The method, based on the design techniques developed by Genichi Taguchi, Ph.D., seeks to create products and pro-cesses that are robust against all sources of undesirable external influences. Using design of experiments (DOE) can determine the optimal levels of process or design parameters that can alleviate the affects of so-called "noise" factors. But finding these optimal levels is not always easy. Industrial experiments do not always go as planned because a nonsystematic approach is often taken by the experimenters.
The following is a 10-step plan that helps users plan experiments, conduct them, analyze results and implement solutions. The planning phase makes up the first seven steps.