Prompting for Data Analysis and Reporting
Manufacturing generates massive amounts of data. AI can help you extract insights from that data.
Scenario: Analyzing Production Data
Good prompt: "I have production data for the past 6 months including daily output by production line, downtime incidents with duration and category, scrap rates, and labor hours. The data is in Excel with columns for Date, Production Line, Units Produced, Planned Production, Downtime Minutes, Downtime Category, Scrap Units, Scrap Reason, and Labor Hours. I need to identify trends and patterns. Guide me through an analysis approach: what metrics to calculate (OEE, yield, productivity, etc.), what visualizations would be most insightful, what statistical tests might reveal significant patterns, and what questions I should be asking of this data to identify improvement opportunities."
You can then follow up by actually sharing data (paste into the prompt or describe patterns you're seeing) and asking AI to help interpret it.
Scenario: Creating Dashboards and Metrics
Good prompt: "I need to create a production dashboard for our plant manager and operations team. The dashboard should provide at-a-glance visibility into key metrics and highlight areas needing attention. Our manufacturing operation runs 3 production lines across 2 shifts, producing approximately 50,000 units per week. Suggest: what metrics to include (with definitions), how to visualize each metric effectively, what time periods to show (hourly, daily, weekly), how to set alert thresholds that indicate when metrics need attention, and how to organize the dashboard layout for maximum usability. Design this for people who need quick insight, not detailed analysis."
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