ABSTRACT
Fundamentally the aim of sequential analysis is to obtain decisions of requisite security on the basis of a smaller average number of tests or determinations than is possible even with the very best single sampling plans possible. This chapter discusses briefly the fundamental principles of sequential analysis and how these work out in the various cases in practice. It shows how unified and comparatively simple the sequential plans are. In general, a sequential test is one in which, after each measurement or determination, one may either accept a hypothesis (or lot or process), reject the hypothesis, or request additional evidence. The chapter describes the sequential probability ratio test with an example. Sequential sampling is the usual starting point for developing a multiple sampling plan for defectives, with a desired operational characteristic curve.
