11/29/2018 Process Capability (Cp & Cpk) | Six Sigma Study Guide

Process Capability (Cp & Cpk)

Posted on September 10, 2014 by Ted Hessing

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11/29/2018 Process Capability (Cp & Cpk) | Six Sigma Study Guide

Cp and Cpk are considered short-term potential capability measures for a process. In
Six Sigma we want to describe processes quality in terms of sigma because this gives us
an easy way to talk about how capable different processes are using a common
mathematical framework. In other words, it allows us to compare apple processes to
orange processes!

Process Capability Videos

Is your process capable?

Process Capability

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This is a long article, but I thought it was important to keep Cp and Cpk together. Cpk is
addressed rst, then Cp. There are also crib notes on what the equations mean in a real
performance sense, what you should be able to tell about a process depending on Cp
and Cpk values and more. If you are not nding what you are looking for, please let me
know in the notes below.

What is the Difference between Cp, Cpk and Pp,

PPk?

Cp Cpk vs Pp Ppk

Cp and Cpk are called Process Capability. Pp and Ppk are called Process Performance.
In both cases we want to try to verify if the process can meet to meet Customer CTQs
(requirements).

Cp, and Cpk are used for Process Capability. Generally you use this when a process is
under statistical control. This often happens with a mature process that has been
around for a while. Process capability uses the process sigma value determined from
either the Moving Range, Range or Sigma control charts

Pp and PPk are used for Process Performance. Generally you use this when a process is
too new to determine if it is under statistical control. Ex. there is a short pre-production
run or you are piloting a new process. Because there is not a lot of historical data we
take large samples from the process to account for variation. Process Performance
generally uses sample sigma in its calculation.

In theory Cpk will always be greater than or equal to Ppk. There are anomalies seen
when the sample size is small and the data represents a short amount of time where
estimating using R will overstate standard deviation and make Cpk smaller than Ppk. It
is not real, there can never be less variation in the long term since the long term is using
all of the data not just two pieces of data from every subgroup.

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Evaluating process capability with Cp & Cpk mirror what is done (and why it is done)
when following the Pp & Ppk approach. The main difference is that you use Cp & Cpk
after a process has reached stability or statistical control.

Cp vs Cpk
The ‘k’ stands for ‘centralizing factor.’ The index takes into consideration the fact that
your data is maybe not centered.

Cpk vs Ppk

Cpk tells us what a process is capable of doing in future, assuming it remains in a state of
statistical control.

Ppk tells us how a process has performed in the past and you cannot use it predict the
future because the process is not in a state of control.

If a process is in statistical control;

The values for Cpk and Ppk will converge to almost the same value because sigma and
the sample standard deviation will be identical (use an F test to determine).

In other words, if Cpk == Ppk, the process is likely in statistical control.

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If a process is NOT in statistical control;

Cpk and Ppk values will be distinctly different, perhaps by a very wide margin.

What is the Difference Between Cp and Cpk?

Cp and Cpk measure how consistent you are to around your average performance.

The Shooting at a Target Analogy

A good analogy is shooting at a target. If the rounds form a good cluster or grouping in
the same spot anywhere on the target you have a high Cp value. When the you have a
tight group of shots is landing on the bulls eye, you now have a high Cpk
Cpk measures how close you are to your target and how consistent you are to around
your average performance. A person may be performing with minimum variation, but
he can be away from his target towards one of the speci cation limit, which indicates
lower Cpk, whereas Cp will be high. On the other hand, a person may be on average
exactly at the target, but the variation in performance is high (but still lower than the
tolerance band (i.e., speci cation interval). In such case also Cpk will be lower, but Cp will
be high. Cpk will be higher only when you r meeting the target consistently with
minimum variation

What is Cpk?

The Parking a Car in the Garage Analogy

If you think of the walls of your garage – where you have to t your car in – they
become the customer speci cation limits. If you go past those limits, you will crash, and
the customer will not be happy!

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If your process has a lot of variation, that means the process average is all over the
place. Not good for parking a car, and not good for any other process. To give your
parking process the best chance of success you should work on reducing variation and
centering.
If the car is too wide for the garage, nothing you do to center the process will help. You
have to change the dispersion of the process (make the car smaller.)
If the car is a lot smaller than the garage, it doesn’t matter if you park it exactly in the
middle; it will t and you have plenty of room on either side. That’s one of the reasons
the six sigma philosophy focuses on removing variation in a process.

