Quality management
SPC and MSA: Control Charts, Capability and Gauge R&R
Learn control charts, process capability and gauge R&R with every number worked step by step from data you can repeat.
- Free
- Beginner
- 16 hours
- Self-paced
- Certificate optional
No card, no trial. The course is free for good. Certificate US$23.99, optional.
After this course you can
By the end you will be able to:
- Build and read X-bar, individuals and attribute control charts
- Apply run rules and write a reaction plan
- Calculate Cp, Cpk, Pp and Ppk with their confidence
- Run a gauge R&R study by ranges and by ANOVA
- Judge an inspection with an attribute agreement study
Who it is for, and what you need first
Who it is for
Quality, process and manufacturing engineers, inspectors, supplier quality staff and students who work with control charts, process capability and gauge studies.
Level: Beginner. Beginner to intermediate. For quality, process and manufacturing engineers, inspectors, supplier-quality staff and students. Basic arithmetic and averages are enough; every formula is built up in the notes and every worked number can be repeated in Excel, LibreOffice Calc, JASP or R.
What you need
Software: A spreadsheet (Excel or LibreOffice Calc) is all the course needs. JASP or R can repeat the ANOVA and capability steps; Minitab appears in some videos and is optional..
Hardware: None. A caliper and a gauge block make the measurement-system practice more real but are not required.. What to download, and how.
How this course works
Watch the lessons
Short video lessons, one module at a time, at your own pace.
Read the notes
Open the Reading tab for the written notes and diagrams of the module.
Check yourself
Answer the questions to see what stuck before you move on.
Final assessment
Pass the final once you have been through the modules.
Certificate, if you want oneOptional
Optional, with a page anyone can use to verify it.
What you learn
15 modules in order, at your own pace. 16 hours of video lessons, with written notes and a practice task in each module.
- 1Variation, process thinking and the control chart idea22m
- 2Rational subgroups, sample size and sampling frequency25m
- 3Variables charts: X-bar and R, X-bar and S40m
- 4Individuals and moving range charts1h 3m
- 5Attribute charts: p, np, c and u16m
- 6Run rules and reacting to signals39m
- 7Short runs, pre-control and SPC on the shop floor1h 17m
- 8Process capability: Cp and Cpk24m
Show the other 7 modules
- 9Process performance: Pp, Ppk, non-normal data and confidence20m
- 10MSA basics: resolution, bias, linearity and stability34m
- 11Gauge R&R by the average and range method55m
- 12Gauge R&R by ANOVA1h 38m
- 13Attribute agreement analysis54m
- 14SPC and MSA in APQP, PPAP and IATF 16949, and the reaction plan15m
- 15Final Assessment1m
Software you need
What to download, where from, what it costs and how to install it. Every link goes to the maker's own site, never a mirror.
Nothing to install
A spreadsheet such as Excel, or LibreOffice Calc which is free, is enough for every calculation. JASP and R are free options for the ANOVA and capability steps. Minitab appears in some videos and is optional.
Show what to download (1 tool)
Optional
Useful, not needed to finish the course.
- 01Free
LibreOffice
The Document Foundation
- Runs on
- Windows 10 or 11, macOS 11 or newer (Intel or Apple silicon), Linux
- Account
- None needed
- Size
- up to 1.5 GB of disk space on Windows
LibreOffice is free, open-source software under the Mozilla Public License 2.0, for any use including business. Calc is its spreadsheet.
Steps
- 1.Open the LibreOffice download page.
- 2.Check the page has picked your operating system, then select Download.
- 3.Run the installer (administrator rights are needed on Windows).
- 4.Start LibreOffice Calc for spreadsheet work.
- 5.Save as .xlsx if you need to share files with Excel users.
- Choose the latest main version unless your organisation asks for the older, more conservative release.
Official download pagelibreoffice.org
Checked against each maker's own page on 27 September 2026. Trial lengths and editions change; the maker's page is the final word.
What you practise
Course project, about 14 hours
Capability and gauge study pack for a valve-stem grinding line
Act as the quality engineer who must show a customer that a valve-stem grinding line is stable, capable and measured by an adequate gauge. You build the charts, the capability figures, the gauge study and a reaction plan, and recommend whether to release the line.
- 4documents in the pack
- 8steps to follow
- 6things to hand in
- 14 hof work, at your pace
- ReportValve-stem process stability and capability summary
- RegisterGauge study results register
- PlanControl plan extract and reaction plan for the stem diameter
- ProcedureSPC sampling and charting procedure for the grinding line
The project is optional practice. The certificate needs only the modules and the final assessment.
After the course, your next step
Show what you can do, then keep going in the same field.
A certificate you can verify
Finish the modules and pass the final assessment (15 questions, pass mark 60%) and you can add a certificate with a public verification page. One-off, US$23.99 for you. It is not a vendor credential.
