Quality Management Flashcards

A project manager notices that defects are clustering around a single supplier's components. Which quality tool best visualizes the frequency distribution of defect categories to identify the dominant cause?

Answer: Pareto chart

A Pareto chart ranks defect categories by frequency, making it easy to identify the vital few causes responsible for most defects.

During Manage Quality, the team performs a process audit and finds that approved procedures are not being followed. What is the MOST appropriate next step?

Answer: Initiate a change request to address the process gap

Manage Quality findings that reveal process non-conformance should be addressed through formal change requests to correct the quality system.

A project team is using statistical sampling to inspect deliverables. What is the PRIMARY benefit of this approach over 100% inspection?

Answer: It reduces inspection cost and time while providing statistical confidence

Statistical sampling provides a cost-effective way to draw conclusions about an entire population without inspecting every unit.

Which quality concept distinguishes between the cost of conformance and the cost of non-conformance?

Answer: Cost of quality (COQ)

Cost of quality (COQ) categorizes all quality-related spending into prevention/appraisal costs (conformance) and internal/external failure costs (non-conformance).

A control chart shows eight consecutive data points on one side of the mean. What should the project manager conclude?

Answer: A non-random pattern (rule of seven) indicates the process is out of control

The rule of seven states that eight or more consecutive points on one side of the mean signal a non-random, assignable cause requiring investigation.

In the PMBOK framework, which process is responsible for translating the quality management plan into executable quality activities?

Answer: Manage Quality

Manage Quality (formerly Perform Quality Assurance) converts quality planning into executable quality activities and audits.

A project manager wants to determine whether a relationship exists between the number of test hours and the number of defects found. Which tool should be used?

Answer: Scatter diagram

A scatter diagram plots two variables against each other to determine whether a correlation or relationship exists between them.