Quality Auditor Certification Corrective Actions 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which tool is most commonly used to identify the root cause of a nonconformance during a corrective action investigation?
- Pareto chart
- Fishbone (Ishikawa) diagram (Correct answer)
- Control chart
- Scatter diagram
Correct answer: Fishbone (Ishikawa) diagram
The fishbone diagram systematically explores cause-and-effect relationships across categories such as people, process, equipment, and materials.
Question 2: In the PDCA cycle applied to corrective actions, what occurs during the 'Check' phase?
- Implementing the corrective action plan
- Identifying the nonconformance
- Verifying that the corrective action was effective (Correct answer)
- Documenting lessons learned
Correct answer: Verifying that the corrective action was effective
The Check phase involves monitoring and measuring results against the plan to confirm effectiveness of the corrective action taken.
Question 3: A corrective action is considered 'closed' when which condition is met?
- The root cause has been identified
- The action plan has been submitted to management
- The corrective action has been implemented and verified effective (Correct answer)
- The nonconformance has been documented in the quality system
Correct answer: The corrective action has been implemented and verified effective
Closure requires both implementation of the action and objective evidence that it prevented recurrence of the nonconformance.
Question 4: Which scenario would most likely trigger a corrective action rather than a correction?
- A single mislabeled package found during shipping
- Repeated measurement errors from the same inspector over multiple audits (Correct answer)
- A typo found in a procedure document
- A one-time machine jam that was immediately cleared
Correct answer: Repeated measurement errors from the same inspector over multiple audits
Repeated errors from the same source indicate a systemic problem requiring root cause analysis and corrective action, not just a one-time fix.
Question 5: What does 'containment' mean in the context of corrective action?
- Permanently fixing the root cause of a problem
- Preventing nonconforming product from reaching customers while the root cause is addressed (Correct answer)
- Archiving all records related to the nonconformance
- Training employees to avoid future errors
Correct answer: Preventing nonconforming product from reaching customers while the root cause is addressed
Containment is an immediate short-term action to isolate affected products or processes to prevent the problem from spreading before the root cause is resolved.
Question 6: An auditor finds that a corrective action was implemented but the same nonconformance recurred six months later. What does this most likely indicate?
- The containment action was insufficient
- The root cause was not correctly identified or addressed (Correct answer)
- The corrective action was closed too quickly
- The process owner was not informed of the action
Correct answer: The root cause was not correctly identified or addressed
Recurrence of the same nonconformance after corrective action strongly suggests the true root cause was not identified and effectively eliminated.
Question 7: Which element is NOT typically required in a corrective action request (CAR) form?
- Description of the nonconformance
- Root cause analysis results
- Profit impact analysis (Correct answer)
- Verification of effectiveness
Correct answer: Profit impact analysis
Standard CAR forms capture the problem description, root cause, action taken, and effectiveness verification; financial impact analysis is not a standard required element.
Quality Auditor Certification Corrective Actions 2
Which tool is most commonly used to identify the root cause of a nonconformance during a corrective action investigation?