NPI, DFM/DFA & Engineering Change worked example

Pilot Yield at 99% target first-pass pilot yield: a worked example

What does the result look like when target first-pass pilot yield reaches 99%? The full calculation is worked below with real intermediate numbers. Use it when pilot yield in npi, dfm/dfa and engineering change needs a clean rate and gap-to-target you can put on a tier board.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Good units off the pilot build: 8 count (unchanged)
  • Total units started in the pilot run: 250 count (unchanged)
  • Target first-pass pilot yield: 99 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 95)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Pilot yield rate = pilot yield count ÷ total pilot yield population × 100) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 3.2 % for pilot yield rate, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 95.8 points for pilot yield gap to target.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 8 count for pilot yield count.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 250 count for total pilot yield population.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where target first-pass pilot yield sits at 95% and the headline result is 3.2 %, this scenario lands almost exactly on the baseline at 3.2 %.
  • A figure at this level is achievable when target first-pass pilot yield is genuinely sustained, not just peaked for a shift. A single pilot is a small sample, so a yield number from 250 units carries wide statistical uncertainty and can swing on one or two defect modes.

Results at a glance

  • Pilot yield rate: 3.2 % (headline result)
  • Pilot yield gap to target: 95.8 points
  • Pilot yield count: 8 count
  • Total pilot yield population: 250 count

Run it with your numbers

  • Every input above is editable in the live Pilot Yield calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.