ABSTRACT
Measurement requires data. And before we can use the data we must gather them. For some processes this is one of the most difficult aspects of a measurement programme. A tally chart is simple device for manual collection and recording of data that is easy, quick and provides a useful representation of the information. Engineers may be perfectly comfortable with sophisticated numerical expressions and accountants could be equally happy with large amounts of numbers laid out on a page, but most often it is a good idea to keep the report simple. Graphical display is a good and popular tool, but it does not have to be used if you do not think it appropriate in a given situation. Hand-drawn charts have the main disadvantages that they can become messy and are harder to copy. On the whole, for process team measurements, the author prefer hand-drawn charts, but this is largely a matter of convenience and personal preference.
