Brief about

variance & Six Sigma

 Measure of Variation

Standard Deviation
a measure of variation of the scores about
the mean

(average deviation from the mean)

 The standard deviation

Sample Standard Deviation Formula

2
S= ∑ (x – x)
n–1
Population Standard Deviation

∑ ( x – µ) 2
 =
N
Normal Distribution Curve
 Varying the mean
Mean

Normal Distribution Curve

05 10 15 20 25 30 35 Spread
 Varying the spread
• Standard deviation is the
measure of the data
spreading.
• The more the standard
deviation, the wider the
curve ; the less the standard
deviation, the narrower the
curve.
Varying the spread
99.72
95.44
68.26
Normal Distribution (Bell) Curve
standard deviation
()

average

68.26%

95.46%

99.73%

-3s -2s -1s mean +1s +2s +3s

(m)
 Process Control Chart

USL
UCL

Mean

LCL
LSL
The Upper Control Limit (UCL) & Lower Control
Limit (LCL) are typically set...

• 3 standard deviations from mean in each

direction
• 3  (sigma) from mean in each direction
• Inside the upper & lower spec limits
• To detect & flag when a process may be out of
control
 Control Charts as SQC Tool
USL
UCL
x

x x
x x
Mean x
x
x

LCL
x
LSL
When a process is set up optimally, the
upper & lower Specification Limits
typically are...

Set outside the UCL & LCL and set equal

distance from the mean value
 Control Charts
Control charts are graphs that illustrate how a process

performs over time with respect to a specific product

or service characteristic and provide a statistical

signal when special causes of variation are present.

 Process Control Chart
Upper
control
limit

Process
average

Lower
control
limit

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Sample number
 A Process Is In Control If
• No sample points outside limits
• Most points near process average
• About equal number of points above & below
centerline
• Points appear randomly distributed
 LSL USL
Specification Limits: Customer-determined
Voice of the customer

Process
People
Materials
Methods
Output

UCL
Voice of the process

LCL

Control Limits: Process determined