SDI Quality Assurance & Improvement 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which statistical tool is most commonly used in Six Sigma to display the distribution and variation of a process dataset?
- Pareto chart
- Histogram (Correct answer)
- RACI matrix
- Fishbone diagram
Correct answer: Histogram
Histograms visualize the frequency distribution of process data, revealing patterns, spread, and skewness critical to understanding variation.
Question 2: What is the purpose of a 'control chart' in service desk quality management?
- To assign ownership of improvement actions
- To monitor process performance over time and detect unusual variation (Correct answer)
- To rank incidents by severity level
- To document standard operating procedures
Correct answer: To monitor process performance over time and detect unusual variation
Control charts plot process data over time with upper and lower control limits to distinguish normal variation from signals requiring investigation.
Question 3: In the context of SDI service desk quality, what does 'abandoned call rate' indicate?
- The percentage of calls transferred to voicemail
- The proportion of callers who hang up before reaching an agent (Correct answer)
- The number of calls closed without resolution
- The rate at which calls are escalated to Tier 2
Correct answer: The proportion of callers who hang up before reaching an agent
Abandoned call rate measures how many inbound callers disconnect before being answered, indicating staffing gaps or excessive wait times.
Question 4: Which ISO standard provides specific requirements for IT service management quality, commonly referenced by SDI-certified desks?
- ISO 9001
- ISO/IEC 20000 (Correct answer)
- ISO 27001
- ISO 31000
Correct answer: ISO/IEC 20000
ISO/IEC 20000 is the international standard specifically governing IT service management, setting requirements for planning, designing, and delivering IT services.
Question 5: A service desk notices CSAT scores dropping specifically for password reset interactions. Which quality improvement step should come FIRST?
- Immediately replace all password reset agents
- Conduct root cause analysis to understand why scores are low for this contact type (Correct answer)
- Lower the SLA target for password resets
- Outsource password reset handling to a third party
Correct answer: Conduct root cause analysis to understand why scores are low for this contact type
Root cause analysis must precede any corrective action to ensure the real problem—not a symptom—is addressed for sustainable improvement.
Question 6: What is 'knowledge-centered service' (KCS) primarily designed to improve in a service desk quality context?
- Hardware inventory accuracy
- The creation, maintenance, and reuse of knowledge articles to improve resolution quality and speed (Correct answer)
- Contract management for third-party vendors
- Change request approval workflows
Correct answer: The creation, maintenance, and reuse of knowledge articles to improve resolution quality and speed
KCS embeds knowledge capture into the support workflow so that solutions are documented, refined, and reused, continuously improving resolution quality.
Question 7: In SDI's quality framework, what does 'CSI' stand for and what is its core function?
- Customer Satisfaction Index — measuring CSAT scores
- Continual Service Improvement — systematically identifying and implementing service enhancements (Correct answer)
- Critical Service Incidents — logging major outages
- Controlled System Integration — managing ITSM tool changes
Correct answer: Continual Service Improvement — systematically identifying and implementing service enhancements
Continual Service Improvement (CSI) is the ongoing practice of using metrics and feedback to identify gaps and drive iterative enhancements to service quality.
SDI Quality Assurance & Improvement 3
Which statistical tool is most commonly used in Six Sigma to display the distribution and variation of a process dataset?