Data Collection & Analysis Methods Flashcards
7 cards from real CQIA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Data Collection & Analysis Methods flashcards as text
What is a key limitation of using correlation analysis to establish a quality improvement action?
Answer: Correlation does not prove causation between variables
Even a strong correlation coefficient does not establish that one variable causes changes in the other; additional investigation is needed.
A hospital tracks patient wait times and plots them on a run chart. The chart shows a pattern alternating above and below the centerline every other point. This pattern is MOST likely caused by:
Answer: An alternating special cause such as two alternating staff shifts
A consistent zigzag alternating pattern suggests a systematic special cause like alternating between two different process conditions.
Which of the following BEST describes the purpose of a data collection plan?
Answer: To define what data to collect, how, when, and by whom before collection begins
A data collection plan is developed before data gathering to ensure consistent, relevant, and complete data capture.
In a process capability study, a Cpk value of 0.85 indicates:
Answer: The process is not fully capable and may produce out-of-specification output
A Cpk below 1.0 indicates the process is not fully capable, meaning some output will fall outside specification limits.
A quality improvement team wants to verify whether a change in supplier material caused an increase in defect rates. Which data analysis approach is MOST appropriate?
Answer: Compare defect rate control charts before and after the supplier change
Overlaying or comparing before/after control charts allows the team to detect whether a shift in defect rate coincides with the supplier change.
Which of the following BEST explains why sample size matters in data collection for quality studies?
Answer: Adequate sample size ensures statistical conclusions have sufficient confidence and power
An insufficient sample size can miss real process signals, while adequate sample size ensures conclusions are statistically reliable.
A team uses a box plot to display inspection data. What does the length of the box in a box plot represent?
Answer: The interquartile range containing the middle 50% of data
The box in a box plot spans from the 25th to 75th percentile, representing the interquartile range (IQR) of the data.