Capability Analysis with JMP

By Lean Sigma Corporation

What is Process Capability Analysis?

Process capability measures how well the process performs to meet given specified outcome. It indicates the conformance of a process to meet given requirements or specifications. Capability analysis helps to better understand the performance of the process with respect to meeting customer’s specifications and identify process improvement opportunities.

Process Capability Analysis Steps

  1.  Determine the metric or parameter to measure and analyze.
  2. Collect the historical data for the parameter of interest.
  3. Prove the process is statistically stable (i.e. in control).
  4.  Calculate the process capability indices.
  5. Monitor the process and ensure it remains in control over time. Update the process capability indices if needed.

Process Capability Indices

Process capability can be presented using various indices depending on the nature of the process and the goal of the analysis. Popular process capability indices are:

  • Cp
  • Pp
  • Cpk
  • Ppk
  • Cpm

The Cp index is process capability. It assumes the process mean is centered between the specification limits and essentially is the ratio of the distance between the specification limits to six process standard deviations. Obviously, the higher this value the better, because it means you can fit the process variation between the spec limits more easily. Cp measures the process’ potential capability to meet the two-sided specifications. It does not take the process average into consideration.
High Cp indicates the small spread of the process with respect to the spread of the customer specifications. Cp is recommended when the process is centered between the specification limits. Cp works when there are both upper and lower specification limits. The higher Cp the better, meaning the spread of the process is smaller relative to the spread of the specifications.

Use JMP to Run a Process Capability Analysis

Data File: “CapabilityAnalysis.jmp”

Run Process Capability Analysis in JMP:

  1. Click Analyze -> Distribution
  2. Select “HtBk” as “Y, Columns”
  3. Click “OK”
    Capability Analysis with JMP
  4. Click on the red button next to “HtBk”
  5. Click “Capability Analysis”
  6. A window named “Capability Analysis, Setting Specification Limits” pops up
  7. Enter the 6.0 as the “Lower Spec Limit”, 6.5 as the “Target” and 7.0 as the “Upper Spec Limit”
  8. Click OK
    capability-analysis-with-jmp

Model summary: With a CPK of less than 1.0 we can conclude that the capability of this process is not very good. Anything less than 1.0 should be considered not capable and we should strive for a CPK to reach levels of greater than 1 and preferably over 1.33.

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About Lean Sigma Corporation

Lean Sigma Corporation is a trusted leader in Lean Six Sigma training and certification, boasting a rich history of providing high-quality educational resources. With a mission to honor and maintain the traditional Lean Six Sigma curriculum and certification standards, Lean Sigma Corporation has empowered thousands of professionals and organizations worldwide with over 5,300 certifications, solidifying its position and reputation as a go-to source for excellence through Lean Six Sigma methodologies.