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Chapter 31: Problem 9

Suppose that you resolve to work out at the gym every morning for 30 minutes before school or work. The time at which you reach the gym varies from day to day, and your planning must allow for this variation. List several common causes of variation in your arrival time. Then list several special causes that might result in unusual variation leading to either early or (more likely) late arrival.

Short Answer

Expert verified
Common causes: traffic, routine tasks; Special causes: accidents, weather, emergencies.

Step by step solution

01

Identify Common Causes of Variation

Common causes for variation include factors that consistently affect your arrival time. These may include typical traffic conditions, your wake-up time, routine morning tasks, average time spent eating breakfast, and general weather conditions. These factors lead to minor fluctuations in arrival time.
02

Identify Special Causes of Variation

Special causes of variation are irregular factors that can lead to significant changes in arrival time. Examples include an unexpected road closure, an unusually late night causing you to oversleep, a problem with your vehicle like a flat tire, an unexpected change in weather like a snowstorm, or an unplanned event such as a family emergency. These cause either much earlier or later arrivals than usual.

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Key Concepts

These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.

Common Causes
When we talk about common causes, we refer to consistent and predictable factors that affect our daily routines. These factors are always present in the background and cause small, manageable variations. In the context of arriving at the gym each morning, common causes might include:
  • Your usual wake-up time
  • How long you generally take to get ready
  • Typical traffic patterns on your route
  • The average time you spend eating breakfast
  • General weather conditions
These factors lead to minor fluctuations in your arrival time but do not cause significant delays or early arrivals. They are often stable over time, allowing you to plan effectively and anticipate slight deviations.
Special Causes
Special causes are unexpected, irregular factors that lead to noticeable changes in our daily schedules. These variations are not part of the usual patterns and can lead to significant deviations in your routine. For gym-goers, special causes might include:
  • Sudden, severe weather changes, like a snowstorm
  • Unexpected road closures or accidents disrupting traffic
  • Oversleeping due to an unusually late night
  • Vehicle problems, such as a flat tire
  • Unplanned events or emergencies, like a family emergency
These causes often require immediate attention and problem-solving to manage the impact on your schedule and can result in either much earlier or later arrivals than what you are accustomed to.
Variation Analysis
Variation analysis is the process of understanding the differences in data. It involves identifying the sources of variation and determining their impact on your plans or processes. By analyzing the variations in your gym arrival times, you gain insights into:
  • How often common causes affect your routine
  • Which special causes have the most significant impact
  • The regularity of different variations over time
This analysis helps you identify patterns and establish strategies to minimize delays or disruptions. By adjusting for predictable common causes, you can better prepare for unforeseen special causes.
Problem Solving Techniques
Effective problem-solving techniques are essential for managing variations that disrupt routines. For handling variations in gym arrival times, you might consider:
  • Setting multiple alarms to avoid oversleeping
  • Preparing your gym bag and breakfast the night before
  • Checking traffic or weather updates before leaving
  • Having a backup route planned for unexpected road closures
  • Keeping emergency contacts handy for unforeseen events
Implementing these strategies can help reduce the impact of both common and special causes of variation, ensuring that your commitment to a morning workout remains consistent.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Table \(31.6\) gives data on the financial losses (in dollars) incurred by a hospital in treating major joint replacement (DRG 209) patients. \(\underline{13}\) The hospital has taken from its records a random sample of eight such patients each month for 15 months. DIDE2 a. Make an \(s\) control chart using center lines and limits calculated from these past data. There are no points out of control. b. Because the \(s\) chart is in control, base the \(x\) chart on all 15 samples. Make this chart. Is it also in control?

Continue the study of the process of working out at the gym for 30 minutes each day before work or classes from Exercise 31.2. If you kept good records, you could make a Pareto chart of the reasons (special causes) for your failures to make it to the gym and work out. Make a Pareto chart that you think roughly describes what you imagine would be your own reasons for these failures. That is, list the reasons from your experience and chart your estimates of the percentage of failures each reason explains.

Is each of the following examples of a special cause most likely to first result in (i) one-point-out on the \(s\) or \(R\) chart, (ii) one-point-out on the \(x\) chart, or (iii) a run on the \(x\) chart? In each case, briefly explain your reasoning. a. The time it takes a coffee barista to complete your order at your favorite coffee shop is affected when the barista is replaced by a new hire. b. The precision of a measurement tool is impacted by dirt getting on the sensors, and the tool needs to be cleaned when this happens. c. The accuracy of an inspector starts to degrade after the first six hours of his shift. d. A person who is training for a \(5 \mathrm{k}\) race created a control chart for her running time on the same route each week. She started running at what she considered a slow pace and is now very happy with her running times.

Choose a process that you know well. If you lack experience with actual business or manufacturing processes, choose a personal process such as cooking and serving a meal, ordering something online, or uploading a video to YouTube. Make a flowchart of the process. Make a cause-and-effect diagram that presents the factors that lead to successful completion of the process.

John recently changed to a more healthy diet, and after switching his eating habits he began to chart the number of servings of fruits and vegetables consumed each day. The number of servings of fruits and vegetable he consumed varied each day but was generally stable. There were some days when the number of servings was unusual. Sometimes the number of servings was much higher than expected, and sometimes it was much lower than expected. Give several examples of special causes that might significantly increase or decrease the number of servings of fruits and vegetables John consumes on a given day.
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