Statistical Process Control
A method of quality control that uses statistical methods to monitor and control manufacturing processes, detecting when a process is drifting out of control before defects are produced.
Why it matters
SPC is the foundational technique for moving from reactive (inspect-and-reject) to preventive (detect-and-correct) quality management. When augmented with ML, it can detect subtle process signatures that indicate emerging quality issues hours or days before they produce scrap.
External References
This term appears in
Cite this definition
Finocchiaro, Michael. “Statistical Process Control.” DemystifyingPLM PLM Glossary, 2026, https://www.demystifyingplm.com/glossary/statistical-process-control