If you have a process that is in control and with little variation, you should be able to
park the car easily within the garage and thus meet customer requirements. Cpk tells
you the relationship between the size of the car, the size of the garage and how far away
from the middle of the garage you parked the car.”

How to Calculate Cpk

Cpk is a measure to show how many standard deviations the speci cation limits are
from the center of the process. On some processes you can do this visually. Others
require an equation.
To nd Cpk you need to calculate a Z score for the upper speci cation limit (called Z
USL) and a Z score for the lower speci cation limit (called Z LSL).
Since we are trying to measure how many standard deviations t between the center
line and the speci cation limit you should not be surprised that the value of those limits,
the process mean, and the standard deviation are all components of the Z calculation.
Cp is an abbreviation. There are really two parts; the upper and the lower denoted Cpu
and Cpl respectively. Their equations are:

Cpl = (Process Mean – LSL)/(3*Standard Deviation)

Cpu = (USL – Process Mean)/(3*Standard Deviation)

Cpk is merely the smallest value of the Cpl or Cpu denoted:  Cpk= Min (Cpl, Cpu)

Why are we dividing by 3 to nd Cpk?

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We know that any speci cation limit has an upper bound and a lower bound. Because
you know that 6 sigmas – or 6 standard deviations account for nearly all eventualities
on a process (assuming normal distribution) you shouldn’t be surprised to see the “/ 3”
because we are looking at only one side of the distribution.

Calculating Cpk using a Z Value

If you have a Z value, the equation is very easy;

Cpk can be determined by dividing the Z score by three.

A z score is the same as a standard score; the number of standard deviations above the
mean.

Z = x – mean of the population / standard deviation.

Notes and Characteristics of Cpk

Cpk and Centered Processes

If a process is perfectly centered, it has a Cp of 1. That would indicate that mean was 3
standard deviations away from the upper limit and the lower limit.
A perfectly centered process – a process who has a mean exactly in between the 2
speci cation limits (meaning halfway between the two will have a Cpk of 1. How is this
possible? Let’s check the math.
If a process is perfectly centered, then we know that the (USL – Process mean) equals
the same thing as the (Process Mean – LSL). Let’s call that A.
Z USL = USL – Process Mean / Standard Deviation. then becomes Z USL = A/ Standard
Deviation
and

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Z LSL = Process Mean – LSL / Standard Deviation then becomes Z LSL = A / Standard
Deviation.
The exact same thing.

Notes on Cpk
Cpk measures how close a process is performing compared to its speci cation limits
and accounting for the natural variability of the process.

Larger is better. The larger Cpk is, the less likely it is that any item will be outside
the speci cation limits.

When Cpk is negative it means that a process will produce output that is outside
the customer speci cation limits.

When the mean of the process is outside the customer speci cation limits the value
of Cpk will be Negative

We generally want a  Cpk of at least 1.33 [4 sigma] or higher to satisfy most

customers.

Cpk can have an upper and lower value reported.

If the upper value is 2 and the lower is 1, we say it has been shifted to the left.

This tells us nothing about if the process is stable or not.

We must report the lower of the 2 values.

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That was poorly centered!

What are Good Values for Cpk?

Remember the Car parking in the garage analogy?

Cpk = Negative number: Your process will regularly crash the car into the wall.

Cpk =0.5: You have a good chance hitting the  wall on entry.

Cpk =1:  Your car may be just touching the nearest edge of the entry.

Cpk =2: Great! You have great clearance. You could double the width of your car before
you hit the side of the garage.

Cpk =3: Excellent!  You have excellent clearance. You could triple the width of your car
before you hit the side of the garage.

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Cpk Videos

Great, clear, concise video on this subject.

“If you were producing a Cpk equal to 1, than you could expect to produce at least
99.73% good parts.”

Cpk explained by Professor Cleary

How to Calculate Cp
Just as you use Cp & Cpk when a process is stable and Pp & Ppk when a process is new,
the way you calculate each are a bit different, too.

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Let’s revisit Pp

Pp = (USL – LSL) / 6* s

In Pp, s is the standard deviation, or the ‘fatness’ or dispersion of the bell curve.

