To ensure that your results are valid, consider the following guidelines when you collect data, perform the analysis, and interpret your results.
- The data should include a time variable, and an optional batch factor
- The batch factor can be fixed or random. Based on the model, Minitab calculates the shelf life, which is the length of time that the response is expected to remain within the specifications.
- The response variable should be continuous
- If the response variable is categorical, your model is less likely to meet the assumptions of the analysis, to accurately describe your data, or to make useful predictions.
- Collect data using best practices
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To ensure that your results are valid, consider the following guidelines:
- Make certain that the data represent the population of interest.
- Collect enough data to provide the necessary precision.
- Measure variables as accurately and precisely as possible.
- Record the data in the order it is collected.
- The model should provide a good fit to the data
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If the model does not fit the data, the results can be misleading. In the output, use the residual plots, the diagnostic statistics for unusual observations, and the model summary statistics to determine how well the model fits the data.
