Donald J. Wheeler

Books

• Japanese Control Chart:
  This book is a detailed and comprehensive discussion of a set of control charts kept by a Japanese manufacturer. (A complete copy of the actual control charts accompanies the book.) 40 pages, paperback. - Fran Wheeler

• Short Run SPC:
  

• Understanding Statistical Process Control: 2nd edition
  Describes how to use count data effectively, the right way to assess process capability and the right and wrong ways of computing control chart limits. Provides information on flow charts and pareto charts.

• SPC at the Esquire Club:
  A unique and interesting case study. Another example of how versatile Quality tools are. To us this is one of the best illustrations that the often heard "it can't work here" is most likely an inaccurate statement.

• Understanding Variation: The Key to Managing Chaos
  An excellent guide to what you must understand about variation to effectively improve your organization.

• Building Continual Improvement: A Service Industry Guide
  

• Making Sense of Data:
  

Articles

• Global Warming?   view details
  From Quality Digest spctoolkit column. A simple example of taking considering the effect of variation.

• Analyzing Data   view details
  Subtitled "The problem is not in knowing how to manipulate numbers but rather in not knowing how to interpret them." From Quality Digest spctoolkit column.

• Traffic deaths down for third straight year...   view details
  Discusses how to see if changes are significant or just variation. From the December issue of Quality Online.

• Collecting Good Count Data   view details
  

• Current issues in SPC   view details
  Discussion of William Woodalls paper, Controversies and Contradictions in Statistical Process Control, that was published in the October 2000 issue of the Journal of Quality Technology.

• The Six-Sigma Zone   view details
  

• Five Ways to Use Shewhart?s Charts   view details
  "The many different ways of using process behavior charts (formerly called control charts) in both service and manufacturing applications may be summarized under five major headings."

• Good Data, Bad Data, and Process Behavior Charts   view details
  "Over the years many different superstitions have grown up regarding the importance of having high quality measurements before you start using them on a process behavior chart. This paper outlines a simple experiment you can perform for yourself that shou

• An Interview with Donald Wheeler   view details
  "All profound ideas are timeless. While the details may change, the underlying principles remain the same. Deming’s fundamental ideas came, in part, from his association with Shewhart and his concept of an operational definition... For years I observed managers telling Deming all the good things that they were going to do and heard him respond with one of two questions: 'By what method?' or 'How will you know?' It is just that basic. Until you can answer these two questions, all you have is wishful thinking."

• Working with Rare Events   view details
  "Whenever the average count per time period drops below 1.00 you are working with rare events. ... When this happens you should shift from counting the events per time period and instead measure the area of opportunity between the rare events. Here you cease to get a value every time period, and instead get a value every time you have an event."