In Cp, we replace s with and estimate of σ we call σr. To do that we leverage the Moving
Range concept from a Moving R Bar chart or an XMR Chart. So, σr = [ R Bar  / d2]

R Bar comes from the Moving range.

D2 re ects values derived from integrating the area under the normal curve. We often
use a table which gives a d2 value based on how many subgroups were in the sample.

d2 subgroup
values

Cp does not account for centering.

Cp = (USL – LSL) / ( 6*  σr  )

Cp = (USL – LSL) / ( 6*  R Bar  / d2 )

Cp for Process Mean close to USL

If your Process Mean (central tendency) is closer to the USL, use:    [ USL – x(bar) ] / [3 * 
R Bar  / d2], where x(bar) is the Process Mean.

Cp for Process Mean close to LSL

If your Process Mean (central tendency) is closer to the LSL, use:    [x(bar) – LSL ] / [3 *  R
Bar  / d2], where x(bar) is the Process Mean.
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Capability Index

How do Cp, Z values, DPMO , Speci cation Limits, Standard Deviation, and Capability
all relate?

Also see Z values and process capability.

Capability Index

Notes on Cp Values

If the ratio is greater than one, then the Engineering Tolerance is greater than the
Process Spread so the process has the “potential” to be capable (depending on
process centering).

If, however, the Process Spread is greater than the Engineering tolerance, then the
process variation will not “ t” within the tolerance and the process will not be
capable (even if the process is centered appropriately).

Capability Ratio Cr
The capability ration is the inverse of Cp
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Cr = 1/ Cp =  ( 6*  σr  ) /  (USL – LSL)

If Cr < 0.75, the process is capable.

If Cr = 0.75 – 1.00, the process is capable with tight control.

If Cr >1, the process is not capable.

Notes on Relating Cp And Cpk

If Cp == Cpk, then the process is perfectly centered. If perfectly centered, Cp ==
Cpk.

 Because Cpk accounts for centering (where Cp does not), Cpk can never be larger
than Cp.

Both assume a stable process.

Lecture on Process Capability and SPC

Process Capability A

ASQ Six Sigma Black Belt Certi cation Process

Capability Questions:
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Question: Data being used in the initial set-up of a process are assumed to have a
normal distribution. If the nominal (target) is set at the center of the distribution, and
the speci cation limits are set at ±3s from the center, then the Cpk is equal to:

(A) –0.25
(B) 1.00
(C) 1.33
(D) 1.67

Answer: 1.00    This answer is by de nition.

ASQ Six Sigma Green Belt Certi cation Process

Capability Questions:
Question: When calculating the Cp index, what does the standard deviation represent
in the formula Cp = (USL – LSL) / 6σ?

(A) The tolerance interval

(B) The con dence interval for the result
(C) The range of the process
(D) The variance of the index

Answer: (C) The range of the process is represented by 6 sigmas – or standard

deviations in the Cp Index equation. Remember, 6 standard deviations account for
nearly all eventualities (assuming normal distribution) of the process. 6 sigmas is a good
approximation of the range of outcomes.

The USL – LSL (the upper and lower limits) could be representative of the tolerance
interval. I’m not familiar with anything called the tolerance interval but the upper and
lower limits are set by what is considered acceptable by the client. And those t.

A con dence interval is a statistical measure used in hypothesis testing and is not
pertinent to this question.

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Variance is a speci c term in Six Sigma. You can calculate variance by squaring the
standard deviation – a term that does not appear in the Cp equation so we can
eliminate this answer.

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This entry was posted in Measure and tagged ASQ, BB Exam, Black Belt, GB Exam,
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Comments (60)

Joanna Han
19th November 2014, 3:05 pm

Hi, if I have a set of data where the subgroup size is different, how should I determine
which d2 value to be used for the Cpk calculation? If I perform a Ppk calculation, is
the Ppk value going to be affected by the difference in subgroup size? Thanks.

Reply

 Six Sigma Study Guide (Six Sigma Study Guide Support)

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20th November 2014, 2:30 am

Hi Joanna – Not sure I’m following your rst question. Are you asking which d2
value to choose if you have multiple subgroups of varying size? (Ex. subgroup 1 has
5 elements, 2 has 4, 3 has 5?)

