Minitab, a Lean Six Sigma Statistical Analysis Tool

 MINITAB

Minitab is an awesome statistical software that helps Lean Six Sigma or Statistics practitioners to conduct Data Analytics on the data they have collected for various processes they would like to analyze for their Lean Six Sigma or Continuous Improvement Projects.

Lean Six Sigma professionals use the DMAIC methodology to carry out Lean Six Sigma projects. 

DEFINE

MEASURE

ANALYZE

IMPROVE

CONTROL

The data that has been collected in the Measure phase of the DMAIC methodology has to be Analyzed in order to check for statistical variances or deviations in the processes. This statistical analysis can be done using the Minitab. There are a lot of analytical tools to conduct data analysis but the best one of all is the Minitab recommended by Lean Six Sigma Professionals and Specialists.

Minitab worksheet looks like an MS Excel spreadsheet. It is very user friendly and importing data for data analytics is quite easy. 

You can even download free 30 days trial version on Minitab.com to have a practice and feel of the software.

Many people get into dilemma when it come to choosing the right method one should use to analyze their data. So with this in mind and to make your life even more easy, I write this post which will mainly focus on explaining what type of statistical method/model one should choose in order to analyze their data based on the type of variables one wishes to study.

Before starting any type of data analysis, you should answer yourself this question, what type of variable am I studying? Is it a Numerical variable or a Categorical variable?

Y = X + A; where Y variable is the output that directly depends on the X variable which is the input.

The X & Y Variable can be Numerical or Categorical.

From the above chart we can understand the following;

1.If the Y variable is numerical and the X variable is also numerical then we should use the Regression method.

2. If the Y Variable is numerical and the X variable is categorical then we should use the ANOVA method. If the ANOVA is Non-Normal Distribution, we should use the Kruskal Wallis method.

3. If the Y variable is categorical and the X variable is numerical then we should use the Logistic Regression method.

4. If the Y variable is categorical and the X variable is also categorical then  we should use the Chi-Square test method.

Also there are a lot of graphs available in the Minitab to represent your data. Let me show you which graph is suitable for use based on the type of their CTQ variable.

From the above chart we can understand the following;

1.If the Y variable is numerical and the X variable is also numerical then we can use the Scatterplot.

2. If the Y Variable is numerical and the X variable is categorical then we can use the Boxplot or Individual value plot.

3. If the Y variable is categorical and the X variable is numerical then we can use the Boxplot with groups.

4. If the Y variable is categorical and the X variable is also categorical then  we can use the Bar Chart or Cross Tabulation Chart.

Hope the above makes your life easy in understanding what type of graphs or methods one can use to effectively analyze their data.

Special Thanks to Dr. Inez Zwetsloot and COURSERA for the knowledge shared through their course on "Data Analytics for Lean Six Sigma" that inspired me to write this post on Minitab for Data Analysis and to spread the knowledge.

I hope my readers loved my post on Minitab. Keep reading, comment if you have any doubts and inspire me to write more.