BMO Quality Assurance & Improvement 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A bank teller makes a data entry error that isn't caught until the account reconciliation stage. Which quality concept does this represent?
- First-pass yield failure (Correct answer)
- Benchmark deviation
- Process mapping gap
- Service level agreement breach
Correct answer: First-pass yield failure
First-pass yield measures the percentage of items processed correctly without rework; an error caught downstream represents a failed first-pass.
Question 2: Which of the following best describes a 'quality audit' in a banking context?
- A financial review of branch profitability
- A systematic examination of processes to verify compliance with standards (Correct answer)
- A customer survey about service satisfaction
- A risk assessment of investment portfolios
Correct answer: A systematic examination of processes to verify compliance with standards
A quality audit systematically evaluates whether processes conform to defined standards, policies, and procedures.
Question 3: What does 'error proofing' (poka-yoke) aim to achieve in a process?
- Eliminating all human roles in a process
- Designing the process so mistakes are impossible or immediately detectable (Correct answer)
- Creating checklists for employees to follow
- Automating quality reporting dashboards
Correct answer: Designing the process so mistakes are impossible or immediately detectable
Poka-yoke (error proofing) redesigns processes or tools so human errors either cannot occur or are caught instantly.
Question 4: A quality manager at BMO wants to understand the relationship between call handle time and customer satisfaction scores. Which tool is most appropriate?
- Histogram
- Scatter diagram (Correct answer)
- Flowchart
- Affinity diagram
Correct answer: Scatter diagram
A scatter diagram plots two variables against each other to reveal whether a correlation exists between them.
Question 5: Which PDCA phase involves measuring actual results and comparing them against the expected outcomes of a change?
- Plan
- Do
- Check (Correct answer)
- Act
Correct answer: Check
The 'Check' phase of PDCA involves measuring results, analyzing data, and comparing outcomes to the goals set during planning.
Question 6: A process improvement team at BMO maps out every step a customer goes through when opening a new account. What is this technique called?
- Value stream mapping (Correct answer)
- Root cause analysis
- Gap analysis
- Statistical process control
Correct answer: Value stream mapping
Value stream mapping documents every step in a process to identify value-adding and non-value-adding activities.
Question 7: In Six Sigma terminology, what does 'DMAIC' stand for?
- Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control (Correct answer)
- Detect, Monitor, Assess, Implement, Confirm
- Design, Map, Act, Inspect, Close
- Diagnose, Manage, Audit, Innovate, Complete
Correct answer: Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control
DMAIC is the core Six Sigma improvement methodology: Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control.
BMO Quality Assurance & Improvement 3
A bank teller makes a data entry error that isn't caught until the account reconciliation stage.
Which quality concept does this represent?