Six Sigma Review

These flashcards cover essential terminology and concepts related to Six Sigma and Statistical Process Control.

Six Sigma

An overall approach and philosophy for process improvement that aims to reduce defects to fewer than 3.4 per million opportunities.

Defect-based metric

A numerical representation of errors in a process, specifically equating to 3.4 or fewer defects per million opportunities in Six Sigma.

Statistical Process Control (SPC)

A statistical method that separates special-cause variations from common variations in processes to identify and eliminate root causes of defects.

Common Cause Variation

Natural variability inherent in a process, predictable and present in stable conditions.

Special Cause Variation

Variation due to identifiable factors outside normal process behavior, which is unpredictable and signals something unusual.

Control Chart

A graphical tool used in SPC to monitor process behavior over time, displaying a centerline, upper control limit, and lower control limit.

UCL and LCL

Upper Control Limit (UCL) and Lower Control Limit (LCL) define the threshold for acceptable process performance, calculated based on mean and standard deviation.

DMAIC

A Six Sigma process framework standing for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control, used for process improvement.

Histogram

A graphical representation that shows the frequency distribution of a data set, making patterns visible.

Variation

Differences in process outputs due to inherent differences in data and conditions, which can be classified as common or special causes.