Data Collection & Analysis Methods Flashcards

Which tool would BEST help a team identify which single defect category to address first to achieve the greatest quality improvement?

Answer: Pareto chart

A Pareto chart ranks defect categories by frequency, visually identifying the vital few that cause the majority of problems.

What is the primary purpose of a control chart's upper and lower control limits?

Answer: To distinguish common cause from special cause variation

Control limits define the expected range of process variation; points outside them signal special causes requiring investigation.

A quality engineer plots defect counts against production speed and finds r = 0.92. What does this suggest?

Answer: Strong positive correlation between speed and defects

A correlation coefficient of 0.92 indicates a strong positive relationship, suggesting defects increase as speed increases.

Which data type is BEST analyzed using a p-chart?

Answer: Proportion of defective items in a sample

A p-chart monitors the proportion (fraction) of nonconforming items in subgroups of varying or constant size.

In the context of data collection, what is operational definition MOST important for?

Answer: Ensuring consistent measurement and interpretation

An operational definition specifies exactly what and how to measure so all collectors interpret the criteria the same way.

A team reviews a fishbone diagram and identifies five potential root causes. What is the NEXT logical step?

Answer: Collect data to verify which causes are actually contributing

After identifying potential causes via a fishbone, data should be collected to confirm which causes are truly driving the problem.

Which measure of central tendency is MOST resistant to the effect of extreme outliers?

Answer: Median

The median is the middle value in ordered data and is not distorted by extreme high or low values the way the mean is.