Statistical Process Control (SPC) XL (Excel)

General Information

Technologies must be operated and maintained in accordance with Federal and Department security and privacy policies and guidelines. More information on the proper use of the TRM can be found on the TRM Proper Use Tab/Section.

Website:	Go to site
Description:	Statistical Process Control (SPC) XL (Excel) provides advanced functionality for Microsoft Excel. It contains features for Control Charts, Process Capability Index (Cpk) analysis, Histograms, Pareto Diagrams, Measure System Analysis (MSA), Regression, and Hypothesis Testing. These features can be used for Six Sigma, Design for Six Sigma (DFSS), International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9000, or general use.
Technology/Standard Usage Requirements:	Users must ensure their use of this technology/standard is consistent with VA policies and standards, including, but not limited to, VA Handbooks 6102 and 6500; VA Directives 6004, 6513, and 6517; and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards, including Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS). Users must ensure sensitive data is properly protected in compliance with all VA regulations. Prior to use of this technology, users should check with their supervisor, Information Security Officer (ISO), Facility Chief Information Officer (CIO), or local Office of Information and Technology (OI&T) representative to ensure that all actions are consistent with current VA policies and procedures prior to implementation.
Section 508 Information:	This technology has been assessed by the Section 508 Office and found non-conformant. The Implementer of this technology has the responsibility to ensure the version deployed is 508-compliant. Section 508 compliance may be reviewed by the Section 508 Office and appropriate remedial action required if necessary. For additional information or assistance regarding Section 508, please contact the Section 508 Office at Section508@va.gov. Please see reference tab for more information concerning product versions.
Decision:	View Decisions

Decision Source:	TRM Mgmt Group
Decision Process:	One-VA TRM v23.11
Decision Date:	11/02/2023 at 18:48:01 UTC
Aliases:	Statistical Process Control, SPC XL
Introduced By:	TRM Request
Vendor Name:	SigmaZone

Vendor Release Information

The Vendor Release table provides the known releases for the TRM Technology, obtained from the vendor (or from the release source).

Version	Release Date	Vendor End of Life Date	Vendor Desupport Date
2.43.x	03/15/2012
2.50.x	07/12/2017
20.00.x	01/13/2021

Current Decision Matrix (10/31/2023)

Users must ensure their use of this technology/standard is consistent with VA policies and standards, including, but not limited to, VA Handbooks 6102 and 6500; VA Directives 6004, 6513, and 6517; and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards, including Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS). Users must ensure sensitive data is properly protected in compliance with all VA regulations. Prior to use of this technology, users should check with their supervisor, Information Security Officer (ISO), Facility Chief Information Officer (CIO), or local Office of Information and Technology (OI&T) representative to ensure that all actions are consistent with current VA policies and procedures prior to implementation.

The VA Decision Matrix displays the current and future VA IT position regarding different releases of a TRM entry. These decisions are based upon the best information available as of the most current date. The consumer of this information has the responsibility to consult the organizations responsible for the desktop, testing, and/or production environments to ensure that the target version of the technology will be supported. Any major.minor version that is not listed in the VA Decision Matrix is considered unapproved for use.

Legend:

White	Approved: The technology/standard has been approved for use.
Yellow	Approved w/Constraints: The technology/standard can be used within the specified constraints located below the decision matrix in the footnote[1] and on the General tab.
Gray	Unapproved: This technology or standard can be used only if a POA&M review is conducted and signed by the Authorizing Official Designated Representative (AODR) as designated by the Authorizing Official (AO) or designee and based upon a recommendation from the POA&M Compliance Enforcement, has been granted to the project team or organization that wishes to use the technology.
Orange	Divest: VA has decided to divest itself on the use of the technology/standard. As a result, all projects currently utilizing the technology/standard must plan to eliminate their use of the technology/standard. Additional information on when the entry is projected to become unapproved may be found on the Decision tab for the specific entry.
Black	Prohibited: The technology/standard is not (currently) permitted to be used under any circumstances.
Blue	Planning/Evaluation Constraint:The period of time this technology is currently being evaluated, reviewed, and tested in controlled environments. Use of this technology is strictly controlled and not available for use within the general population. If a customer would like to use this technology, please work with your local or Regional OI&T office and contact the appropriate evaluation office displayed in the notes below the decision matrix. The Local or Regional OI&T office should submit an inquiry to the TRM if they require further assistance or if the evaluating office is not listed in the notes below.

Release/Version Information:

VA decisions for specific versions may include a ‘.x’ wildcard, which denotes a decision that pertains to a range of multiple versions.

For example, a technology approved with a decision for 7.x would cover any version of 7.(Anything) - 7.(Anything). However, a 7.4.x decision would cover any version of 7.4.(Anything), but would not cover any version of 7.5.x or 7.6.x on the TRM.

VA decisions for specific versions may include ‘+’ symbols; which denotes that the decision for the version specified also includes versions greater than what is specified but is not to exceed or affect previous decimal places.

For example, a technology approved with a decision for 12.6.4+ would cover any version that is greater than 12.6.4, but would not exceed the .6 decimal ie: 12.6.401 is ok, 12.6.5 is ok, 12.6.9 is ok, however 12.7.0 or 13.0 is not.

