Unit 3: Quality Management Strategies Flashcards
As indicated with flat-screen televisions, when a firm makes improvements to product quality, product costs significantly.
customer needs
True or False. Understanding how customers use products and services helps companies to develop new innovations that improve and achieve external quality.
True
During a routine physical exam, Dr. Dodd politely answers Mark’s questions about heart disease. Dr. Dodd discusses the benefits of exercise and a healthy diet as well as medications that are available to prevent heart disease. Dr. Dodd seems confident and knowledgeable. Which service quality dimension does this example best illustrate?
Assurance
________ are incurred when a company evaluates customer satisfaction.
Appraisal costs
True or False. According to Dr. W. Edwards Deming, in a manufacturing environment, quality improves when management establishes very specific work quotas.
False
According to Joseph Juran, ________ are primarily responsible for ensuring that a company manufactures quality products.
Managers
True or False. According to Philip Crosby, most firms underestimate their failure costs and would benefit from evaluating all costs of quality.
True
True or False. According to Genichi Taguchi, high levels of quality are achieved when a company closely inspects products after they are manufactured and before they are sold to customers.
False
A company’s attempt to get to know its customers by contacting them to discuss their needs, wants, and expectations is done in a _________.
Focus Group
Quality function deployment refers to a method of transforming customer needs and expectations into product design characteristics.
True
True or False. In an organization that fully implements total quality management, the quality control department maintains sole responsibility for product and service quality.
False
Which of the following is LEAST likely to be a characteristic of team problem solving?
Resolving issues quickly
True or False. According to Deming, today’s organizations benefit from training employees to use statistical process control tools.
True
Modern companies that rely on a philosophy of total quality management (TQM) primarily use to measure quality.
Customer Feedback
Which of the following best explains the primary purpose of documentation and standardization?
Ensuring that tasks are performed with consistency
The ___________ stage of the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle involves identifying opportunities for improvement.
Plan
Managers at Taco Rico, a national fast-food chain, are implementing the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle to ensure consistent food and service. So far, the managers have determined that the length of time that orders are filled at the drive-through window is too long. New procedures for taking food orders have been implemented and changes have been documented. What should occur next in the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle?
Analyze the new process to determine if orders are being filled faster.
Which of the following is an example of a problem-solving tool that can be used in continuous improvement?
Process Flow Analysis
Which quality management strategy involves giving decision-making authority to front-line workers?
Employee Empowerment
True or False. For the benchmarking process to provide useful information, the two companies being compared must be direct competitors in the same industry.
False
uses methods and tools to determine the stability of a manufacturing process and reduce the number of product defects.
Statistical Process
True or False. When collecting data for statistical process control, a histogram is the primary tool for recording raw data at the location where data is generated.
False
Which statistical process control (SPC) tool would be most useful to get a visual representation of the most frequent occurrences in descending order among all data points?
Pareto Chart
True or false. Although the quantitative tools and techniques used in Six Sigma to reduce defects are highly effective, the Six Sigma methodology lacks a useful qualitative component.
False
The Six Sigma “define” phase uses what tool to provide an overview of the entire process and identify what is necessary to meet customer needs?
Value stream mapping
True or False. The first step in the Six Sigma methodology involves measuring current processes to determine the frequency of problems.
False
Which quality management activity clarifies the task to accomplish?
Defining the problem
n the textbook scenario, the most relevant process variables are
Shipping package and spare parts packing
After analyzing the measurements, which of the following LEAST likely caused the firm’s warranty costs to increase?
Flexible box straps
True or False. After analyzing the data for warranty claims, the company decided to ship products in thicker corrugated boxes to protect items from damage. Once the recommendation was implemented, monthly warranty costs dropped from 5% to 4.5%.
False
