Post-Test Questions Flashcards
The quality movement can trace its roots back to Medieval Europe, where craftsman began organizing into unions called guilds in the late 13th century. What did the guilds do?
Developed strict rules for product and service quality.
Inspection committees enforced the rules by marking flawless goods with a special mark or symbol.
Which quality guru first acknowledged worker expertise and involved workers in continuous improvement?
Dr. W. Edwards Deming
Deming believed that ‘Quality is everyone’s responsibility.’
Which quality guru commonly associated with the Seven Basic Quality Tools?
Kaoru Ishikawa
The tools include flowcharts, check sheets, Pareto charts, cause-and-effect diagrams, scatter diagrams, control charts, and histograms.
What is the primary means to spread new quality ideas across organizational boundaries?
Organizational learning
Footnote:
Learning in a quality organization is much more than an academic exercise. Quality principles must be translated into corporate policies and practices that spread new quality ideas across organizational boundaries.
What is at the heart of all successful quality initiatives?
People and their shared belief in quality.
This belief has evolved from ownership by craft in the 13th century to ownership by organizations, teams, and individuals.
What is an example of quality in the manufacturing industry?
The organization’s quality management system is ISO 9000 complaint.
Evidence of quality is using a quality management system that has been validated by a third party to meet quality certification standards.
What are the component parts required to meet the needs of customers in a quality planning process?
Key requirements, performance indicators, and a commitment of resources.
These components are essential for a quality plan.
Examination, inspection, and testing processes are established within which aspect of the quality planning process?
Operational planning.
Setting up a system to verify quality controls is part of this planning.
What is the most important action a manager can take to build a new quality auditor’s engagement?
Help the new auditor see the impact of her outputs on the next person in the process.
This realization fosters accountability for the quality of their work and contributions, which builds engagement.
What is the primary purpose behind a system-based approach to process management?
Organizational objectives are achieved more efficiently when resources and activities are managed as processes.
A system-based organizational view evaluates processes within common constraints, to reduce variation, and yield better results.
A SIPOC example where the process outputs when auditing the process of opening a checking account.
Checking account is opened, initial deposit entered, starter checks given, and checks ordered part of opening a bank account.
What demonstrates a common cause variation in the production of fresh products in a bakery shop?
A 25 year old baker is on vacation. The absence of the primary baker created a process control that was missing to all loaves created in his/her absence, hence a common cause variation.
What should be the team’s priority action recommendation to reduce wasted product due to missed cuts of wood products?
Develop standard work processes for measures and cuts.
While each wood cutter was experienced and skilled, common cause variation existed because there was no consistent work process.
What activity includes all planned and systemic activities within a quality system that provides confidence that a product or service fulfills quality requirements?
Quality assurance.
Footnote:
QA prevents defects by designing quality into a product or service before resources are committed to actually making the product or delivering the service.
Attitudes, beliefs, values, expectations are elements that describe what?
Organizational culture
Organizational culture is the cumulative impact of an organization’s attitudes, beliefs, values, expectations, knowledge, language, opportunities, structure, and materials that define how business is conducted on a daily basis.
What is one of the intentions of standardization?
Prevent defects due to variation by performing task(s) consistently.
Performing work through a standardized process reduces variation and defects that are caused by variation.
What was the most significant benefit of quality in the cattle farm event?
The quality check prevented a rare, but potentially harmful disease transmission.
While a rare condition, the benefit from the check process in this case was potentially life saving.
What is the most significant benefit of quality from the organization’s perspective?
High-quality organizations build longterm customer relationships.
A long-term customer costs less to maintain, spreads positive business referrals, and purchases more goods/services.
What is the purpose of the PDCA cycle?
Method to follow for continuous improvement.
The PDCA cycle is the most well-known methodology for continuous improvement.
What is a similarity between the philosophies of Juran and Deming?
Both put the primary responsibility for quality improvement on management.
Quality gurus both agree that management is responsible for quality improvement.
What are the three steps of the Juran Trilogy philosophy of quality improvement?
Quality planning, quality improvement, and quality control.
Juran’s Trilogy is comprised of these three components.
Which quality tool was designed by Ishikawa for gathering information from groups to facilitate quality improvement?
Cause and effect diagram.
It is used to identify potential causes of quality outcomes to design improvements.
What is an example for the use of a flowchart?
To develop an understanding of the steps in a process.
Flowcharts graphically show the steps of a process for easy understanding.
On what basis are teams typically formed within a large organization?
Based on the work to be done.
Teams are commonly recognized based on work groups such as assembly teams, fabrication teams, and finance teams.
What team approach is best suited to address product quality issues that vary between shifts?
Work group team
A work group team’s process improvement approach does not cross departmental or functional boundaries.
What should a product innovation specialist consider after obtaining executive-level support for a new product idea?
Establish a team.
There is value in establishing a team to move forward with a new product. When working together toward the same goal, a team can accomplish more than a single person.
In a team meeting, which role is responsible for keeping the meeting focused and tracking against the agenda?
Facilitator.
The team facilitator has the responsibility for coaching the team, monitoring the team process, and assisting with problem-solving.
As a senior manager of a courier service, what should be your next step to grow market share and increase profits?
Select a senior person to be the project champion.
Considering the large scope of the mission, it is critical to first appoint a champion for a project.
What main factors should a human resource manager consider when developing a competency profile for future store managers?
People skills, energy, and analytical skills.
The job of a store manager means getting a large number of employees aligned with your objectives; many grocery stores are 24/7 operations, and when problems appear, they should be solved quickly.
What behavior is included in the performing stage of team progression?
Constructive self-change.
Constructive self-change is a characteristic of the performing stage.
