A free online reference for statistical process control, process capability analysis, measurement systems analysis, control chart interpretation, and other quality metrics.
A process is said to be in control or stable, if it is in statistical control. A process is in statistical control when all special causes of variation have been removed and only common cause variation remains.
Control charts are used to determine whether a process is in statistical control or not. If there are no points beyond the control limits, no trends up, down, above, or below the centerline, and no patterns, the process is said to be in statistical control.
Capability is the ability of the process to produce output that meets specifications. A process is said to be capable if nearly 100% of the output from the process is within the specifications. A process can be in control, yet fail to meet specification requirements. In this situation, you would need to take steps to improve or redesign the process.
See also: >> Can a process produce output within specifications? >> Capability vs control >> Normal data capability analysis >> Non-normal data capability analysis >> What is capability analysis and when is it used? >> What are the capability indices?