Common causes, special causes. In Exercise, you described a process that you know well. What are some sources of common cause variation in this process? What are some special causes that might at times drive the process out of control?

Describe a process. Choose a process that you know well. If you lack experience with actual business or manufacturing processes, choose a personal process such as ordering something over the Internet, paying a bill online, or recording a TV show on a DVR. Make a flowchart of the process. Make a cause-andeffect diagram that presents the factors that lead to successful completion of the process.