How to Avoid Overfitting Your Regression Model
Overfitting a model is a real problem you need to beware of when performing regression analysis. An overfit model result in misleading regression coefficients, p-values, and R-squared statistics....
View ArticleThe Easiest Way to Do Multiple Regression Analysis
Maybe you're just getting started with analyzing data. Maybe you're reasonably knowledgeable about statistics, but it's been a long time since you did a particular analysis and you feel a little bit...
View ArticleControls Charts Are Good for So Much More than SPC!
Control charts take data about your process and plot it so you can distinguish between common-cause and special-cause variation. Knowing the difference is important because it permits you to address...
View ArticleWhat's the Difference between Confidence, Prediction, and Tolerance Intervals?
In statistics, as in life, absolute certainty is rare. That's why statisticians often can't provide a result that is as specific as we might like; instead, they provide the results of an analysis as a...
View Article5 More Critical Six Sigma Tools: A Quick Guide
The Six Sigma quality improvement methodology has lasted for decades because it gets results. Companies in every country around the world, and in every industry, have used this logical, step-by-step...
View Article5 Critical Six Sigma Tools: A Quick Guide
Six Sigma is a quality improvement method that businesses have used for decades—because it gets results. A Six Sigma project follows a clearly defined series of steps, and companies in every industry...
View Article3 Keys to Getting Reliable Data
Can you trust your data? That's the very first question we need to ask when we perform a statistical analysis. If the data's no good, it doesn't matter what statistical methods we employ, nor how much...
View ArticleHow to Eliminate False Alarms on P and U Control Charts
All processes have variation, some of which is inherent in the process, and isn't a reason for concern. But when processes show unusual variation, it may indicate a change or a "special cause" that...
View ArticleSealing Up Patient Safety with Monte Carlo Simulation
If you have a process that isn’t meeting specifications, using the Monte Carlo simulation and optimization tools in Companion by Minitab can help. Here’s how you, as an engineer in the medical device...
View ArticleMaking Steel Even Stronger with Monte Carlo Simulation
If you have a process that isn’t meeting specifications, using Monte Carlo simulation and optimization can help. Companion by Minitab offers a powerful, easy-to-use tool for Monte Carlo simulation and...
View ArticleNeed to Validate Minitab per FDA Guidelines? Get Minitab's Validation Kit
Last week I was fielding questions on social media about Minitab 18, the latest version of our statistical software. Almost as soon as the new release was announced, we received a question that comes...
View ArticleA Swiss Army Knife for Analyzing Data
Easy access to the right tools makes any task easier. That simple idea has made the Swiss Army knife essential for adventurers: just one item in your pocket gives you instant access to dozens of tools...
View ArticleSee the New Features and Enhancements in Minitab 18 Statistical Software
It's a very exciting time at Minitab's offices around the world, because we've just announced the availability of Minitab® 18 Statistical Software.Data is everywhere today, but to use it to make sound,...
View Article5 Conditions that Could Put Your Quality Program on the Chopping Block
By some estimates, up to 70 percent of quality initiatives fail. Why do so many improvement programs, which are championed and staffed by smart, dedicated people, ultimately end up on the chopping...
View ArticleReducing the Phone Bill with Statistical Analysis
One of the most memorable presentations at the inaugural Minitab Insights conference reminded me that data analysis and quality improvement methods aren't only useful in our work and businesses: they...
View ArticleHow Can a Similar P-Value Mean Different Things?
One highlight of writing for and editing the Minitab Blog is the opportunity to read your responses and answer your questions. Sometimes, to my chagrin, you point out that we've made a mistake....
View ArticleUnderstanding Qualitative, Quantitative, Attribute, Discrete, and Continuous...
"Data! Data! Data! I can't make bricks without clay." — Sherlock Holmes, in Arthur Conan Doyle's The Adventure of the Copper BeechesWhether you're the world's greatest detective trying to crack a case...
View ArticleMaking the World a Little Brighter with Monte Carlo Simulation
If you have a process that isn’t meeting specifications, using the Monte Carlo simulation and optimization tool in Companion by Minitab can help. Here’s how you, as a chemical technician for a paper...
View ArticleDo Executives See the Impact of Quality Projects?
Do your executives see how your quality initiatives affect the bottom line? Perhaps they would more often if they had accessible insights on the performance, and ultimately the overall impact, of...
View ArticleWhy Is Continuous Data "Better" than Categorical or Discrete Data?
Earlier, I wrote about the different types of data statisticians typically encounter. In this post, we're going to look at why, when given a choice in the matter, we prefer to analyze continuous data...
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