The average is right on target.
Sixty readings averaged 26.97 against a target of 27, and not one valve sat between 27 and 28. You'll plot before you average, split by group, and correct a slip only from its source record.
ISO 9001 Quality and Lean Six Sigma paths · self-paced
AI can draw the chart in seconds.Be the one who knows what it means.
The average was right on target.Not one part was.
AI is changing your job.Be the one who makes it deliver.
Plan the data before you collect it, see the shape before you trust an average, rank problems by what they cost, test whether two things really move together, compare groups with honest uncertainty, and hand your manager one page to decide from. Then check what AI does with the same numbers.
- About 6.5 hours of lessons
- Six modules and labs
- Spreadsheet toolkit
- Coach Q included
- Human-scored final case study
- Final exam and certificate
AI assistant draft: "Write the quality summary for management review"
Seat leaks averaged 1.8% from April to September.
Leaks rose 50% in September, a worsening trend.
Torrance seats cause twice the leak rate of Kessler seats.
COACH Q
Is "twice the leak rate" fine to send?
How many leaks is Torrance's rate built on, and which cell built every one of those valves?
Sound familiar?
The numbers are right. The story they tell isn't.
Sealant smear is our top defect.
By count it was. By repair cost it was fifth of six, and seat leaks were 54% of the bill and every customer complaint. You'll weight the Pareto by what the decision needs.
r is 0.66. It's the seats.
There was no visible trend inside either supplier, and every one of the new supplier's lots ran on the same cell. You'll read a scatter plot for range, shape and the third variable before anyone touches a spec.
Twice as bad. Drop the supplier.
Twice as bad on nine leaks. You'll put an interval on the gap, work out how much data a fair answer needs, and give the manager a decision she can make today.
9.1.3
ISO 9001 asks you to analyse and evaluate your data, not just collect it.
The results are meant to judge product conformity, customer satisfaction, supplier performance and the need for improvement, and they feed management review. A stack of charts nobody can decide from doesn't do that job. One honest page does.
What you'll learn
Six modules. One plant's data, four honest answers.
You follow Harlow Valve & Fitting, a fictional 112-person valve plant whose general manager needs four answers for management review: are leaks up, what do we fix first, is the new seat supplier worse, and did the new applicator work. Each lab adds one record, and you build your own alongside.
Module 1 · Plan
Plan the data before you collect it
A question data can answer, definitions two inspectors apply the same way, the groups you'll compare and the denominator, on a check sheet you pilot first.
- What, out of what, by which rule, compared with what
- Operational definitions and a fixed code list
- Record the groups now, or lose them for good
Module 2 · Shape
See the shape before you trust an average
Histograms, center and spread, box plots, and the typing slip that moved a mean by almost a full unit. Split by group before you summarize anything.
- Five shapes and what each one tells you
- Mean, median, standard deviation and the middle half
- Correct from the source record, and log it
Module 3 · Prioritize
Rank problems by what the decision needs
Build a Pareto, choose the weight, code the "Other" bar, and avoid the before-and-after trap when volume changes.
- Count, cost or customer impact
- Why the tallest bar can be the cheapest
- Rates, not counts, when volume moves
Module 4 · Relate
Relationships: what a scatter plot can and can't show
Scatter plots and correlation, the U shape that fools r, the narrow window that hides a relationship, and the third variable behind a strong r.
- r measures straight lines only
- Nothing is known outside the range you ran
- From pattern to a fair test
Module 5 · Compare
Compare groups with honest uncertainty
Intervals on rates, comparing two rates and two averages, how much data a fair answer needs, and the difference between significant and important.
- p-values and intervals in plain words
- Sample size before the argument starts
- Business decisions under uncertainty, labeled as such
Module 6 · Report
Report it on one page, and put AI to work
One page a manager can decide from, one chart per message, words that don't overclaim, and six checks on any AI analysis before it goes anywhere.
- Answer, how sure, decision, owner
- Prompts that set an AI tool up properly
- Catch the wrong count, the fake trend and the cause nobody tested
The expert in your pocket
A coach that asks what the data shows.
Coach Q sits on every screen, set up for this subject. It works on your case, points at the gap and asks one question. It won't run your numbers, invent a figure or tell you a difference is real when the data doesn't show it.
During the final case study and exam it gives navigation help only, so the judgment stays yours.
"Torrance seats leak at 3.0% and Kessler at 1.5%. Can I tell Grace they're twice as bad?"
COACH Q
"How many leaks is the 3.0% built on? And which cell built every Torrance valve? Put an interval on the gap and see whether it rules out zero."
Illustrative practice exchange. AI suggestions can be wrong; check them against your data.
What you walk out with
Six records and a toolkit you can use on Monday.
Build them in the labs on a fictional plant, then reuse the blank records and the spreadsheet toolkit on your own data.
Data collection plan and check sheet
What to record, the definitions, the groups and the denominator, before the first tally.
Data description card
Shape, center and spread by group, and every cleaning decision with its source.
Pareto decision record
The decision, the weight, the vital few and what the chart can't tell you.
Relationship check
Range, shape, r inside and across groups, the third variable and the fair test.
