Question 1

PDCA,developed by Shewhart,stands for which of the following?

Accepted Answer

PDCA stands for Plan-Do-Check-Act, which is a cycle that is used for continuous improvement in various fields, such as business, healthcare, and education. The cycle involves planning a change or improvement, implementing it, checking the results, and then taking action based on the results to further improve the process. This cycle can be repeated over and over, leading to ongoing improvement.

Question 2

One of the ways that just-in-time (or JIT)influences quality is that by reducing inventory,bad quality is exposed.

Accepted Answer

With a just-in-time system, there is little room for excess inventory, which means any defects or quality issues with a product will be immediately apparent. This encourages companies to focus on improving quality in order to maintain a lean and efficient system.

Question 3

Quality circles empower employees to improve productivity by finding solutions to work-related problems in their work area.

Accepted Answer

Quality circles are a management technique that empowers employees to take charge of their work environment and come up with innovative solutions to problems that have been identified. It helps to increase productivity and creates a culture of continuous improvement within the workplace.

Question 4

One of Britain's largest children's hospitals working with Ferrari Racing is an example of:

Accepted Answer

The hospital working with Ferrari Racing is an example of external benchmarking, as they are comparing their operations and practices to those of a completely external organization (in this case, a racing team) to improve their own performance.

Question 5

Suppose that a firm has historically been achieving "Three Sigma" quality.If the firm later changes its quality management practices such that it begins to achieve "Six Sigma" quality,which of the following phenomena will result?

Accepted Answer

Achieving "Six Sigma" quality means reducing the number of defects to 3.4 per million opportunities, which is a reduction of 99.9997%. Therefore, the average number of defects will be cut by 99.87%, which is closest to option D. Options A, B, and E are incorrect as they do not reflect the magnitude of improvement associated with Six Sigma quality.

Question 6

Continuous improvement is based on the philosophy that any aspect of an operation can be improved.

Accepted Answer

Continuous improvement is based on the belief that any process, product, or service can be enhanced and optimized over time. This approach involves constantly seeking out new and better ways to do things and striving for excellence in all aspects of an operation.

Question 7

The phrase Six Sigma has two meanings.One is statistical,referring to an extremely high process,product,or service capability;the other is a comprehensive system for achieving and sustaining business success.

Accepted Answer

The statement accurately describes the two meanings of the phrase Six Sigma.

Question 8

A Three Sigma program has how many defects per million?

Accepted Answer

A three sigma program has 2700 defects per million. This is because three sigma represents three standard deviations from the mean, which covers 99.73% of the total population. The defect rate for a three sigma program is calculated as 0.27% or 2700 defects per million opportunities for defects.

Question 9

PDCA is most often applied with regard to which aspect of TQM?

Accepted Answer

PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) is a continuous improvement cycle commonly used in Total Quality Management (TQM). The purpose of PDCA is to identify and implement improvements in an organization's processes or systems. Therefore, PDCA is most often applied with regard to the aspect of continuous improvement in TQM.

Question 10

A Six Sigma program has how many defects per million?

Accepted Answer

A Six Sigma program targets a defect rate of 3.4 defects per million opportunities.

Question 11

Total quality management emphasizes:

Accepted Answer

Total quality management is a management approach that emphasizes the involvement of all employees in the quality improvement process, and a commitment to quality that goes beyond internal company issues to suppliers and customers. It also focuses on continuous improvement and the satisfaction of stakeholders, including customers, employees, and shareholders. Therefore, the correct choice is B.

Question 12

The quality loss function indicates that costs related to poor quality are low as long as the product is within acceptable specification limits.

Accepted Answer

The quality loss function, proposed by Genichi Taguchi, suggests that any deviation from the target value (even within specification limits) leads to a loss in quality and increases costs, not just those products that fall outside the specification limits.

Question 13

Based on his 14 Points,Deming is a strong proponent of:

Accepted Answer

Deming emphasizes the importance of training and knowledge in his 14 Points for Quality Management, as he believes that improving the skills and abilities of employees is crucial for improving quality and productivity. He also discourages inspection at the end of the production process and looking for the cheapest supplier, instead advocating for a focus on continuous improvement and building strong relationships with suppliers. He does not support an increase in numerical quotas as a way to boost productivity, as this can lead to a focus on quantity over quality.

Question 14

A successful TQM program incorporates all EXCEPT which of the following?

Accepted Answer

TQM promotes decentralized decision-making authority, empowering employees at all levels of the organization to participate in making changes and improvements to processes.

Question 15

Kaizen is similar to TQM in that both are focused on continuous improvement.

Accepted Answer

Both Kaizen and TQM are focused on continuous improvement, with Kaizen emphasizing on small, incremental improvements and TQM emphasizing on a comprehensive, organizational approach to quality management.

Question 16

The philosophy of zero defects is:

Accepted Answer

The philosophy of zero defects is consistent with the commitment to continuous improvement. While it may be unrealistic and prohibitively costly to achieve zero defects, it is still an ultimate goal. However, in practice, a small percentage of defects (1 to 2%) may still be considered acceptable.

Question 17

Benchmarking requires the comparison of your firm to other organizations;it is not appropriate to benchmark by comparing one of your divisions to another of your divisions.

Accepted Answer

Benchmarking can involve comparing your firm's processes, practices, or performance metrics to those of other divisions within the same organization, not just external organizations. This is known as internal benchmarking.

Question 18

Line employees need the knowledge of TQM tools.

Accepted Answer

Line employees play a critical role in ensuring quality in the production process. Therefore, they need to have knowledge of TQM (Total Quality Management) tools such as statistical process control, root cause analysis, Six Sigma, etc. This knowledge can help them identify and solve quality-related issues, which ultimately leads to customer satisfaction and improved business performance.

Question 19

If 1 million passengers pass through the St.Louis Airport with checked baggage each month,a successful Six Sigma program for baggage handling would result in how many passengers with misplaced luggage?

Accepted Answer

A successful Six Sigma program aims for a level of performance where there are fewer than 3.4 defects per million opportunities (DPMO). In this case, the opportunity is each checked bag, so assuming one bag per passenger, there are 1 million opportunities each month. Therefore, 3.4 bags per million (or 0.0034%) could be expected to be misplaced, which amounts to 1 million x 0.0034 = 3400 bags misplaced per month.

Question 20

A hospital benchmarked against Ferrari Racing in an effort to:

Accepted Answer

Benchmarking against Ferrari Racing is not related to surgery prep time, surgery duration, reducing the number of doctors, or any other aspect of healthcare delivery. However, it can be related to improving patient handoff quality as Ferrari Racing is known for its efficiency and seamless coordination between team members during races. By utilizing similar techniques and practices, the hospital can improve the handoff process and ensure smooth transitions for patients between different units or healthcare providers.

Quiz 6: Quality Management and International Standards