First pass yield and rolled throughput yield poster

First pass yield (FPY) is the share of units that come through one step right the first time, with no rework or repair. Rolled throughput yield (RTY) multiplies the first pass yields of every step to give the chance a unit goes through the whole line right first time. It is always lower than any single step, and it shows the hidden factory of rework that a final yield figure hides. This poster works one three-step example through.

Download the poster

The PNG is free to download now. The print-ready vector PDFs open after a short form, once.

Download PNG (300 dpi)2550 x 3300 px, prints at 8.5 x 11 in · 417 KB · no form

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First pass yield poster — 24 x 36 in18 x 24 inA2A3LetterA4PNG 300 dpi

The words on the poster

First pass and rolled yield

Every step looks fine. Multiply them and see the line.

First pass yield at each step

Machining: 95% 95 of 100 right first time.
Welding: 98% 98 of 100 right first time.
Assembly: 90% 90 of 100 right first time.

Rolled throughput yield = 0.95 × 0.98 × 0.90 = 83.8%. Only about 84 of every 100 units go through all three steps without rework.

The hidden factory Reworked units count as good in a final yield. FPY counts them as misses.
Start at the lowest Here, assembly at 90%: the biggest step up for the line.

Rolled throughput yield as in the ASQ Six Sigma Black Belt Body of Knowledge. Example figures invented.

On the floor

How to use it

Putting the First pass yield and rolled throughput yield poster to work

1
Hang it by the KPI board where yield or scrap is reported.
2
Ask whether your yield figure counts reworked parts as good. If it does, calculate FPY too.
3
Use RTY to pick the step to improve first: the lowest FPY.
4
Pair it with the free cost of poor quality worksheet.

Where the poster goes and how to teach with it, in the order to try them.

Which size to print

24 x 36 in or A2: a main wall or team board, read from a few metres away.
18 x 24 in or A3: a station or notice board. The A3 file also fits 11 x 17 in paper.
Letter or A4: a clipboard, binder or handout, on any office printer.

Every PDF is vector, so it stays sharp at full size. Nothing runs to the edge of the page, so no bleed is needed.

Sources and notes

Rolled throughput yield is one of the process performance metrics in the ASQ Certified Six Sigma Black Belt Body of Knowledge; first pass yield is the yield of a single step with no rework or repair. The example figures are invented to show the arithmetic.