An alternative desirability function for achieving ‘six sigma’ quality

Abstract

Abstract To achieve high process yields or ‘six sigma’ quality, engineers often need to evaluate and optimize processes that are characterized by multiple quality characteristics. Existing desirability functions weigh together multiple objectives but they have a number of limitations. Most importantly, available desirability functions do not explicitly account for the combined effect of the mean and the dispersion of the quality characteristic. Therefore, it is easy to incur excessive expenditures or unknowingly to fail to achieve targeted yields. In this paper, a desirability function is proposed that addresses these limitations. This function conservatively estimates the ‘effective yield’ under assumptions described in the ‘six sigma’ literature. We use an arc‐welding application to illustrate how the proposed desirability function can yield a substantially higher level of quality as well as a more accurate assessment of the process capability than available alternatives. We suggest that the proposed desirability function should be used to facilitate multicriterion optimization when dispersion data are available. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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