BMAT Quality Control & Assurance 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following best describes a 'corrective action' in a quality management system?
- An action taken to prevent a potential nonconformity
- An action taken to eliminate the cause of a detected nonconformity (Correct answer)
- A routine check performed during production
- A document describing quality objectives
Correct answer: An action taken to eliminate the cause of a detected nonconformity
Corrective action addresses the root cause of an existing nonconformity to prevent its recurrence, distinguishing it from preventive action.
Question 2: The process capability index Cpk measures:
- The average defect rate of a process
- How well a process fits within specification limits relative to its mean (Correct answer)
- The number of defects per unit produced
- The ratio of detected to undetected defects
Correct answer: How well a process fits within specification limits relative to its mean
Cpk accounts for process centering by measuring how far the process mean is from the nearest specification limit relative to process variation.
Question 3: In Six Sigma, the DMAIC methodology stands for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and:
- Implement
- Inspect
- Control (Correct answer)
- Certify
Correct answer: Control
The final phase, Control, ensures that improvements are sustained over time through monitoring plans, control charts, and updated procedures.
Question 4: A supplier sends a batch of parts that fails incoming inspection. The quality team should first:
- Immediately reject the entire shipment
- Quarantine the batch and initiate a nonconformance report (Correct answer)
- Return all parts without documentation
- Increase the acceptance sampling level for all future orders
Correct answer: Quarantine the batch and initiate a nonconformance report
Quarantining the batch prevents nonconforming parts from entering production while a nonconformance report initiates formal disposition and root cause investigation.
Question 5: Which quality cost category includes expenses such as scrap, rework, and warranty repairs?
- Appraisal costs
- Prevention costs
- Failure costs (Correct answer)
- Conformance costs
Correct answer: Failure costs
Failure costs (both internal and external) result from defects, including scrap and rework found before delivery and warranty claims found after delivery.
Question 6: A gage R&R study is conducted to evaluate:
- The accuracy of a sampling plan
- The measurement system's repeatability and reproducibility (Correct answer)
- The process capability relative to specifications
- The frequency of calibration required
Correct answer: The measurement system's repeatability and reproducibility
Gage R&R quantifies the variation contributed by the measurement system itself (equipment and operators) versus actual part-to-part variation.
Question 7: In Total Quality Management (TQM), the concept of 'customer focus' requires that:
- Only the external end-user's requirements are considered
- Both internal and external customer requirements drive all quality decisions (Correct answer)
- Customer satisfaction surveys replace all other quality metrics
- Customer complaints are the primary input to quality planning
Correct answer: Both internal and external customer requirements drive all quality decisions
TQM recognizes internal customers (next process in line) as well as external customers, so quality decisions must satisfy requirements throughout the entire value chain.
BMAT Quality Control & Assurance 3
Which of the following best describes a 'corrective action' in a quality management system?