Questions

The first major concern is the amount of time clients are being billed for that is spent on associates developing slide decks$/$pitch books. To determine whether or not the current analysts are spending an appropriate amount of time on these tasks, Sam collected data on the number of hours spent on slide decks for $6$ different engagements for each of the most recent $8$ weeks. Sam also collected historical data about the time spent on similar documents for a similar length of time two years ago before any client complaints had occurred. The data is available in the A$1\_$SlideDeck$\_$TimeSpent.xlst Excol filc.

$($a$)$ Which data is more appropriate for Sam to use to develop the limits for mean $($a$)$ and range charts? Provide some written justification for your choice.

$($b$)$ Using the A$2$ method, determine the appropriate control limits for both a mean $(\stackrel{}{x}$ and range $(R)$ charts. Plot the more recent observations on the control charts, and discuss any potential concerns. Address not only whether the process is in$/$out of control, but also any important patterns that you identify.