What effect does manipulating systems used to produce a product have on the distance between the standard deviation lines?

When manipulating systems used to produce a product, the goal is often to reduce variability, minimize defects, and enhance quality. By improving processes or optimizing production systems, organizations are typically able to create more consistent and reliable outputs. This reduction in variability effectively narrows the distance between the standard deviation lines.

In the context of quality management, a narrower standard deviation indicates that the data points (for example, measurements of product characteristics) are closer to the mean or target value. This proximity reflects improved control over the production process and results in a more predictable performance, ultimately leading to higher quality products.

Quality improvement methodologies, such as Lean and Six Sigma, emphasize reducing variation in processes to achieve consistent quality. Thus, by manipulating the systems involved in production, organizations are expected to see a positive impact on the uniformity of their outputs, which is represented by the narrowing of the standard deviation lines.