Quality Management

Which of the following are the broad dimensions of quality?

• Conformance quality

• Design quality

• Quality management

• Features

Answer explanation

Features is a subset of the broader dimension of product quality

Which of the following departments can affect the quality of products?

• Marketing

• Human Resource

• Procurement

• Logistics

Answer explanation

Marketing: Perceived quality

HR: Skills & capabilities of employees

Procurement: Quality of supply

Logistics: Maintain quality while in transit

Which of the following best describes total quality management (TQM)

• The aim of TQM is to increase customer’s acceptance and use.

• Quality improvement requires total commitment from all employees

• Quality assurance is the responsibility of product inspectors

• All of the above

Answer explanation

Although customer's acceptance and use ultimately determines the product quality, TQM seeks to spread awareness of having total commitment from all employees with regards to quality. (Not just the responsibility of the product inspector)

Which of the following is the most expensive costs of quality

• Prevention costs

• External failure costs

• Appraisal costs

• Internal failure costs

Answer explanation

External failure costs: Costs of quality after product reaches the customer.

More resources invested in the product, less ability to rework.

Costs of lost sales and tarnished product image can outweigh costs of prevention, assessment & repair.

Total quality management advocates that the entire organization should

support the frontline workers

• True

• False

Answer explanation

Closest contact with customers and operational processes.

Know more than anyone about the firm’s problems and the best ways to solve them.

Which of the following are elements of employee empowerment?

• Having the knowledge to make good decisions

• Responsibility and authority given to make decisions

• Having resources required to make quality improvements

• All of the above

In TQM, problem prevention is emphasized as oposed to rectification.

• True

• False

Answer explanation

In the long term, prevention is almost always cheaper than correction.

Ensuring quality at the source as opposed to quality through inspection.

Plan-Do-Check-Act is a never ending process.

• True

• False

Answer explanation

It is a sequence used to solve

problems and improve quality continuously over time (Kaizen).

In a Six Sigma approach, the goal is to achieve a process standard deviation that is _ times smaller than the range of outputs allowed by the product’s design specification

Answer explanation

6 sigma rated process to ensure operations do not have more than 3.4 product defects per million outputs.

Which of the following product is best suited for 6 sigma approach?

• Ball point pen

• Automobiles

• Drugs & medical devices

• None of the above

Answer explanation

Critical or valuable products often use 6 sigma approach as their costs (defect > appraisal & prevention) to benefit is justfied.

Drugs & medical devices may require more than 6 sigma level approach since the wellbeing of a person is involved in defects.