CTE Problem-Solving and Decision-Making 3

Question 1

In a Fishbone (Ishikawa) diagram, the 'bones' represent:

Accepted Answer

Categories of potential causes contributing to a problem

Answer

Each 'bone' in an Ishikawa diagram represents a category of potential causes such as people, process, equipment, or environment.

Question 2

A technician applies a fix but the problem returns within 24 hours. What does this most likely indicate?

Accepted Answer

The root cause was not fully identified or addressed

Answer

Recurring problems after a fix typically indicate that only a symptom was addressed, not the underlying root cause.

Question 3

Which problem-solving approach is most appropriate when time is critically limited and a perfect solution is unavailable?

Accepted Answer

Satisficing — choosing a solution that is good enough given constraints

Answer

Satisficing involves selecting a sufficiently good solution when time or resource constraints prevent finding the optimal one.

Question 4

When conducting a failure analysis on a technical system, which step should come BEFORE any disassembly?

Accepted Answer

Documenting and photographing the system's current state

Answer

Documenting the system's state before disassembly preserves evidence and context critical to accurate failure analysis.

Question 5

What is the primary risk of using 'trial and error' as a problem-solving strategy in complex technical systems?

Accepted Answer

It may introduce new problems or damage components

Answer

Unguided trial and error in complex systems risks creating additional faults or masking the original problem.

(CTE) Certified Technical Experts Practice Test