High efficiency gets a lot of attention in the business world these days – fast, easy, and cost-effective are touted as ideal. But an essential complement to efficiency is effectiveness: was the solution significant and consequential? Did it actually solve the problem?

In this talk, we consider these two concepts, how they can work together, and how, at times, they may be at cross-purposes. Efficiency focuses on how something was done. Effectiveness is about what is achieved. We consider how to first think clearly and carefully about the goal of our efforts and then work on how to implement them as efficiently as possible within the constraints and uncertainty of our problem space. From data collection through analysis, there are opportunities to match our methods to what is important in the desired solution and then fine-tune our approach to enhance how quickly and cost-effectively we can achieve our goals. Several examples illustrate both failures and successes when striving to find the right balance between the “what” and “how” of our problem solving.

Be sure to watch if you are interested in:

• How the bridge between efficiency and effectiveness can be relevant to your data collection processes and finding meaningful solutions.
• Matching the goal of your efforts to the methodology of solving your problem.
• How to find the balance between the “what” and “how” of your problem solving by using real-world examples.

Meet the speaker

Christine M. Anderson-Cook

Christine Anderson-Cook has worked with the Statistical Sciences Group at Los Alamos National Laboratory since 2004, and currently leads projects on complex system reliability, nonproliferation, malware detection and statistical process control.

She has authored more than 200 articles in statistics and quality journals, and has been a long time contributor to the Quality Progress Statistics Roundtable column. Anderson-Cook co-authored a popular book on response surface methodology with Raymond Myers and Douglas Montgomery. She currently serves on the editorial boards of Technometrics, Journal of Quality Technology, Quality Engineering, and Quality and Reliability Engineering International. In 2012, she edited a special issue in Quality Engineering on statistical engineering with Lu Lu.

Anderson-Cook is an elected Fellow of the American Statistical Association and the American Society for Quality. She is the recipient of the 2012 William G. Hunter Award, and a two-time recipient of the ASQ Shewell Award. In 2011 she received the 26th Annual Governor’s Award for Outstanding New Mexico Women. Most recently, Anderson-Cook was awarded the 2024 Army Wilks Memorial Award and has been elected to the University of Waterloo Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science Alumni Wall of Fame, which is an honor bestowed on alumni who have received major recognitions by their professions.