What is the DPMO (defects per million opportunities) for Six Sigma?

• A. 3.4 DPMO
• B. 6.0 DPMO
• C. 1.0 DPMO
• D. 0.1 DPMO

Answer: (A)

In Six Sigma, performance is measured as defects per million opportunities (DPMO). An opportunity is each chance for a defect within a unit, and a defect is anything that fails to meet customer requirements. The target quality level for Six Sigma is 3.4 defects per one million opportunities. This figure appears because, in the long run, processes experience a roughly 1.5 sigma shift, and when you account for that shift, the corresponding defect rate is about 3.4 per million opportunities. So, the best answer is 3.4 DPMO.

DPMO is calculated as (defects / opportunities) × 1,000,000, so the exact number depends on how many defects occur relative to how many opportunities you have, but at the Six Sigma target the typical reported value is 3.4 DPMO.