ASP, The Art and Science of Practice: In Search of the (sqrt) N + 1 Rule

J. Frank Rudisill ()
Additional contact information
J. Frank Rudisill: Johnson College of Business and Economics, University of South Carolina Upstate, Spartanburg, South Carolina 29303

Interfaces, 2010, vol. 40, issue 2, 154-158

Abstract: In over 25 years of consulting in operations research, management science, quality management, and statistics, I have come across several rules of thumb that practitioners use frequently, but incorrectly. One is the “square root of ( N ) + 1” rule used in sampling and inspecting raw materials and finished goods. This paper describes several of my encounters with this rule and the circumstances of its use. I discuss how I used a nested design experiment to demonstrate to users that the rule was not appropriate for their situations. The paper also includes a “top 10” list of other rules of thumb and beliefs that people often use incorrectly. I offer tips that have helped me avoid these rules.

Keywords: consulting; OR/MS; education; implementation; sampling (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/inte.1090.0461 (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:inm:orinte:v:40:y:2010:i:2:p:154-158

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Interfaces from INFORMS Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Chris Asher ().