By Kerri Simon
In order for any process capability to accurately be calculated, one must properly define and quantify the process defect, unit and opportunity. Every process should have definitions for defect, unit and opportunity. This article will define the defects, units and opportunities, as well as provide examples.
Start With The Customer
Before you can define your process defects, units and opportunities, you need to understand the needs of your customers. Voice of the Customer (Customer Needs, eSurveys, Focus Groups, Surveys) is the process of gathering customer comments/quotes and translating them into issues and specifications. From these comments, issues and specifications come the customer CTQ (Critical To Quality) – a product or service characteristic that must be met to satisfy a customer specification or requirement.
Define Your Product/Service Defects
A defect is defined as any part of a product or service that:
- does not meet customer specifications or requirements, or
- causes customer dissatisfaction, or
- does not fulfill the functional or physical requirements.
It should be noted that the term customer refers to both internal and external customers.
Define Your Product/Service Units
A unit is something that can be quantified by a customer. It is a measurable and observable output of your business process. It may manifest itself as a physical unit or, if a service, it may have specific start and stop points.
Define Your Product/Service Opportunities
Simply stated, opportunities are the total number of chances per unit to have a defect. Each opportunity must be independent of other opportunities and, like a unit, must be measurable and observable. The final requirement of an opportunity is that it directly relates to the customer CTQ (see Start With The Customer above). The total count of opportunities indicates the complexity of a product or service.
CTQ Examples Including Defect, Unit and Opportunity
Area: Call Center
