these and other special orders.

Note: Courses may fill up at any time and registrations are processed in the order in which they are received. Your registration will be confirmed for the first available course date, unless you specify otherwise.

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