Process Capability

What it is
Process Capability looks at short term capability and long term
performance of a process with regard to customer specifications.
Standard indexes are used: Cp, Cpk, Pp and Ppk. These can be
converted into ppm.
A simple view of Process Control and Process Capability
process control - refers only to the voice of the process - looking at
the process using an agreed performance measure to see whether
the process forms a stable distribution over time.
process capability - measures the goodness of a process comparing the voice of the process with the voice of the customer.
The voice of the customer here is the specification range (tolerance)
and/or the nearest customer specification limit.
The objective is to get as close to the theoretical best that your process
can achieve by eliminating special causes of variation, so that only
common (natural) causes are acting on the process, and then to reduce
these to a minimum, whenever possible.

Process Capability
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Process Capability
What it is
Process Control
Note - no reference to
specs !
In Control
(Special Causes Eliminated)

Out of Control
(Special Causes Present)

Process Capability

In Control and Capable

(Variation from Common
Causes Reduced)

Lower Spec Limit

Upper Spec Limit

In Control but not Capable

(Variation from Common Causes
Excessive)

Process Capability
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Process Capability
What it is
1

CAPABILITY

PERFORMANCE

Short Term
In Control
Pooled std dev

Long Term
Not in Control
Total / overall std dev

Cp

Pp

Cpk

Ppk

compares

How
spec range
a
(tolerance)
much
variability to process

How
centred

width
how close
process
centre is to
nearest
spec limit

Cp or ENTITLEMENT is the theoretical best

hat a process can achieve.

Process Capability
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Process Capability
What it is
The 4 capability Capability Indexes: explaining the terms . . .
1

CAPABILITY

PERFORMANCE

Short Term
In Control
Pooled std dev

Long Term
Not in Control
Total / overall std dev

Cp

Pp

Cpk

Ppk

compares
a

How
spec range
(tolerance)
much
variability to process

How
centred

width
how close
process
centre is to
nearest
spec limit

Not (necessarily) in Control: common

causes and special causes acting
(possible drifts or shifts in the process)

long term

600
550
500
450
400
350
300
Time

short term
In Control: only common causes acting (no
sudden drifts or shifts in the process)

Process Capability
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Process Capability
What it is
The 4 capability Capability Indexes: explaining the terms . . .
1

CAPABILITY

PERFORMANCE

Short Term
In Control
Pooled std dev

Long Term
Not in Control
Total / overall std dev

Cp

Pp

Cpk

Ppk

compares
a

How
spec range
(tolerance)
much
variability to process

How
centred

width
how close
process
centre is to
nearest
spec limit

600
550
500
450
400
350
300
Time

Pooled or total standard deviation - used in manual calculations:

Pooled (or combined):
Total (or overall):

sP =
sT =

sqrt [ sum (d.f. *s2) / sum (d.f.) ]

sqrt [ sum (x - x) 2 / (n-1) ]

Process Capability
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Process Capability
What it is
The 4 capability Capability Indexes: explaining the terms . . .
1

CAPABILITY

PERFORMANCE

Short Term
In Control
Pooled std dev

Long Term
Not in Control
Total / overall std dev

Cp

Pp

Cpk

Ppk

compares
a

How
spec range
(tolerance)
much
variability to process

How
centred

width
how close
process
centre is to
nearest
spec limit

LSL

USL

Cp, Pp compares specification range (tolerance)to process width

regardless of where the process is centred.
It is the ratio of the specification width to 6 x process standard
deviation.

Cp = USL-LSL
6sP

Pp = USL-LSL
6sT

sP = pooled standard deviation

sT = total standard deviation

Process Capability
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Process Capability
What it is
The 4 capability Capability Indexes: explaining the terms . . .
1

CAPABILITY

PERFORMANCE

Short Term
In Control
Pooled std dev

Long Term
Not in Control
Total / overall std dev

Cp

Pp

Cpk

Ppk

compares
a

How
spec range
(tolerance)
much
variability to process

How
centred

width
how close
process
centre is to
nearest
spec limit

LSL

USL

Cpk, Ppk measure how close the process centre is to the nearest customer
spec.
It is (difference between the process average and the nearest specification)
(3 x the process standard deviation).