However, Ppk values shouldn’t be affected by subgroup size as you don’t use it in
the calculation. – See this article on Ppk calculation.

Reply

 Joanna Han
20th November 2014, 1:27 pm

Yes. My rst question was about how to determine d2 for multiple subgroups of
varying size, i.e. what you have given in the example.

Reply

 Six Sigma Study Guide (Six Sigma Study Guide Support)

20th November 2014, 7:25 pm

Joanna, you’ve asked a great question and I’m going to need to study a bit
more before I can answer.

If you were designing the sampling, I’d suggest controlling it so that your
subgroups were the same size. Since we all know that in practice we often
inherit data, so this may not be possible. My instinct would be to take the
average of the subgroup sizes. So if we had sizes of 5, 4, 5 – I’d round up and
use 5.

I’ll investigate further and see what I nd. A friend suggested I check the text
Statistical Quality Control by Grant and Leavenworth. Trying to get my hands
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on a copy now.

Reply

 Joanna Han
21st November 2014, 1:04 pm

Hi, I am doing data analysis where the subgroup size is not constant. I was
thinking to take the majority (or average) but I have found that there is
formula to determine the sigma. Have a look here:
http://elsmar.com/pdf_ les/Capability%20Analysis%20Formulas%20-
%20Minitab.pdf

 Levi
11th August 2017, 4:04 pm

Use S bar / C4 instead of r bar /d2. C4 is a different form of unbiasing constant that
doesn’t require the sub groups to be the same size.

Reply

Praful bhusari (Free Trial Green Belt Study Guide)

15th February 2016, 10:30 pm

WHAT IS DIFFERENCE between CP and CPK?

Reply

 Six Sigma Study Guide (Six Sigma Study Guide Support)

15th February 2016, 10:33 pm

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The Shooting at a Target Analogy

A good analogy is shooting at a target. If the rounds form a good cluster or
grouping in the same spot anywhere on the target you have a high Cp value. When
the you have a tight group of shots is landing on the bulls eye, you now have a high
Cpk
Cpk measures how close you are to your target and how consistent you are to
around your average performance. A person may be performing with minimum
variation, but he can be away from his target towards one of the speci cation limit,
which indicates lower Cpk, whereas Cp will be high. On the other hand, a person
may be on average exactly at the target, but the variation in performance is high
(but still lower than the tolerance band (i.e., speci cation interval). In such case also
Cpk will be lower, but Cp will be high. Cpk will be higher only when you r meeting
the target consistently with minimum variation

Reply

Pavel
22nd March 2016, 8:49 pm

Hello! How was out of spec percentage (2.28%) calculated in a video lesson?

Reply

 Six Sigma Study Guide (Six Sigma Study Guide Support)

1st May 2016, 4:03 pm

Hi Pavel, it was calculated using a Z Score. See some more on the relationship
between Process Capability and Z scores here: https://sixsigmastudyguide.com/z-
score-and-process-capability/

Then, see how to do the equation by following the examples here:

https://sixsigmastudyguide.com/z-scores-z-table-z-transformations/

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Reply

PARAG PANDYA
19th April 2016, 8:14 am

Can we calculate Cp & Cpk for components batch size of 2 or 3.

Reply

 Six Sigma Study Guide (Six Sigma Study Guide Support)

1st May 2016, 4:06 pm

Yes, Parag. See the notes that Joanna Han left above.

Reply

Abdul Ahad
28th April 2016, 6:32 pm

process capability studies

Reply

 Six Sigma Study Guide (Six Sigma Study Guide Support)

1st May 2016, 3:39 pm

Abdul – not exactly sure what you’re looking for here. How can I help?

Reply

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bhushan kumar
25th May 2016, 8:04 am

cpk value is 1.12 , is it process is good?

Reply

 Six Sigma Study Guide (Six Sigma Study Guide Support)

2nd July 2016, 10:26 am

It’s ok. It’s not great.

Reply

ddot.re
25th May 2016, 1:07 pm

best summarized Cp Pp Cpk PPk chart that capsulizes digni cant facotrs

Reply

 Six Sigma Study Guide (Six Sigma Study Guide Support)

2nd July 2016, 10:24 am

No idea what you are asking for.

