CPP Data Analysis & Reporting 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A packaging engineer notices that defect rates spike every Monday morning. Which type of analysis best identifies this pattern?
- Regression analysis
- Time-series analysis (Correct answer)
- Pareto analysis
- Root cause analysis
Correct answer: Time-series analysis
Time-series analysis tracks data points over time, making it ideal for identifying cyclical or day-of-week patterns in defect rates.
Question 2: When creating a control chart for a packaging line's fill weight, the process shows all points within control limits but exhibits a run of 8 consecutive points above the centerline. This indicates:
- Natural process variation only
- A potential process shift requiring investigation (Correct answer)
- The control limits need to be recalculated
- The sample size is too small
Correct answer: A potential process shift requiring investigation
A run of 8 or more consecutive points on one side of the centerline is a non-random pattern indicating a potential process shift, even when within control limits.
Question 3: Which metric best measures the efficiency of packaging material usage relative to finished goods produced?
- Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE)
- Material yield rate (Correct answer)
- Defects per million opportunities (DPMO)
- Cycle time
Correct answer: Material yield rate
Material yield rate measures the proportion of input material that becomes usable finished product, directly reflecting packaging material efficiency.
Question 4: In a packaging cost report, fixed overhead is allocated at $2.50 per unit at 100,000 units/month production. If production drops to 80,000 units, what is the new overhead rate per unit?
- $2.50
- $2.00
- $3.125 (Correct answer)
- $3.50
Correct answer: $3.125
Fixed costs remain constant ($250,000 total), so dividing by 80,000 units gives $3.125 per unit — fixed costs per unit rise as volume falls.
Question 5: A scatter plot comparing seal strength versus sealing temperature shows an R² value of 0.89. This means:
- 89% of seal failures are caused by temperature
- Temperature explains 89% of the variation in seal strength (Correct answer)
- The correlation is statistically insignificant
- Seal strength equals 89% of sealing temperature
Correct answer: Temperature explains 89% of the variation in seal strength
R² (coefficient of determination) indicates what percentage of variability in the dependent variable is explained by the independent variable.
Question 6: Which dashboard KPI would be MOST useful for a packaging manager trying to reduce customer complaints about damaged goods?
- On-time delivery rate
- Transit damage rate (Correct answer)
- Inventory turnover ratio
- Line changeover time
Correct answer: Transit damage rate
Transit damage rate directly measures how frequently packages are damaged during shipping, which is the primary driver of customer damage complaints.
Question 7: A Gauge R&R study for a packaging seal inspection system shows 35% of total variation is attributable to measurement system variation. This result indicates:
- The measurement system is acceptable for production use
- The measurement system needs improvement before use (Correct answer)
- Operator training should reduce variation to acceptable levels
- The gauge is perfectly calibrated
Correct answer: The measurement system needs improvement before use
Industry standards generally require measurement system variation below 10% (acceptable) or 10–30% (marginal); 35% is unacceptable and requires improvement.
CPP Data Analysis & Reporting 2
A packaging engineer notices that defect rates spike every Monday morning.
Which type of analysis best identifies this pattern?