Statistics for Six Sigma Black Belts

This book is written for the Six Sigma Black Belt who needs an understanding of many statistical methods but does not use all of these methods every day. It is intended to be used as a quick reference, providing basic details, step-by-step instructions, and Minitab statistical software instructions.

Six Sigma Black Belts typically use a statistical program such as Minitab to perform calculations, but an understanding of the underlying statistics is still needed. Anybody can type data into a program; a Black Belt must be capable of understanding which hypothesis test is appropriate for a given use, as well as the assumptions that must be met to correctly perform the hypothesis test.

The methods presented here are laid out according to the Six Sigma DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) phases in which they are typically used. However, these methods can also be applied outside of a Six Sigma project, such as when one simply needs to determine whether there is a difference in the means of two processes producing the same parts.

A Six Sigma Black Belt using Statistics for Six Sigma Black Belts will be able to quickly zero in on appropriate methods and follow the examples to reach the correct statistical conclusions.