ABSTRACT
Many business indicators trigger a parallel set of responses. We often have to ask what the measurement or alarm really means and make a decision as to what to do about it. And the fuel gauge is a relatively simple indicator. More complex measurements will require more sophisticated analysis. One of the most common measurement results is where the analysis shows that the process is not meeting required performance targets. Perhaps turn-round times are too long, dimensions consistently too small, cost regularly too high, and so on. Continued drifts are usually easy to spot and interpret. Beware, though, of assuming that something is going wrong because the line on a control chart is moving. Any 'normal' external factors should be eliminated first. An unstable process is one which shows large variations. Interpretation of measurement results may not be straightforward and must be given attention.
