Memento on the concept of capability

Capability is a term used to describe the notion of aptitude. Behind this term, it is possible to mix or confuse a whole series of concepts. As it is closely linked to the concept of statistics, vagueness can creep into people's minds.

This handbook has been drawn up to cover the various aspects of capability and the concepts often associated with it, such as statistical process control (SPC) and sampling.

This notion of capability is often confused with the notion of variability, which is vital information for the various players in a company in order to perceive the risk taken, whether :

• in design to ensure the viability of a technological solution;

• in production to check production consistency and provide a maintenance indicator;

• from a control point of view, to ensure that the measuring equipment is suitable for controlling the process.

All the terms are illustrated and used in a folding process to highlight the nuances of the terminology.