Statistical Thinking: Improving Business Performance

This innovative book teaches students to understand the strategic value of data and statistics in solving real business problems. Following principles of effective learning identified by educational and behavioral research, the instruction proceeds from tangible examples to abstract theory; from the big picture, or "whole," to details, or "parts"; and from a conceptual understanding to ability to perform specific tasks. While the computer is used for computational details, the authors describe the role of statistical thinking and methods for problem solving and process improvement to encourage use of the tools. Hoerl and Snee also teach skills to improve business processes, including collecting data appropriate for a specified purpose, recognizing limitations in existing data, graphically analyzing data using basic tools, deriving actionable conclusions from data analyses, and understanding the limitations of statistical analyses. In summary, the authors demonstrate that statistical thinking and methodology can help students be more valuable and effective in their chosen careers.

"This book is clearly a groundbreaking work. To my knowledge there is nothing on the market that even comes close to doing what it does. I have always felt that one of the weaknesses of our teaching at the introductory level is giving the students a strategy for applying the statistical tools that they learn. This book does that beautifully." "This is a book that is badly needed with material that will make a real difference in the learning of students and their understanding and appreciation of statistics as a discipline and its application in solving real problems and improving real processes. The approach is one that students will enjoy. They will gain an appreciation for the discipline of statistics and see aspects of it that they never will appreciate from the typical introductory statistics text. It is a text that I would love to teach out of."

"Hoerl and Snee have captured the essence of Six Sigma methods in their book "Statistical Thinking - Improving Business Performance". This is THE primer that should be mandatory reading for all Black Belts who really want to master the statistical elements of Six Sigma. I heartily recommend it also for Master Black Belts who must review in order to be able to conduct Black Belt training. This book is a key text for all professionals in Six Sigma!"