Want a free certificate? Do the matching Free internship: 4 weeks, nothing to buy, with a free certificate of completion.
Project work you can show
Weekly briefs and a work record, online. Pick the internship that fits you. Finish the 4 weeks and get a free Internship Completion Certificate, with a QR code anyone can scan to verify it. Training, not employment.
Find an internshipPart of a learning path
Courses in a planned order, so each one builds on the last.
More free courses
Roles that use this skill
- Quality engineer
- Process improvement analyst
- Quality auditor
- Operations manager
These are the kinds of roles where the skill is used. We make no promise of a job or an interview.
Plain notes
- Free: the whole course, the notes, the practice tasks, the final assessment and support from practising engineers.
- Paid, and optional: the course certificate, and the Premium internship (the Free internship costs nothing).
- No job promise: the course teaches a skill. It does not place you in a job.
- Lessons by: Lean Six Sigma Training, numiqo, QualityGurus, SPC for Excel Software, StatStuff, CQE Academy, Olanab, The Engineering Toolbox Channel, Statistics Basics, Mitutoyo America Corporation, Quality HUB India, SIGMADESK, Minitab, GageRandR, Bhavya Mangla, Q Ultima Learning, Green Belt Academy, Insights unleashed, EngSuite, Problem Solving, Dr. Japan Trivedi, Knowledge Factory-Lean Six Sigma, Digital E-Learning, Tom Mentink, LEARN & APPLY : Lean and Six Sigma. Independent creators; the lessons stream from their own channels. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, practice tasks and assessments.
Lean Six Sigma Training · numiqo · QualityGurus · SPC for Excel Software · StatStuff · CQE Academy · Olanab · The Engineering Toolbox Channel · Statistics Basics · Mitutoyo America Corporation · Quality HUB India · SIGMADESK · Minitab · GageRandR · Bhavya Mangla · Q Ultima Learning · Green Belt Academy · Insights unleashed · EngSuite · Problem Solving · Dr. Japan Trivedi · Knowledge Factory-Lean Six Sigma · Digital E-Learning · Tom Mentink · LEARN & APPLY : Lean and Six Sigma. If you are one of these creators and want a lesson removed or credited differently, write to info@wartens.com.
Why learn with EDWartens
What you get with this course, and what comes after it.
- Free from the first lesson to the final assessment.
- Video lessons with written notes and a project.
- An optional certificate that anyone can verify online.
- Free internships to keep practising afterwards.
Common questions
What is the SPC and MSA course?
It is a free-to-learn course on statistical process control and measurement system analysis. You build control charts, calculate Cp, Cpk, Pp and Ppk, and run gauge R&R and attribute agreement studies. Every number is worked from data printed in the notes, so you can repeat it in a spreadsheet.
Who is the SPC and MSA course for?
It is for quality, process and manufacturing engineers, inspectors, supplier quality staff and students. You need basic arithmetic and averages. Each formula is built up from the start, so no statistics background is required.
Do I need Minitab for the SPC and MSA course?
No. A spreadsheet such as Excel or LibreOffice Calc is enough for every calculation in the notes and the project. JASP or R can repeat the ANOVA and capability steps. Minitab appears in a few videos and is optional.
Which AIAG manuals does the course follow?
It teaches the ideas that the AIAG SPC manual (second edition) and the MSA manual (fourth edition) share with textbook practice, in its own words. AIAG announced a new SPC edition in July 2026, so check which edition your customer names. No table or form from the manuals is copied.
Is this course an AIAG, IATF or ASQ credential?
No. The course gives you the knowledge used in SPC and MSA work, but its certificate is a verifiable certificate of completion from EDWartens. It is not an AIAG, IATF or ASQ qualification, and third-party IATF auditors are qualified through IATF-approved bodies.
How long is the course and is it free?
It has about 9.7 hours of video and around 16 hours in total with the notes, worked problems and practice. The modules, notes, practice and the optional project are free to learn. You learn at your own pace.
What certificate does the SPC and MSA: Control Charts, Capability and Gauge R&R course give?
You get a verifiable certificate of completion once you finish the modules and pass the 15-question final at 60 percent. It carries a unique certificate number, a QR code and a public verification page that shows the course, the modules and the final score.
Where do SPC and MSA fit in APQP, PPAP and IATF 16949?
Gauge studies and capability studies are planned in APQP, named in the control plan and submitted as PPAP evidence. IATF 16949 expects measurement system studies and statistical tools for the characteristics in the control plan. The last module shows where each piece sits and how to write a reaction plan.
Start free today
SPC and MSA: Control Charts, Capability and Gauge R&R, at your own pace. Add the certificate only if you want one.