What is the target defect level of Six Sigma?

What is the target defect level of Six Sigma?

• A. Less than 3.4 defects per million opportunities
• B. More than 1% defect rate
• C. 0 defects allowed in any product
• D. 10 defects per million

Answer: (A)

Six Sigma targets an extremely low defect rate measured as defects per million opportunities. The standard target is less than 3.4 defects per million opportunities, which reflects a near-perfection level in processes. This figure comes from the Six Sigma concept of a highly stable process, allowing for a typical 1.5 sigma shift that can occur in real-world operations, so the baseline is set at 3.4 DPMO rather than zero defects. In practical terms, it means about 99.99966% of opportunities are defect-free. The other options describe defect levels that are far too high, or an impossible zero-defect standard, which isn’t how Six Sigma is defined.

Six Sigma targets an extremely low defect rate measured as defects per million opportunities. The standard target is less than 3.4 defects per million opportunities, which reflects a near-perfection level in processes. This figure comes from the Six Sigma concept of a highly stable process, allowing for a typical 1.5 sigma shift that can occur in real-world operations, so the baseline is set at 3.4 DPMO rather than zero defects. In practical terms, it means about 99.99966% of opportunities are defect-free.

The other options describe defect levels that are far too high, or an impossible zero-defect standard, which isn’t how Six Sigma is defined.