Cpkl =

X-LSL
3sP

Cpku = USL-X
3sP

Cpk = min {Cpkl, Cpku}

Ppkl =

X-LSL
3sT

Ppku = USL-X
3sT

Ppk = min {Ppkl, Ppku}

Process Capability
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Process Capability
How to use it
Use Minitab output whenever possible, since it combines the indexes
with a graphical representation of the process: actual sample, estimated
short term capability and estimated long term performance

Also use as a rule of thumb the following chart

Red (Bad)
Yellow (OK)
Green (Good)

Cp

Cpk

Pp

Ppk

Sigma

< 1.00

< 1.00

< 1.33

< 1.33

< 4.5

1.00 - 1.33

1.00 - 1.33

1.33 - 1.67

1.33 - 1.67

4.5 - 5.5

> 1.33

> 1.33

> 1.67

> 1.67

> 5.5

(Cpk x 3) +1.5 = sigma

Caution:
Cpk is an index much misused: It is only applicable to normally
distributed variable data that is measured in the short term.
Conversions from Cpk to ppm and sigma assume that all defectives are
occurring at one tail of the distribution with an average sigma shift of
1.5 sigma. (industry standard).
Cpk MUST be seen as part of a package of information.
Capability studies for non-normal data (Weibull) do not give Cpk
values
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Process Capability
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Process Capability
Example
Using Minitab:

Process Capability Analysis for Data

LSL

USL

Process Data
USL

ST
LT

520.000

Target

LSL

420.000

Mean

435.833

Sample N

30

StDev (ST)

10.7176

StDev (LT)

59.6888

Potential (ST) Capability

Cp

1.56

CPU

2.62

CPL

0.49

Cpk

0.49

Cpm

Overall (LT) Capability

250

350

450

Observed Performance

550

Expected ST Performance

650
Expected LT Performance

Pp

0.28

PPM < LSL

366666.67

PPM < LSL

69795.44

PPM < LSL

PPU

0.47

PPM > USL

100000.00

PPM > USL

0.00

PPM > USL

79256.43

PPL

0.09

PPM Total

466666.67

PPM Total

PPM Total

474659.24

Ppk

0.09

69795.44

395402.81

Process Capability
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Process Capability
Example
Using Minitab, with non-normal data
Process Data
USL
6.00000
Target
*
LSL
2.00000
Mean
5.65406
Sample N
50
Shape
1.58256
Scale
6.29977

Process Capability Analysis for Weibull

Calculations Based on Weibull Distribution Model
LSL

USL

Overall (LT) Capability

Pp
0.19
PPU
0.09
PPL
Ppk

0.35
0.09

Observed LT Performance
PPM < LSL 120000.00
PPM > USL 400000.00
PPM Total
520000.00
Expected LT Performance
PPM < LSL 150164.01
PPM > USL 396235.71
PPM Total
546399.72

10

15

20

25

Note: For Weibull Capability Analysis, data must have positive values, and
LONG TERM metrics only are given.
NO values for Cpk are given, because the data is non-normal

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Process Capability
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Process Capability
How it helps
A Process Capability study is the end result of the analysis done on
process output data.
A Process Capability study reflects what our customer sees.
It indicates what our short term and long term situation looks like.
Recognise however that our processes need to be stable (in statistical
control) as well as capable.
Before anything, we must have faith in our measurements, hence the
need for a measurement system analysis.

References
ASG aTQ training modules:
3.3, 3.4, 3.5 : (MSA) Measurement System Analysis
4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.5 : Process Capability
8.4, 8.5, 8.6, 8.7 : SPC (and non-SPC control)
ASG seniors aTQ training module 1.5 : Capability

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Process Capability
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