acceptable quality level (AQL) Proportion of defects a consumer considers acceptable. Click here for Hint AQL or producer’s risk or assignable variation?

acceptance sampling Estimating the quality of conformance of large batches through inspection of smaller samples. Click here for Hint mean chart or acceptance sampling or SPC?

assignable variation Deviations with a specific cause or source. Click here for Hint assignable variation or SPC or LTPD?

Average outgoing quality (AOQ) Estimate of the proportion of defects that pass an acceptance sampling plan. Click here for Hint tolerance or assignable variation or AOQ?

c-chart Control chart used in monitoring the count of some characteristic within a sample. Click here for Hint c-chart or p-chart or R-chart?

Central Limit Theorem The observation that sample values will approximate a normal distribution, regardless of the underlying distribution of the population being sampled. Click here for Hint standard normal distribution or control limit or Central Limit Theorem?

consumer’s risk The likelihood of a type II error. Click here for Hint consumer’s risk or producer’s risk or Taguchi loss function?

control chart Graph illustrating observed values in relationship to the allowable limits on those values. Click here for Hint c-chart or control limit or control chart?

control limit A control chart boundary, where values observed beyond this limit signal the process is not in control. Click here for Hint c-chart or control limit or control chart?

defect A single identifiable deviation from acceptable conformance. Click here for Hint tolerance or range or defect?

functional organizational structure An organization of specialists grouped into distinct departments. Click here for Hint functional organizational structure or TQM or LTPD?

lot tolerance percent defective (LTPD) Maximum proportion of defects that a consumer can tolerate. Click here for Hint LTPD or tolerance or assignable variation?

mean chart Control chart used in monitoring the central tendency of some characteristic within a sample, also known as an x-bar chart in reference to the plotting of averages. Click here for Hint c-chart or p-chart or mean chart?

natural variation The randomness inherent in a process, also known as random variation. Click here for Hint SPC or natural variation or OC curve?

operating characteristic (OC) curve A graph of the likelihood of accepting a batch, given an increasing proportion of defects within that batch. Click here for Hint SPC or acceptance sampling or OC curve?

outcome bias A tendency to assume a process is acceptable if its output is acceptable. Click here for Hint type II error or type I error or outcome bias?

p-chart Control chart used in monitoring the proportion of some characteristic within a sample. Click here for Hint c-chart or p-chart or R-chart?

Poisson distribution A discrete probability distribution describing the likelihood of a particular number of independent events within a particular interval. Click here for Hint Poisson distribution or SPC or Taguchi loss function?

process capability The natural variation in an existing process, stated relative to the allowable variation specified in a product’s design. Click here for Hint producer’s risk or process capability or consumer’s risk?

producer’s risk The likelihood of a type I error. Click here for Hint consumer’s risk or producer’s risk or Taguchi loss function?

quality of conformance The degree to which the output of an operation meets the producer’s expectations. Click here for Hint quality of conformance or producer’s risk or outcome bias?

R-chart Control chart used in monitoring the range of some characteristic within a sample. Click here for Hint c-chart or p-chart or R-chart?

range The difference between the largest observed value of some characteristic within a sample and the smallest observed value of that same characteristic. Click here for Hint mean chart or type I error or range?

sampling plan Defined procedure for conducting acceptance sampling, including the criteria that determines rejection of the batch being sampled. Click here for Hint natural variation or sampling plan or SPC?

scientific management A methodology stressing the use of data collection and analysis to redesign processes and improve efficiency. Click here for Hint AQL or scientific management or TQM?

standard normal distribution A normal distribution with a mean of 0 and a variance of 1. Any other normal distribution can be converted to this standard, allowing the use of standard normal tables to analyze the original distributions. Click here for Hint standard normal distribution or control limit or Central Limit Theorem?

statistical process control (SPC) The monitoring of overall conformance through the ongoing evaluation of samples. Click here for Hint SPC or AQL or TQM?

Taguchi loss function A proposed model of the cost of nonconformance that penalizes even small degrees of deviation from a target specification. Click here for Hint SPC or Taguchi loss function or control chart?

tolerance Allowable variation from a standard. Click here for Hint SPC or assignable variation or tolerance?

total quality management (TQM) Simultaneous and continuous pursuit of improvement in both the quality of design and conformance through the involvement of the entire organization. Click here for Hint TQM or AQL or SPC?

type I error In quality control, concluding the process is out of control when in fact it is not. Click here for Hint type I error or type II error or defect?

type II error In quality control, concluding the process is in control when in fact it is not. Click here for Hint type I error or type II error or control limit?