Run Charts

Run chart is a simple line graph that displays data points over time. It helps you visualize trends, shifts, or patterns, and process or outcome.

Run charts are important because they allow teams to see performance over time and detect whether things are changing or leading to an improvement. It’s not a snapshot or an average. Rather, a run chart shows real-time progress helping teams distinguish between random variation and meaningful change.

It’s a foundational tool in continuous quality improvement because it supports data-driven decision-making.

Let’s say a hospital wants to reduce the number of patient falls. They implement a rounding protocol and come up with a project idea. They track fall rates weekly and plot those. A run chart then would show the fall rate before and after the intervention.

If the chart shows a downward trend, it suggests that that protocol is working. If not, the team knows that they have to reassess and have to come up with a new idea or figure out what’s going on.

The visual feedback loop is very powerful for guiding you to the next step.

Creating a run chart is straightforward. You just need an x-axis and a y-axis.

On the x-axis, you plot your time intervals– could be days, weeks, months, minutes, years, whatever works best for you and your project.

On the y-axis, you plot a measure of interest– could be the number of falls, wait times in an ED, or infection rates.

Once you have your x and y-axis, you add data points. Go ahead and plot them on the x and y-axis and then connect them with a line, a straight line, not a curved line.

Once you have that, you need something to help you interpret your data. And the best option here is a median line.

The median is crucial because it helps identify non-random patterns in your data. Unlike the mean, the median is less affected by outliers and it gives you a stable reference point.

The median itself shows you where 50% of your data falls above or below a line.

When data points consistently fall above or below the median, it could indicate a shift or a trend which can signal improvement or problem that needs attention.

You can go ahead and do this in Excel, Google Sheets, or you could hand-draw it. What matters is that you’re consistent and clear.

So a few practical tips. Start simple. Pick one measure. Track it consistently. Use real-time data. Don’t wait for perfect data.

Start with what you have. Doesn’t matter if people say it’s dirty. Go ahead and plot it anyway.

Engage your team. Involve frontline staff choosing measures and interpreting the results so they can understand things together.

Celebrate insights. Use the chart to highlight wins and learn from setbacks.

Be able to tell the story with your data.

And finally, keep it visible. Post charts and team huddles or dashboards or any way to get that out there, because you need to keep that momentum.