Comparison record
Rates with intervals, the gap, the data a fair answer needs and the decision now.
One-page summary and AI review card
Four answers a manager can defend, and the checks you ran on the AI's draft.
Who built it
Built by a third-party registrar auditor.
Will Trikha
Third-party registrar auditor · 20+ years in aerospace and quality
Will is a third-party registrar auditor with more than 20 years in aerospace and quality. He's COO of PTX Defense, an AS9100D-certified aerospace manufacturer, so he reads the same NCR logs, supplier scorecards and management review packs from the supplier side too. He founded QMS Leader, which implements quality management systems for manufacturers.
He built this course around the analysis an auditor and a general manager actually ask for, and around the ways data gets misread: counts without denominators, averages that hide two groups, correlations treated as causes and differences nobody sized.
What a good analysis shows first
A rate, not a count. Every comparison has its denominator. If volume moved, counts mislead.
Split before you summarize. Averages and totals by group, because one number can hide two processes.
How sure, in plain words. Shown, not shown, can't tell yet. With an interval and the data still needed.
No cause without a fair test. A correlation is a reason to test, never a reason to change a spec or blame a supplier.
Not another statistics course
Formulas aren't judgment.
The usual way
This course
The case
xTextbook data sets with clean answers
✓One plant's messy data, carried from a free-text log to a management review
The tools
xFormulas to memorize
✓A spreadsheet toolkit you can check, and the judgment to read it
AI
xIgnored, or trusted
✓An AI analysis with planted errors to catch in every lab
How you prove it
xA multiple-choice quiz
✓An unseen data packet scored by a person, then a 30-question exam
Inside the course
Six modules · about 6.5 hours of lessons
- 01
Module 1 · Plan
Plan the data before you collect it
Guided lesson with practice blocks, then a lab that builds your data collection plan and check sheet, and a coached reflection.
- 02
Module 2 · Shape
See the shape before you trust an average
Guided lesson with practice blocks, then a lab that builds your data description card, and a coached reflection.
- 03
Module 3 · Prioritize
Rank problems by what the decision needs
Guided lesson with practice blocks, then a lab that builds your Pareto decision record, and a coached reflection.
- 04
Module 4 · Relate
Relationships: what a scatter plot can and can't show
Guided lesson with practice blocks, then a lab that builds your relationship check, and a coached reflection.
- 05
Module 5 · Compare
Compare groups with honest uncertainty
Guided lesson with practice blocks, then a lab that builds your comparison record, and a coached reflection.
- 06
Module 6 · Report
Report it on one page, and put AI to work
Guided lesson with practice blocks, then a lab that builds your one-page summary and AI review card, and a coached reflection.
Then an unseen final case study in one of three fictional companies (an injection molder, a snack packer, a harness builder), six decisions, and a 30-question exam.
Inside the course
The course, step by step.
About 6 hours, self-paced, in short sessions that fit your week.
Plan the data before you collect it
A data collection plan and check sheet that can answer the question. 2 lessons.
See the shape before you trust an average
A data description card with shape, center, spread, groups and cleaning decisions. 2 lessons.
Rank problems by what the decision needs
A Pareto decision record weighted for the decision. 2 lessons.
Relationships: what a scatter plot can and can't show
A relationship check that separates pattern from proof. 2 lessons.
Compare groups with honest uncertainty
A comparison record with intervals, the data needed and a practical threshold. 2 lessons.
Report it on one page, and put AI to work
A one-page analysis summary and an AI analysis review card. 2 lessons.
Everything you get
Everything included, before the price.
Comparable items priced elsewhere, each named with its source and the date we checked.
Your complete course packageAdding up: $639
The six-module course and hands-on labs
$189One fictional valve plant's real data mess: a free-text NCR log, a torque audit with a typing slip, six months of defects, seat-lot records and AI summaries that overclaim. Guided lessons with practice blocks, six labs, conversations with consequences and seven visual walkthroughs.
COMPARABLE ASQ, Improvement Tools & Techniques e-learning (non-member list price, self-paced, about 8 hours, 90 days of access), checked October 21, 2026.
A final case study scored by a person
$250An unseen company with its own data packet. A QMS Learning reviewer scores your analysis against a five-part rubric and sends written feedback, usually within 5 business days. A revise result comes with specific feedback and a fresh case.
COMPARABLE MoreSteam, E-Learning Support, one hour of human coaching, checked October 21, 2026.
Coach Q in every lesson
$200An AI practice partner set up for this subject. It asks what the data shows and points at the gap. It never runs your numbers or writes your summary, and during the final case and exam it gives navigation help only.
COMPARABLE Anthropic, Claude Pro, annual plan ($200 billed yearly). A general-purpose AI assistant; not a subscription included with QMS Learning, checked October 21, 2026.
A spreadsheet toolkit and six records you keep
IncludedDescribe, Pareto, relate, rates with intervals, two-group comparisons and sample size, all as formulas you can check. Plus a data collection plan, description card, Pareto record, relationship check, comparison record and one-page summary.
