What Does Key Process Input Variable (KPIV) Mean?
A key process input variable (KPIV) is a process input that provides a significant impact on the output variation of a process or a system or on the key process output variable (KPOV) of a product. This means that the KPOV is determined by the KPIV; so, if the KPIV is held constant, then it would yield a predictable and consistent output. As such, the KPIV determines the overall quality of the KPOV or, simply, the quality of the output of either a process or a product.
Techopedia Explains Key Process Input Variable (KPIV)
The KPIV determines the output of a process or product, which is the KPOV. For example, if the KPOV is the traction provided by a certain model of a car tire, then the KPIVs would be the width of the tire and the compound used to make it. Certain combinations of the two KPIVs will result in a particular KPOV (traction), so if the KPIVs are kept constant, then they will yield a specific traction rating, and if these variables are changed, then the tire model obtained will either have a high traction, which can be more expensive, or have a low traction yet more affordable, and these two variations will fill different segments of the market.
