Signal Over Noise: Control Charts, QC Rules & AI for Lab and Quality Professionals

Stop investigating ordinary bad days. Start catching the problems that matter.

Every week someone points at a number that went up and asks what went wrong. Most of the time, nothing did. Signal Over Noise teaches you to tell real change from random variation in lab and quality data, and to prove it with a chart instead of an opinion.

Written by Elie Casimir, MLS (ASCP) and Six Sigma Black Belt, for people who already know the bench and want to move into quality and process improvement.

What you'll learn (10 chapters):

• Common-cause vs special-cause variation, and why reacting to noise makes processes worse
• Run charts and the four run-chart rules
• I-MR control charts, calculated step by step in a spreadsheet
• Levey-Jennings charts and Westgard rules, connected to wider process control
• p-charts for rates such as specimen rejections, and how to pick the right chart
• Using AI tools to speed up the work, with ready-made prompts
• Where AI goes wrong, how to protect patient data, and a five-point checklist
• How to act on a signal, and how to present charts so leaders respond correctly
• A capstone project on your own data: one process, one dataset, one decision

Every chapter includes learning objectives, plain-language explanations, a key-terms glossary, a hands-on activity, discussion questions and a summary. Worked examples use realistic lab data: STAT turnaround time, glucose QC and specimen rejection rates.

What you get:

• 34-page PDF course, instant download
• 25-question final assessment with answer key (76% to pass)
• Printable certificate of completion
• One-page quick-reference card of formulas and rules

Time: 3–4 hours, self-paced. All you need is a spreadsheet.

Module 1 of The Sigma Intelligence Series™. Module 2, The Inquiry Engine, picks up where this one ends.

Please note: this is a PDF course with a certificate of course completion. It is not an accredited professional certification and does not currently carry P.A.C.E.® or Florida CE credits. It does not replace your laboratory's QC procedures or regulatory requirements.