Reply

Abhinav singh
25th June 2016, 2:18 pm

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What is the value of Cpk for six sigma process

Reply

 Six Sigma Study Guide (Six Sigma Study Guide Support)

2nd July 2016, 10:20 am

It’s an equation, Abhinav. Read the article.

Reply

prabin
15th November 2016, 5:00 am

A process that has a Cp ≥ 1 and a Cpk ≤ 1, is

Reply

 Six Sigma Study Guide (Six Sigma Study Guide Support)

17th December 2016, 12:14 pm

What do you think, Prabin?

Reply

karen
15th November 2016, 5:49 pm

Can you solve the problem?

The weights of nominal 1-kg containers of a concentrated chemical ingredient are
shown in Table 8E.2. Suppose there is a lower speci cation at 0.995 kg. Calculate an
appropriate process capability ratio for this material. What percentage of the
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packages produced by this process is estimated to be below the speci cation limit?
weights of containers
0,9475 0,9775 0,9965 1,0075 1,018
0,9705 0,986 0,9975 1,01 1,02
0,977 0,996 1,005 1,0175 1,025

Reply

 Six Sigma Study Guide (Six Sigma Study Guide Support)

17th December 2016, 12:13 pm

Yes, I can. What have you tried so far?

Reply

chandana
30th November 2016, 10:23 am

How many number of batches Require for caculation of Cp & CPk Valules in Anual
product quality review

Reply

 Six Sigma Study Guide (Six Sigma Study Guide Support)

17th December 2016, 12:11 pm

Hi Chandana, What do you think would be appropriate and why?

Reply

Gianfranco

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30th November 2016, 9:24 pm

Hi,
I have a doubt about the table under the “Capability Index” paragraph. It links Cp and
Z, and there is a constant Cp=Z/3. My question is should not be Cpk=Z/3?, instead for
Cp should be Cp=Z/6. Thanks in advance

Reply

 Six Sigma Study Guide (Six Sigma Study Guide Support)

17th December 2016, 12:10 pm

Hi Gianfranco, Why should it be Cp = Z/6? Where do you see that?

Reply

Amit
22nd December 2016, 10:38 am

Hello,

I would like to know more whether we can calculate process capability of Manual
processes & what are the rules to calculate manual process capability (Theory).

Thank you so much.

Reply

Erica
9th February 2017, 7:48 am

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Hi,
1.How much OK ratio there is in Cp=1.33 and Cpk=1.33?
2.How much OK ratio there is in Cp=1.0 and Cpk=1.0?

Thank you

Reply

 Six Sigma Study Guide (Six Sigma Study Guide Support)

9th February 2017, 6:25 pm

Erica, I’m not sure what you mean by OK ratio. Can you elaborate?

Reply

Guru
13th February 2017, 7:19 am

Hi,
I have a data which contains the quality scores of the individual persons from last 50
weeks (Individual scores for 50 persons on 50 weeks).
Can I use the cpk calculation to know how many persons are in USL & LSL?
Or any other method will be used ?
Please suggest. Thanks in advance.

Reply

 Six Sigma Study Guide (Six Sigma Study Guide Support)

15th February 2017, 9:31 pm

Guru, I’m not entirely sure what you are asking. Can you add a bit more detail?

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Reply

 Guru
15th February 2017, 11:15 pm

Hi,

Sorry for my unclear question before.

Currently, I have been measuring the quality for a group of staffs on a weekly
basis. I also set a bandwidth that the staffs who scored more than 90 percentage
were good and less than 90% was bad.
Now I have the data history for the last one year. If I want to see the statistical
detail for the past one year data(which means can I able to say the sigma levels
for each staff) what method will be used?

Reply

 Six Sigma Study Guide (Six Sigma Study Guide Support)

16th February 2017, 5:29 am

Interesting question. Is the sample size homogeneous? Were the same people
measured for every test or did the population change over time? Was the test
the same each time?

Reply

 Guru
16th February 2017, 6:16 am

Thanks for the comments.

1.The sample size was homogeneous.

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2.Mostly same people were measured for every test. Sometimes, the new
people were added and will be added overtime.

3.The population will slightly change every time.

4.The testing method will be the same each time.

 Six Sigma Study Guide (Six Sigma Study Guide Support)

17th February 2017, 7:01 am

Hard for me to give a straight answer without knowing more details on

what kind of analysis you will be looking to do, but here are some thoughts:

Since this looks like attribute data (pass / fail), consider treating it like so
and forget the scores. Then use an attribute chart to show changes over
time where each fail is a “defective” not a “defect”. You’d calculate baseline
sigma like so.

