Statistics and reality: part 2

In Part 1, after discussing why a process-orientated view of statistics is necessary, the conclusion reached was that the best statistical analysis will encourage the art of asking better questions in response to variations in data. 1 The purpose of this article is to debunk the myth that statistics can be used to ‘massage’ data and prove anything. It will demonstrate the counterintuitive simplicity and power of merely ‘plotting the dots’– simple time plots of process outputs. These alone usually yield far more profound questions than the most complicated (alleged) statistical analysis.