DEFECTS PER MILLION OPPORTUNITIES (DPMO)

The total number of defects against the total number of opportunities, expressed in millions.

Equation:

DPMO = (1,000,000 * # of defects) / (units produced * # of characteristics)

Example:

Process A produced 1000 widgets. The process has 10 characteristics. Fifty errors were detected in the process. Calculate DPMO.

DPMO = (1,000,000 * 50) / (1,000 * 10) = 5,000