Run Charts

Run Charts

A Run Chart is a graph that displays observed data in a time sequence. Often, the data displayed represent some aspect of the output or performance of a manufacturing or other business process. It is therefore a form of time series plotting.

Overview

The run chart is a powerful, simple and easy-to-use process improvement tool. Often, collecting and analyzing data can be a very time-consuming and tedious task. A run chart makes the task simpler, by providing a snapshot of the process performance over a period of time.

Components

A run chart consists of:

• Data points: Each point on the chart corresponds to the value of the process characteristic at a particular point in time.
• Center line: The center line on a run chart represents the process median.
• X-axis: The x-axis (horizontal line) of a run chart represents the sequence of observations, and is often just the order in which the data were collected.
• Y-axis: The y-axis (vertical line) represents the value of the process characteristic that is being observed.

Uses

Run charts are widely used in the following areas:

• Healthcare: In healthcare, run charts are used to plot data over time to improve patient safety and outcomes.
• Manufacturing: In manufacturing, run charts are used to track the quality and productivity of a process over time.
• Service industries: In service industries, run charts are used to monitor customer satisfaction and service delivery times.

See also

• Control chart
• Scatter plot
• Histogram
• Pareto chart
• Ishikawa diagram

References

Run Charts Resources
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