PROCESS CAPABILITY

ANALYSIS
Learning Objectives

• Understand the role that process capability analysis plays in the

successful completion of an improvement project.

• Know how to perform a process capability analysis.

How does it help?

Process
Process Capability
Capability Analysis
Analysis is
is
necessary
necessary to:
to:
•determine
•determine thethe area
area of
of focus
focus which
which
will
will ensure
ensure successful
successful resolution
resolution of
of
the
the project.
project.
•benchmark
•benchmark aa process
process toto enable
enable
demonstrated
demonstrated levels
levels of
of
improvement
improvement after
after successful
successful
resolution
resolution of
of the
the project.
project.
•demonstrate
•demonstrate improvement
improvement after
after
successful
successful resolution
resolution of
of the
the
project.
project.
 IMPROVEMENT ROADMAP
Uses of Process Capability Analysis

Common Uses
Phase 1:
•Baselining a process
Measurement primary metric (Y) prior to
starting a project.
Characterization

Phase 2:
•Characterizing the
Analysis capability of causitive
Breakthrough factors (x).
Strategy

Phase 3:
•Characterizing a process
Improvement primary metric after
changes have been
Optimization
implemented to
Phase 4: demonstrate the level of
Control improvement.
 KEYS TO SUCCESS

¾Must have specification limits - Use process targets if no specs available

¾Don’t get lost in the math

¾Relate to Z for comparisons (Cpk x 3 = Z)

¾For Attribute data use PPM conversion to Cpk and Z

WHAT IS PROCESS CAPABILITY?

Process capability is simply a measure of how good a metric is performing against

and established standard(s). Assuming we have a stable process generating the
metric, it also allows us to predict the probability of the metric value being outside of
the established standard(s).

Upper
Upperand
andLower
LowerStandards
Standards Single
SingleStandard
Standard
(Specifications)
(Specifications) (Specification)
(Specification)
Spec Spec
Spec Spec
Spec Spec
(Lower) (Upper)
(Upper)
(Lower)

Out of Spec In Spec Out of Spec

In Spec Out of Spec

Probability Probability Probability

WHAT IS PROCESS CAPABILITY?

Process capability (Cpk) is a function of how the population is centered (|μ-spec|)

and the population spread (σ).

High Cpk Poor Cpk

Spec Spec Spec Spec
Spec
(Lower) Spec
(Upper) Spec
(Lower) Spec
(Upper)
(Lower) (Upper) (Lower) (Upper)

Process Center Out of Spec

In Spec
Out of Spec
Out of Spec
In Spec

Out of Spec

(|μ-spec|)

Spec Spec Spec

Spec Spec
Spec Spec
(Upper) Spec
(Lower) (Upper)
(Lower) (Upper)
(Lower) (Upper) (Lower)

Process Spread In Spec In Spec

Out of Spec Out of Spec Out of

(σ)
Out of
Spec Spec
 HOW IS PROCESS CAPABILITY CALCULATED

Spec
Spec μμ Spec
(LSL) Spec
(LSL) (USL)
(USL)

Distance between the Expressed mathematically, this looks like:

population mean and
the nearest spec limit M IN ( μ − LSL , U SL − μ )
(|μ-USL |). This C PK =
distance divided by 3σ 3σ
is Cpk.

Note:
LSL = Lower Spec Limit
USL = Upper Spec Limit
 PROCESS CAPABILITY EXAMPLE
We want to calculate the process capability for our inventory. The historical
average monthly inventory is $250,000 with a standard deviation of $20,000.
Our inventory target is $200,000 maximum.

• Calculation Values:
• Upper Spec value = $200,000 maximum
• No Lower Spec
• m = historical average = $250,000
• s = $20,000
• Calculation: MIN (μ − LSL , USL − μ ) ($200 ,000 − $250 ,000 )
C PK = = = -.83
3σ 3 * $20 ,000

Answer: Cpk= -.83

ATTRIBUTE PROCESS CAPABILITY TRANSFORM
Z PPM ST C pk PPM LT (+1.5 σ)
0.0 500,000 0.0 933,193 If we take the Cpk formula below
MIN (μ − LSL , USL − μ )
0.1 460,172 0.0 919,243
0.2 420,740 0.1 903,199

C PK =
0.3 382,089 0.1 884,930

3σ
0.4 344,578 0.1 864,334
0.5 308,538 0.2 841,345
0.6 274,253 0.2 815,940
0.7 241,964 0.2 788,145
0.8
0.9
211,855
184,060
0.3
0.3
758,036
725,747
We find that it bears a striking resemblance to the
1.0 158,655 0.3 691,462 equation for Z which is:
1.1 135,666 0.4 655,422
1.2 115,070 0.4 617,911
μ − μ0 with the value μ-μ0
Z CALC =
1.3 96,801 0.4 579,260
1.4 80,757 0.5 539,828 substituted for MIN(μ-
1.5
1.6
1.7
66,807
54,799
44,565
0.5
0.5
0.6
500,000
460,172
420,740
σ LSL,USL-μ).
1.8
1.9
35,930
28,716
0.6
0.6
382,089
344,578
Making this substitution, we get :
1 MIN ( μ − LSL , USL − μ ) Z MIN
2.0 22,750 0.7 308,538
( μ − LSL ,USL − μ )
C pk = =
2.1 17,864 0.7 274,253
2.2 13,903 0.7 241,964 *
2.3
2.4
10,724
8,198
0.8
0.8
211,855
184,060
3 σ 3
2.5 6,210 0.8 158,655
2.6 4,661 0.9 135,666
2.7 3,467 0.9 115,070 We can now use a table similar to the one on the left
2.8 2,555 0.9 96,801
2.9 1,866 1.0 80,757 to transform either Z or the associated PPM to an
3.0
3.1
1,350
968
1.0
1.0
66,807
54,799
equivalent Cpk value.
3.2 687 1.1 44,565
3.3 483 1.1 35,930
3.4
3.5
337
233
1.1
1.2
28,716
22,750
So,
So, ifif we
we have
have aa process
process which
which hashas aa short
short term
term
3.6
3.7
159
108
1.2
1.2
17,864
13,903 PPM=136,666
PPM=136,666 we we find
find that
that the
the equivalent
equivalent Z=1.1
Z=1.1 and
and Cpk=0.4
Cpk=0.4
3.8 72.4 1.3 10,724
3.9 48.1 1.3 8,198 from
from the
the table.
table.
4.0 31.7 1.3 6,210
Learning Objectives

• Understand the role that process capability analysis plays in the

successful completion of an improvement project.

• Know how to perform a process capability analysis.