6.

Process or Product Monitoring and Control

6.2. Test Product for Acceptability: Lot Acceptance Sampling
6.2.3. How do you Choose a Single Sampling Plan?

6.2.3.2. Choosing a Sampling Plan with a given OC

Curve

Sample We start by looking at a typical OC curve. The OC curve for a (52, 3)

OC sampling plan is shown below.
curve
Number of It is instructive to show how the points on this curve are
defectives is obtained, once we have a sampling plan (n, c ) - later we
approximately will demonstrate how a sampling plan (n, c ) is obtained.
binomial
We assume that the lot size N is very large, as compared to
the sample size n , so that removing the sample doesn't
significantly change the remainder of the lot, no matter how
many defects are in the sample. Then the distribution of the
number of defectives, d , in a random sample of n items is
approximately binomial with parameters n and p, where p is
the fraction of defectives per lot.

The probability of observing exactly d defectives is given

by

The binomial
distribution n!
P d = f(d) = pd (1 − p) n−d .
d!(n − d)!

The probability of acceptance is the probability that d , the

number of defectives, is less than or equal to c, the accept
number. This means that
c
n!
P a = P (d ≤ c) = ∑ pd (1 − p) n−d .
d=0
d!(n − d)!

Sample table Using this formula with n = 52 , c = 3 , and

for P a , p = 0.01, 0.02, … , 0.12 , we find:
P d using the
Pa Pd
binomial 0.998 0.01
distribution 0.980 0.02
0.930 0.03
0.845 0.04
0.739 0.05
0.620 0.06
0.502 0.07
0.394 0.08
0.300 0.09
0.223 0.10
0.162 0.11
0.115 0.12

Solving for (n,c)

Equations for In order to design a sampling plan with a specified OC

calculating a curve one needs two designated points. Let us design a
sampling plan sampling plan such that the probability of acceptance is
with a given 1 − α for lots with fraction defective p1 and the probability
OC curve of acceptance is β for lots with fraction defective
p2 . Typical choices for these points are: p1 is the AQL, p2 is
the LTPD and α, β are the Producer's Risk (Type I
error) and Consumer's Risk (Type II error), respectively.

If we are willing to assume that binomial sampling is valid,

then the sample size n , and the acceptance number c are the
solution to
 c
n!
1−α= ∑ pd1 (1 − p1 ) n−d
d=0
d!(n − d)!
c
n!
β= ∑ pd2 (1 − p2 ) n−d .
d=0
d!(n − d)!

These two simultaneous equations are nonlinear so there is

no simple, direct solution. There are however a number of
iterative techniques available that give approximate
solutions so that composition of a computer program poses
few problems.

Average Outgoing Quality (AOQ)

Calculating We can also calculate the AOQ for a (n, c ) sampling plan,
AOQs provided rejected lots are 100 % inspected and defectives
are replaced with good parts.

Assume all lots come in with exactly a p0 proportion of

defectives. After screening a rejected lot, the final fraction
defectives will be zero for that lot. However, accepted lots
have fraction defective p0 . Therefore, the outgoing lots from
the inspection stations are a mixture of lots with fractions
defective p0 and 0. Assuming the lot size is N , we have.

P a p(N − n)
AOQ = .
N
For example, let N = 10000 , n = 52 , c = 3 , and p, the
quality of incoming lots, equals 0.03. Now at p = 0.03 , we
glean from the OC curve table that pa = 0.930 and
 (0.930)(0.03)(10000 − 52)
AOQ = = 0.02775 .
10000

Sample table Setting p = 0.01, 0.02, … , 0.12 , we can generate the

of AOQ following table.
versus p
AOQ p
0.0010 0.01
0.0196 0.02
0.0278 0.03
0.0338 0.04
0.0369 0.05
0.0372 0.06
0.0351 0.07
0.0315 0.08
0.0270 0.09
0.0223 0.10
0.0178 0.11
0.0138 0.12

Sample plot A plot of the AOQ versus p is given below.

of AOQ
versus p
Interpretation From examining this curve we observe that when the
of AOQ plot incoming quality is very good (very small fraction of
defectives coming in), then the outgoing quality is also very
good (very small fraction of defectives going out). When the
incoming lot quality is very bad, most of the lots are
rejected and then inspected. The "duds" are eliminated or
replaced by good ones, so that the quality of the outgoing
lots, the AOQ, becomes very good. In between these
extremes, the AOQ rises, reaches a maximum, and then
drops.

The maximum ordinate on the AOQ curve represents the

worst possible quality that results from the rectifying
inspection program. It is called the average outgoing
quality limit, (AOQL ).

From the table we see that the AOQL = 0.372 at

p = 0.06 for the above example.
 One final remark: if N ≫ n , then the AOQ ≈ P a p .

The Average Total Inspection (ATI)

Calculating What is the total amount of inspection when rejected lots

the Average are screened?
Total
Inspection If all lots contain zero defectives, no lot will be rejected.

If all items are defective, all lots will be inspected, and the
amount to be inspected is N .

Finally, if the lot quality is 0 < p < 1 , the average amount

of inspection per lot will vary between the sample size
n , and the lot size N .

Let the quality of the lot be p and the probability of lot

acceptance be P a , then the ATI per lot is

ATI = n + (1 − P a )(N − n) .

For example, let N = 10000 , n = 52 , c = 3 , and

p = 0.03 . We know from the OC table that
P a = 0.93 . Then
ATI = 52 + (1 − 0.930)(10000 − 52) = 753 . (Note that
while 0.930 was rounded to three decimal places, 753 was
obtained using more decimal places.)

Sample table Setting p = 0.01, 0.02, … , 0.14 generates the following

of ATI versus table.
p p
ATI
70 0.01
 253 0.02
753 0.03
1584 0.04
2655 0.05
3836 0.06
5007 0.07
6083 0.08
7012 0.09
7779 0.10
8388 0.11
8854 0.12
9201 0.13
9453 0.14

Plot of ATI A plot of ATI versus p, the Incoming Lot Quality (ILQ) is
versus p given below.