Quality Management and Process Improvement Flashcards

What is the primary goal of a Kaizen event in Lean manufacturing?

Answer: To achieve rapid, focused improvement in a specific process area

A Kaizen event is a short-duration, focused workshop (typically 3–5 days) where a cross-functional team makes rapid improvements to a targeted process.

Which of the following is a key principle of Total Quality Management (TQM)?

Answer: Quality requires customer focus and continuous improvement by all employees

TQM is an organization-wide philosophy where all employees at every level are responsible for maintaining and improving quality with a customer-centric focus.

In the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle, what is the primary purpose of the 'Check' phase?

Answer: To evaluate whether the implemented changes achieved the desired results

The Check phase involves measuring and analyzing results of the implemented change to determine whether it achieved the planned improvement objectives.

What is a 'defect' in the context of Six Sigma quality?

Answer: Any output that fails to meet a customer specification or requirement

In Six Sigma, a defect is any instance where the product or service fails to meet the customer's specification, regardless of the severity of the failure.

Which quality cost category includes costs incurred to prevent defects from occurring?

Answer: Prevention Costs

Prevention costs are investments made to stop defects from occurring, including training, process design, and quality planning activities.

What is the purpose of a Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA)?

Answer: To proactively identify potential failure modes and their impacts before they occur

FMEA is a proactive risk assessment tool that identifies potential failure modes in a product or process, evaluates their effects, and prioritizes corrective actions.