Question
Recently, there is a debate in my organization about Defective Parts Per Million (DPPM) computation.
Camp 1 - DPPM = (No of parts rejected / No of parts inspected) * 1,000,000 Camp 2 - DPPM = (No of parts rejected / No of parts received) * 1,000,000
We perform sampling inspection based on AQL.
Camp 1 insists they are correct and likewise for Camp 2. Which is correct or more appropriate to reflect supplier quality?
Answer
This is not an uncommon question. If you look at the standard, they define the % nonconforming as the number of parts nonconforming/number of parts inspected x 100. If you are looking at DPPM, instead of multiplying by 100, you put in 1,000,000.
This means that by your definition, Camp 1 is correct. This is also what was intended by the creators of the sampling scheme.
Jim Bossert
Sr Performance Improvement Specialist
JPS Hospital
ASQ Fellow, CQE, CQA, CMQ/OE, CSSBB, CSSMBB
Fort Worth, TX
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