NCT Quality Control & Process Improvement 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which quality management tool is used to visually separate the 'vital few' causes from the 'trivial many' in fleet maintenance defects?
- Control chart
- Pareto chart (Correct answer)
- Fishbone diagram
- Scatter diagram
Correct answer: Pareto chart
A Pareto chart ranks causes by frequency or impact, helping prioritize the 20% of causes responsible for 80% of problems.
Question 2: In a PDCA quality improvement cycle, what is the primary focus of the 'Check' phase?
- Identify the problem and set goals
- Implement the improvement on a small scale
- Evaluate results against the expected outcomes (Correct answer)
- Standardize the successful change
Correct answer: Evaluate results against the expected outcomes
The Check phase involves measuring and analyzing results to determine whether the implemented change achieved its intended goal.
Question 3: A fleet manager notices tire replacement intervals vary widely between drivers. Which process improvement technique best identifies the root cause?
- 5 Whys analysis (Correct answer)
- Benchmarking
- Poka-yoke
- Value stream mapping
Correct answer: 5 Whys analysis
The 5 Whys technique iteratively asks 'why' to drill down to the underlying root cause of a variance problem.
Question 4: Which metric best measures the effectiveness of a preventive maintenance program in fleet quality control?
- Average vehicle age
- Ratio of preventive to reactive maintenance work orders (Correct answer)
- Total fuel consumption
- Number of vehicles in service
Correct answer: Ratio of preventive to reactive maintenance work orders
A high ratio of preventive to reactive maintenance indicates the program is catching issues before they become failures.
Question 5: ISO 9001 certification in a fleet maintenance operation primarily demonstrates:
- Vehicles meet federal emissions standards
- Processes are documented, monitored, and continuously improved (Correct answer)
- All technicians hold ASE certifications
- Fuel economy targets are being met
Correct answer: Processes are documented, monitored, and continuously improved
ISO 9001 is a quality management system standard focused on documented processes, consistency, and continual improvement.
Question 6: A control chart shows several consecutive data points on the same side of the centerline. This pattern indicates:
- Normal process variation
- A potential special cause requiring investigation (Correct answer)
- The process is out of specification
- Measurement error in data collection
Correct answer: A potential special cause requiring investigation
Seven or more consecutive points on one side of the centerline (a 'run') signal a non-random pattern suggesting a special cause.
Question 7: Which approach to quality improvement focuses on eliminating waste and non-value-added activities in fleet maintenance workflows?
- Six Sigma
- Lean methodology (Correct answer)
- Total Quality Management
- Kaizen events
Correct answer: Lean methodology
Lean methodology targets the elimination of waste (muda) such as unnecessary waiting, motion, and inventory in maintenance processes.
NCT Quality Control & Process Improvement 2
Which quality management tool is used to visually separate the 'vital few' causes from the 'trivial many' in fleet maintenance defects?