Look at what Jeremy did in his case study on using control charts on
student test scores. Depending on your use, you might consider an EWMA
chart.

If you want to compare the different populations against each other,

consider a MANOVA.

Guru
18th February 2017, 7:15 am

Hi
Thanks very much for the detailed response.
Now I will start my analysis with the baseline sigma.
However, I will consider the other sources for my future analysis plan

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Thanks again

Reply

ashley
20th February 2017, 9:59 pm

How does a Cpk of 2.0 translate into 6 sigma

quality?
• Must show the calculations supporting your response.

Reply

 Six Sigma Study Guide (Six Sigma Study Guide Support)

21st February 2017, 8:09 am

This is a good homework question because it shows the relationship between

process capability and quality. Start by listing the Cpk formula and substituting the
2.0 value. What are you left with?

Reply

 Ashley
22nd February 2017, 12:55 pm

It is a homework question. I put CPK=Z/3=6/3=2 and he said it wasnt good

enough. He said, de ne the Cpk and Z score formulas rst.

Then start applying your substitutions. Begin with the given, i.e. Cpk = 2.0.

From there, see how to elegantly interconnect the Z score in the Cpk formula.

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Reply

Adam Au
7th April 2017, 2:18 am

Dear Sir, I wish to sign up to your newsletter. Thanks a lot!

Reply

Alex
24th October 2017, 5:11 pm

pls how do you solve this -What is the Ppk of a process with a spread of 24 units, an
average of 68, an upper limit of 82 and a lower limit of 54

Reply

 Six Sigma Study Guide (Six Sigma Study Guide Support)

10th December 2017, 10:52 am

Alex, what have you tried here?

Reply

 Yun
19th January 2018, 8:46 am

I have the same question when preparing for ICBB – all solutions do not make
sense.

My calculation Ppk = 14/(24*3)

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Reply

Alexander Coulter
15th November 2017, 10:41 am

In the section “How to Calculate Cpk” you describe Cpk as the minimum of two
scaled z-scores, where those scores are Cpl and Cpu (the “Cps”). Z-scores are
calculated using standard deviations, which you also say in that section and
immediately following ones. But later on in the “How to Calculate Cp” section you
say that you don’t use standard deviation, instead you use the range: R_bar / d2.

Which is it?

Reply

SABARISH
10th January 2018, 11:30 pm

Req dimension 49 , tol+/- 1, capture value all of them within48.9 to 49.2 but cp
value comes around 0.3 , even all the data are close to required value why cp is less
than 1? Captured 125 data,n 5

Reply

SABARISH
10th January 2018, 11:32 pm

All dimensions are in mm

Reply

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 Six Sigma Study Guide (Six Sigma Study Guide Support)

12th January 2018, 6:26 am

Great excel sheets here:

http://www.cpkinfo.com/CapStudy.html

Reply

sara
21st February 2018, 2:33 am

hi
i want to calculate the cp and cpk for a group of data =250 value and the subgroup
of them is 1 .(every data of the 250 value is a subgroup itself)
how can i do that

Reply

Jerome
20th March 2018, 9:27 am

When cpk and ppk are close in value it represents a stable process, and when they
are far apart it shows an unstable process. My question is, how far apart can they be
where one can say if the process is stable or unstable.

Reply

Vikram Nayak
29th March 2018, 4:46 am

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I m involved in manufacturing of pharma products.Total number batches are 10 and

Cpk of assay of batches is 0.97. Is it acceptable ?? If not then what would be the
imapct of sample size on Cpk ?? Please reply.

Reply

Wisley Wu
24th June 2018, 9:16 pm

Hi Ted:

I appreciate that you continue share the six sigma information to me. We have some
questions about six sigma calculation.

I think that I can discuss with you , could you please kindly to answer?

1. When we talking about the capability of a process , we usually use cpk to show
how well the process is.

For example , if a dimension is a key characteristic of a product , we have USL and

LSL from the drawing.

We want to know the capability of the process . So we sample 32x and we can
calculate the cpk of the dimension from the 32x data.

