MEM Quality Management 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary purpose of a 'process capability index' (Cpk)?
- To measure how quickly a process can be completed
- To quantify how well a process produces output within specification limits (Correct answer)
- To count the number of quality inspectors needed per shift
- To calculate the return on quality improvement investments
Correct answer: To quantify how well a process produces output within specification limits
Cpk measures how centered and spread a process is relative to its specification limits, indicating whether the process is capable of meeting customer requirements.
Question 2: What is 'lean manufacturing' primarily focused on?
- Reducing the workforce to minimum headcount
- Eliminating waste (muda) from processes to maximize customer value (Correct answer)
- Achieving the lowest possible production cost regardless of quality
- Standardizing all products to reduce design complexity
Correct answer: Eliminating waste (muda) from processes to maximize customer value
Lean manufacturing, derived from the Toyota Production System, focuses on identifying and eliminating eight types of waste to streamline processes and deliver maximum customer value.
Question 3: In quality management, what is a 'Pareto chart' used for?
- Visualizing the distribution of a single variable
- Ranking defects or problems by frequency to identify the vital few causing most issues (Correct answer)
- Mapping the relationships between process inputs and outputs
- Tracking quality metrics over time on a timeline
Correct answer: Ranking defects or problems by frequency to identify the vital few causing most issues
A Pareto chart combines a bar chart and line graph to show that roughly 80% of problems come from 20% of causes, focusing improvement efforts on the highest-impact issues.
Question 4: What is the purpose of a 'cause-and-effect diagram' (Ishikawa/fishbone diagram)?
- Plotting process output trends over time
- Visually organizing potential causes of a quality problem by category (Correct answer)
- Scheduling quality inspection checkpoints in a project
- Documenting customer complaints in chronological order
Correct answer: Visually organizing potential causes of a quality problem by category
The Ishikawa (fishbone) diagram organizes potential root causes of a problem into categories (e.g., Man, Machine, Method, Material) to structure brainstorming and analysis.
Question 5: What distinguishes 'quality assurance' from 'quality control' in engineering management?
- Quality assurance is reactive; quality control is proactive
- Quality assurance focuses on process improvement to prevent defects; quality control focuses on detecting defects in outputs (Correct answer)
- They are the same activity performed by different departments
- Quality control applies to services; quality assurance applies to products
Correct answer: Quality assurance focuses on process improvement to prevent defects; quality control focuses on detecting defects in outputs
Quality assurance (QA) proactively improves processes to prevent defects, while quality control (QC) reactively inspects outputs to detect defects before delivery.
Question 6: What does 'poka-yoke' mean in lean and quality management?
- A Japanese term for zero-defect manufacturing targets
- A mistake-proofing device or method that prevents errors or makes them immediately obvious (Correct answer)
- A quality audit conducted by an external team
- A continuous improvement meeting held daily on the shop floor
Correct answer: A mistake-proofing device or method that prevents errors or makes them immediately obvious
Poka-yoke (mistake-proofing) refers to any mechanism in a process that helps prevent errors or immediately detects them before they become defects.
MEM Quality Management 2
What is the primary purpose of a 'process capability index' (Cpk)?