Final exam and a certificate anyone can verify
Included30 questions, three versions, 24 of 30 to pass, three attempts. Your certificate carries a code anyone can check at academy.qmslearning.com/verify.
Course hub: study plan, Focus timer, journal, Apply at work log
IncludedA study plan that re-plans when your week slips, a focus timer, your saved work and a log of how you used the method at work. Lessons for life.
Priced elsewhere, piece by piece$639
Your price$149
One person, one time. $490 less than buying the comparable pieces. Lessons for life. Coach Q comes with the course, no subscription and no renewal fee.
People
Enroll for $149
5 or more people get 10% off every seat. Secure checkout by Stripe. 3-day refund.
Third-party names and prices are shown for comparison only. Different formats, scope and content; not a claim that they are equivalent.
The honest comparison
Three ways to learn this.
QMS Learning
ASQ, Improvement Tools & Techniques e-learning
ChatGPT
What you pay
$149 once
$189 non-member ($170 member)
Free or a monthly plan
Lesson access
For life
90 days
Not a course
Practice on a full data packet
Yes: logs, audits, defect costs, lot records
A problem-solving team case study
Only what you paste in
Scored by a person
Unseen final case study
Not listed on its product page
No
Graded final exam
30 questions, 3 versions, 80% to pass
Tested on the case study; 101-question bank
No
Spreadsheet toolkit
Included, all formulas
Not listed on its product page
It computes; checking is on you
Catches AI analysis errors
Practiced in every lab
Not listed on its product page
Can make them
ChatGPT will draw the chart. It won't grade you, and it won't vouch for you.
ASQ figures from its course page (self-paced, 8 hours, 0.8 CEU, case study test, 90 days of access), checked October 21, 2026.
Try it before you pay
Try it first. Change your mind after.
Lesson 1 is free
The real first lesson.
The exercises and Coach Q, on the NCR log that can't answer any of the general manager's questions. Judge it yourself.
Start lesson 1 free3 days to change your mind
Request a refund within 3 days.
For an individual Academy purchase, under the Academy refund policy. A refund ends access and invalidates any certificate for the course.
Send it to your manager
A request you can edit.
Nothing here is saved or sent.
Straight answers
What to know before you commit.
Do I need statistics or software?
No. Basic arithmetic and a spreadsheet are enough. The course toolkit does the calculations with formulas you can see, and every lesson explains what the number means in plain words.
How is this different from Make Better Decisions with Workplace Data?
That course is about reading everyday workplace numbers: defining a measure, cleaning records, rates and run charts. This one is the quality toolkit: check sheets, histograms, Pareto by cost, scatter plots and correlation, and comparing suppliers, shifts or machines with intervals and sample sizes.
Is this a Six Sigma belt?
No. It covers many of the core analysis tools a Green Belt uses, without the full DMAIC project, gauge studies, control charts or capability. It's a good step before or alongside Lean Six Sigma Green Belt: The AI Results Leader.
Does it help with ISO 9001?
Yes. Clause 9.1.3 asks you to analyse and evaluate data and use the results, and those results feed management review. Module 6 builds the one-page summary that does that job. The course references clauses by number and doesn't reproduce the standard.
Can I use AI for this work?
Yes, your company's approved tool, within its data rules. Module 6 covers prompts that set the tool up and six checks before its analysis goes anywhere, and every lab has an AI draft with errors to catch.
Do I need my company's data?
No. Every record in the course is fictional. At work, use only information your company allows.
Can Coach Q do my final case study?
No. During the final case study and the exam, Coach Q gives navigation help only.
How do I earn the certificate?
Finish the six labs and the coached reflections, score at least 16 of 20 on the final case study and 10 of 12 on the decisions with no unresolved critical error, and pass the 30-question exam at 24 of 30.
Is the certificate an accredited qualification?
No. It records assessed course completion from QMS Learning, with a code anyone can verify. It isn't a statistics qualification or a Six Sigma belt.
How long does it take?
About 6.5 hours of lessons, self-paced, plus about 3 hours for the final case study, decisions and exam. That's a planning estimate, not a measured time.
How long do I keep access?
Lessons for life with a one-time purchase. Coach Q comes with the course, with no subscription and no renewal fee.
What if it isn't for me?
Try lesson 1 free first. For an individual Academy purchase you can request a refund within 3 days; a refund ends access and invalidates any certificate for the course.
Training a team?
Choose 1 to 50 named learners at checkout. Five or more seats get 10% off every seat. For more than 50, or a PO, email will@qmslearning.com.
Ready when you are
Plan it. See it. Size it. Say it on one page.
- ✓The six-module course and hands-on labs$189
- ✓A final case study scored by a person$250
- ✓Coach Q in every lesson$200
- ✓A spreadsheet toolkit and six records you keepIncluded
- ✓Final exam and a certificate anyone can verifyIncluded
- ✓Course hub: study plan, Focus timer, journal, Apply at work logIncluded
$149
Priced elsewhere $639 · per person, one time · lessons for life
About 6.5 hours of lessons. Coach Q and the spreadsheet toolkit included. A final case study a person scores, and a final exam.
Enroll for $149