Besides , according to the ‘Central Limit Theorem’ , we can easily calculate the
estimated failure rate. (normal probability. )

And we can transfer cpk to sigma level because

But how about a attribute data? If I know the yield rate of our product (like 95% ),
how can I transfer 95% to a sigma value?

In general case , we often say that the yield is 95% and maybe sigma level Z= XXXX ,
do you know what is their relationship?
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And if we can transfer yield to sigma level . Do we need to measure the process
drift(according to Motorola , the long term drift is 1.5 sigma)? Or we just need to
calculate the short term sigma level?

Reply

wisley
24th June 2018, 11:55 pm

Hi Ted:

I appreciate that you continue share the six sigma information to me. We have some
questions about six sigma calculation.

I think that I can discuss with you , could you please kindly to answer?

1. When we talking about the capability of a process , we usually use cpk to show
how well the process is.

For example , if a dimension is a key characteristic of a product , we have USL and

LSL from the drawing.

We want to know the capability of the process . So we sample 32x and we can
calculate the cpk of the dimension from the 32x data.

Besides , according to the ‘Central Limit Theorem’ , we can easily calculate the
estimated failure rate. (normal probability. )

And we can transfer cpk to sigma level because

But how about a attribute data? If I know the yield rate of our product (like 95% ),
how can I transfer 95% to a sigma value?

In general case , we often say that the yield is 95% and maybe sigma level Z= XXXX ,
do you know what is their relationship?
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And if we can transfer yield to sigma level . Do we need to measure the process
drift(according to Motorola , the long term drift is 1.5 sigma)? Or we just need to
calculate the short term sigma level?

Reply

Kyslinger
7th August 2018, 3:56 pm

There appears to be a mistake in the material on this page…

Here is the statement, from the Shooting at a Target Analogy:

“On the other hand, a person may be on average exactly at the target, but the
variation in performance is high (but still lower than the tolerance band (i.e.,
speci cation interval). In such case also Cpk will be lower, but Cp will be high. Cpk
will be higher only when you r meeting the target consistently with minimum
variation”

The issue is that, if we are perfectly centered, the Cp = Cpk, which is not what the
penultimate sentence says. The nal sentence also implies that Cpk can be higher
than Cp, which is not true.

Reply

Kyslinger
7th August 2018, 4:01 pm

This section is also wrong…

“Notes and Characteristics of Cpk

Cpk and Centered Processes
If a process is perfectly centered, it has a Cp of 1. That would indicate that mean
was 3 standard deviations away from the upper limit and the lower limit.
A perfectly centered process – a process who has a mean exactly in between the 2
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speci cation limits (meaning halfway between the two will have a Cpk of 1. How is
this possible? Let’s check the math.”

Cp has nothing to do with whether a process is centered. There is no sample mean

in the equation! Cp is the ratio of the spec range over the sample std dev. Cp = 1
when they are equal, and can be far greater than 1. Cpk is also =/= 1 just because
the process is perfectly centered. In that case, Cpk = Cp.

Reply

dany andres Cipagauta

24th August 2018, 2:47 pm

In the framework of process evaluation and analysis, CP and CPK are used as
indicators of processes, but as I seen,
they are more oriented towards each metric in particular than the process as a whole,
for example, I have a human talent management process,
that has three metrics, you can calculate the CP based on the speci cation limits of
each metric, the standard deviations of those
The data, but how would the roll-up or grouping of information to measure the
capacity of the human talent management process like everything?
Thanks

Reply

 Ted Hessing (Six Sigma Study Guide Support)

5th September 2018, 4:23 pm

Hi Dany,

I only have the capacity to answer these kind of questions in the paid forum. We’d
love to have you join!

Best, Ted.
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Reply

samy
6th October 2018, 3:17 am

I am a QHSE mgr, in an industrial company for prefabricated substations and

switch-gears and control panels,it means we’re not a mass production company and
the only one product may has a many defects .
how to calculate the CP for the assembly processes and other processes.
thank you

Reply

BB
27th November 2018, 12:35 pm

Using this partial Z Table, how many units from a month’s production run are
expected to not satisfy customer requirements for the following process? Upper
speci cation limit: 8.4 Lower speci cation limit: 4.7 Mean of the process: 6.2
Standard Deviation: 2.2 Monthly production: 360 units

Reply

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