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Release

Q1

Q2

Q3

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Q1

Q2

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Q4

Q1

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2.43.x

Unapproved

2.50.x

Unapproved

20.00.x

Approved w/Constraints
[3, 6, 7, 8]

Decision Constraints


[1]	If free trialware is utilized, the software must be purchased or removed at the end of the trial period.

[2]	Users should check with their supervisor, Information Security Office (ISO) or local OIT representative for permission to download and use this software. Downloaded software must always be scanned for viruses prior to installation to prevent adware or malware. Freeware may only be downloaded directly from the primary site that the creator of the software has advertised for public download and user or development community engagement. Users should note, any attempt by the installation process to install any additional, unrelated software is not approved and the user should take the proper steps to decline those installations.

[3]	Technology must remain patched and operated in accordance with Federal and Department security policies and guidelines in order to mitigate known and future security vulnerabilities.

[4]	If free trialware is utilized, the software must be purchased or removed at the end of the trial period. Users must ensure that Microsoft Excel is implemented with VA-approved baselines. (refer to the ‘Category’ tab under ‘Runtime Dependencies’)

[5]	If free trialware is utilized, the software must be purchased or removed at the end of the trial period. Users must ensure that Microsoft Excel is implemented with VA-approved baselines. (Refer to the ‘Category’ tab under ‘Runtime Dependencies’)

[6]	Users should check with their supervisor, Information System Security Officer (ISSO) or local OIT representative for permission to download and use this software. Downloaded software must always be scanned for viruses prior to installation to prevent adware or malware. Freeware may only be downloaded directly from the primary site that the creator of the software has advertised for public download and user or development community engagement. Users should note, any attempt by the installation process to install any additional, unrelated software is not approved and the user should take the proper steps to decline those installations.

[7]	If free trialware is utilized, the software must be purchased or removed at the end of the trial period. Users must ensure that Microsoft Excel is implemented with VA-approved baselines. (Refer to the ‘Category’ tab under ‘Runtime Dependencies’) Users must not utilize version 2010 of this technology, as it has reached end of life status and is no longer supported by the vendor and is unapproved for use on the TRM.

[8]	The Federal Information Processing standards (FIPS) 140-2 certification status of this technology was not able to be verified. This technology will require a 3rd party FIPS 140-2 or 140-3 certified solution for any data containing PHI/PII or VA sensitive information, where applicable. More information regarding the Cryptographic Module Validation Program (CMVP) can be found on the NIST website.

Note:

At the time of this writing, Version 20.00.0001 is the latest, released on 1/13/2021

References

The following reference(s) are associated with this entry:
Type	Name	Source	Description
Vendor Provided*	Statistical Process Control (SPC) XL (Excel) System Requirements	Publicly Available	This site provides the system requirements for installing this technology.
Vendor Provided*	Statistical Process Control (SPC) XL (Excel)	Publicly Available	This site provides a list of features for this technology.
Vendor Provided*	SigmaZone Software Updates	Publicly Available	This site provides a list of versioning for this technology.
*NOTE: Vendor provided information is subject to the accuracy of the manufacturer.

Technology Components

Note: This list may not be complete. No component, listed or unlisted, may be used outside of the technology in which it is released. The usage decision for a component is found in the Decision and Decision Constraints.
Name	Description
No components have been identified for this entry.

VA Categories View the VA Categorization Framework

Domain Area	Category	Customer Guidance	Category Locked By ELT Date
Information Management Technologies Business Intelligence and Data Warehouse Platforms	Data Analytics (Statistical Analysis, Prediction, and Modeling)

Operating Systems Supported by the Technology

Windows Client - Approved w/Constraints

Technologies/Standards Relationships

Runtime Dependencies:

Microsoft Excel

Comparable Technologies:

Companion Technologies/Supported Standards:

Comma-Separated Values (CSV) Format

General Analysis

Adoption Benefits

This technology may improve productivity for specific staff whose responsibilities include the use of Lean Six Sigma and Statistical Process Control (SPC) methodologies.
At the time of writing, no National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) vulnerabilities had been reported and no VA Cyber Security Operations Center (CSOC) bulletins had been issued for the latest versions of this technology.
This technology provides advanced functionality to Microsoft Excel.
This is a well-documented technology.

Adoption Risks

There is no indication based on available vendor documentation that this technology is Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2 compliant.
The potential exists to store Personally Identifiable Information (PII), Protected Health Information (PHI) and/or VA Sensitive data and proper security standards must be followed in these cases.
Due to the rapid release schedule of this technology, the VA may be unable to update to the most recent patch and may require a deployment model requiring the use of specific versions.
This technology has a free trial period, which carries the potential for the disruption of service delivery and inaccurate financial planning.

Architectural Risks

This technology is not portable as it runs only on Windows platforms.

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General Information

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Current Decision Matrix (10/31/2023)

Decision Constraints

References

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General Information

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Current Decision Matrix (10/31/2023)

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VA Categories View the VA Categorization Framework

Operating Systems Supported by the Technology

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Runtime Dependencies:

Comparable Technologies:

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General Analysis

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Architectural Risks

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