CQIA Process Analysis & Improvement Techniques 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A team is piloting a process change on a small scale before full deployment. This approach aligns with which phase of the PDCA cycle?
- Plan
- Do (Correct answer)
- Check
- Act
Correct answer: Do
The 'Do' phase of PDCA involves implementing the change on a small or trial scale to gather data before broader deployment.
Question 2: Which lean concept describes producing only what is needed, when it is needed, and in the amount needed?
- Just-in-Time (JIT) (Correct answer)
- Total Productive Maintenance (TPM)
- Single-Minute Exchange of Die (SMED)
- 5S methodology
Correct answer: Just-in-Time (JIT)
Just-in-Time (JIT) is the lean principle of producing the right item in the right quantity at the right time, eliminating overproduction waste.
Question 3: During process improvement, 'piloting' a solution before full rollout is important primarily because it:
- Satisfies regulatory documentation requirements
- Allows testing of the solution with lower risk before committing fully (Correct answer)
- Eliminates the need for a control plan
- Ensures management approval is bypassed
Correct answer: Allows testing of the solution with lower risk before committing fully
Piloting reduces risk by testing the solution in a limited environment, allowing adjustments before organization-wide implementation.
Question 4: A team using FMEA assigns a Risk Priority Number (RPN) by multiplying three factors. Which three factors are used?
- Frequency, Duration, Severity
- Severity, Occurrence, Detection (Correct answer)
- Probability, Impact, Detectability
- Likelihood, Consequence, Exposure
Correct answer: Severity, Occurrence, Detection
RPN = Severity × Occurrence × Detection; higher RPN scores indicate failure modes requiring priority attention.
Question 5: In process improvement, 'standardization' following a successful change is critical because it:
- Locks in gains and prevents regression to old methods (Correct answer)
- Eliminates the need for future improvement cycles
- Ensures all employees receive pay increases
- Replaces the need for ongoing monitoring
Correct answer: Locks in gains and prevents regression to old methods
Standardizing the improved process documents the new method and holds the gains, preventing teams from reverting to previous practices.
Question 6: A quality team discovers that a chronic defect has multiple contributing causes across different process steps. The most appropriate tool to organize these causes by category is:
- Scatter diagram
- Cause-and-effect (Ishikawa) diagram (Correct answer)
- Control chart
- Pareto chart
Correct answer: Cause-and-effect (Ishikawa) diagram
An Ishikawa (fishbone) diagram organizes potential causes into categories (e.g., Machine, Method, Material, Man, Environment, Measurement), aiding root cause analysis.
Question 7: Which statement best describes the relationship between process inputs and process outputs in the SIPOC model?
- Outputs are independent of inputs and are driven by customer specifications only
- Inputs are transformed by the process steps to produce outputs for customers (Correct answer)
- Inputs and outputs are identical — suppliers and customers exchange the same items
- Outputs feed back directly into the same process as new inputs automatically
Correct answer: Inputs are transformed by the process steps to produce outputs for customers
In SIPOC, the process steps act on inputs provided by suppliers to produce outputs that are delivered to customers.
CQIA Process Analysis & Improvement Techniques 5
A team is piloting a process change on a small scale before full deployment.
This approach aligns with which phase of the PDCA cycle?