Comprehensive Quality Management Exam Questions and Solutions

This document comprises a series of multiple-choice questions and answers focused on key aspects of quality management. The questions cover a wide array of topics, including auditing supplier capabilities, sampling methods, customer relationship management, the application of quality tools like Pareto analysis and Ishikawa diagrams, team dynamics, risk management, process capability studies, and the implementation of supplier improvement programs. The document also explores the role of leadership in establishing quality visions, managing change, and ensuring effective training programs. Furthermore, it delves into the importance of document control, the calculation of takt time, performance metrics, and the challenges of leading virtual teams. The questions also address supply chain optimization, customer satisfaction measurement, the logistics component of supply chain management, constructive methods to address resistance to change, and the responsibilities of line managers in a quality-focused organization. Finally, the document includes questions on audit training programs, the ASQ code of ethics, and actions that improve an organization's understanding of quality. This assignment assesses understanding of quality management principles and practices.

Appendix - B
in order to obtain a comprehensive idea of the ability of the auditee to consistently ensure purchased
product meets specification requirements, it is important for the auditor to
A. Detect mistakes in the written methods for quality control
B. Ensure there is quality program in place and supported by top management
C. Verify all areas in the plant are correctly identified and maintenance responsibilities are assigned
D. Verify that the operating procedures used by the suppliers are documented as required
before conducting survey of its readers, a newspaper publisher divided its database into 10 different
income levels. The newspaper then drew a sample from each of the income levels. What type of
sampling method is the publisher using?
A. Random
B. Statistical
C. Stratified
D. Census
which of the following actions by a customer will support long-term relations with a supplier?
A. Focusing on developing clear purchase orders and contract provisions
B. Training purchasing staff to facilitate communications between suppliers and end-users
C. Creating opportunities for the supplier’s quality engineers to meet with the purchasing staff
D. Scheduling regular meetings with the supplier to discuss plans and problem-solving options
organization X installs new data mining software which enables identification of the vital few strategic
objectives that should be undertaken within the next ten to twenty-five years. What quality tool can be
used to analyze this data?
A. Ishikawa diagram
B. Scatter diagram
C. Qualitative analysis
D. Pareto analysis
the first step in defining the requirements for any product or service is to
A. Conduct a cost-benefit analysis

B. Define who will use it
C. Benchmark the completion
D. Form a cross-functional team
The security section at a manufacturing plant asked for management support in forming in-house
medical and fire response teams. Management agreed and teams were formed with representatives
from all departments. The type of team being used in this situation is an example of a
A. Cross-functional team
B. Self-managed workgroup
C. Project management team
D. Process improvement team
Which of the following is the first step in managing risk for a project?
A. Determine the probability of risk events occurring
B. Calculate the acceptable level of uncertainty for the project
C. Identify where potential risks exist or might occur
D. Develop detailed predictive methods to reduce the impact of the risk
When implementing a supplier improvement program, the quality manager’s first step should be to
A. Analyze the cost components of the supplier’s product
B. Identify chronic problems and create a Pareto analysis to focus on key problems
C. Identify which components constitute the largest volume and, therefore, the greatest
opportunity for improvement
D. Schedule supplier site visits to analyze processes and assist with process control issues
A control chart can be described as a
A. Run chart with control limits
B. Chart showing in-control processes only
C. Histogram
D. Pareto chart

Appendix - B
If customers are consistently unhappy with the services provided by a department, which of the
following actions is te most effective way of identifying the source of the problem?
A. Training the department’s front-line employees in customer service techniques
B. Performing a root cause analysis
C. Hiring customer-driven employees
D. Asking customers to complete satisfaction surveys
Which of the following techniques will help a speaker communicate most successfully when making a
presentation to a group of 15 to 25 people?
A. Using audio-visual aids throughout the presentation
B. Using an ice-breaker at the beginning of the presentation
C. Distributing detailed documents as supporting material
D. Understanding the auditee’s needs
which of the following elements must be known in order for a team to conduct a process capability
study?
A. The standard deviation of the mean
B. The specification limits
C. The cause of the variation
D. The optimal control limits
Which of the following behaviors is commonly seen during the storming stage of team development?
A. Attempts to determine acceptable behavior and how to deal with the problems
B. Attempts to define the process and decide how it will be accomplished
C. Increased tension and conflict among team members
D. Complaints about the organization and existing barriers to the task
The definition and communication of the quality vision, mission, and goals of a company is the primary
responsibility of the
A. Individual quality manager
B. Quality process teams

C. Quality assurance organization as a whole
D. Senior management team
Three middle managers from a company attended a seminar and discussed how the techniques they
learned could be incorporated to their processes to give them a competitive advantage. They met with
top management, who agreed that the information should be shared with production supervisors and
distributed to all employees. A month later, a follow-up assessment revealed that almost no one was
using the new techniques, and a majority of the employees surveyed said they felt threatened by the
change the techniques would require.
The fact that people feel threatened by the change indicates that
A. The deployment was poorly executed
B. Management should redeploy the change when employees are better prepared for it
C. More employees should have attended the seminar
D. Employees who did not attend the seminar feel left out
which of the following approaches should be used to ensure that a training program will help solve a
particular problem?
A. Use certified trainers
B. Avoid lectures as a training method
C. Conduct a needs analysis
D. Standardize the training material
Company XYZ has a 30-year history in manufacturing with many long-term employees preparing to
retire. