Defects Per Opportunity

Purpose
To compute the number of defects per opportunity in order to calculate the probability of defect free units produced by the process.

Anatomy

Defects Per Opportunity

DPO
A

D TOP D OPxU

Six Sigma - Tools & Concepts

DefPerOp_001

Reference:

The Vision of Six Sigma: A Roadmap for Breakthrough

Terminology
A. B. C. D. E. Defects per Opportunity; Number of defects affecting the units produced by the process; Total number of opportunities per characteristic; Number of opportunities per unit; Number of units per characteristic.

Major Considerations
A critical characteristic is an opportunity for defect. One opportunity is an opportunity only if it is measured (i.e. only active opportunities are considered).

Application Cookbook
1. 2. 3. 4. Select critical characteristics; For each characteristic, count the number of active opportunities; Count the number of defects per characteristic; Apply formula.