Quality Control & Process Improvement Flashcards

A fleet maintenance shop wants to reduce vehicle inspection time without sacrificing thoroughness. Which Lean tool would BEST help redesign the inspection workflow?

Answer: Value stream mapping

Value stream mapping visually documents every step in a process, exposing bottlenecks and non-value-added steps that can be eliminated or streamlined.

Which type of fleet quality inspection verifies that vehicle components meet specifications BEFORE they are installed?

Answer: Incoming parts inspection

Incoming parts inspection catches defective or incorrect components before installation, preventing quality failures downstream.

In quality management, 'process capability' (Cp) measures:

Answer: How well a process fits within customer-defined specification limits

Process capability (Cp) compares the spread of process output to the width of the specification limits, indicating whether the process can consistently meet requirements.

A fleet organization uses benchmarking to compare its maintenance costs per mile to industry averages. What is the PRIMARY purpose of this activity?

Answer: To identify performance gaps and set realistic improvement targets

Benchmarking against industry peers highlights where performance lags, providing data-driven targets for improvement initiatives.

Which quality principle is MOST directly violated when a fleet manager skips documentation of a repair to save time?

Answer: Evidence-based decision making

Evidence-based decision making requires accurate records; undocumented repairs destroy the data trail needed for analysis and improvement.

An organization implements error-proofing on its parts cage so that a technician physically cannot check out the wrong fluid type for a specific vehicle. This is an example of:

Answer: Poka-yoke (mistake-proofing)

Poka-yoke devices or systems physically prevent errors from occurring, eliminating the possibility of a mistake rather than just detecting it.

When evaluating supplier quality for fleet parts, which practice BEST ensures consistent incoming part quality over time?

Answer: Conducting periodic supplier audits and tracking defect rates

Ongoing supplier audits and defect rate tracking provide objective data to hold suppliers accountable and drive quality improvements.