Pareto Analysis
80/20 rule - focus on the important stuff....

Parts Per Million (PPM)
PPM is a way of stating the performance of a process in terms of actual or projected defective material. PPM data can be used to indicate areas variation requiring attention.

PFMEA
Process Failure Mode and Effects Analysis.

Population
A theoretical, infinitely large sample

Precision
The closeness of agreement between randomly selected individual measurements or test results. Also see Accuracy.

Preliminary Bill of Material
An initial Bill of Material completed prior to design and print release.

Preliminary Process Capability Studies
Preliminary Process Capability Studies are short-term studies conducted to obtain early information on the performance of new or revised processes relative to internal or customer requirements. In many cases, preliminary studies should be conducted at several points in the evolution of new processes (e.g., at the equipment or tooling subcontractor's plant, after installation at the supplier's plant) These studies should be based on as many measurements as possible. When X-Bar and R charts, at least twenty subgroups (typically three to five pieces) are required to obtain sufficient data for decision making. When this amount of data is not available, control charts should be started with whatever data is available.

Procedures
Documented processes that are used when work affects more than one function or department of an organization.

Process
Is a combination of people, equipment, methods, materials and environment that produces output, - a given product or service. A process can involve any aspect of a business.

Process Analysis Tools
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Process Flow Diagram
Depicts the flow of material through the process, including any rework or repair operations.

Product Assurance Plan
A part of the Product Quality Plan. It is a prevention-oriented management tool that addresses product design, process design, and when applicable software design.

Production Part Approval Submissions
The submissions are based on small quantities of parts taken from a significant production run made with production tooling, processes, and cycle times. Parts for production part approval are checked by the supplier to all engineering requirements.

Production Trial Run
Product made using all production tools, processes, equipment, environment, facility, and cycle time.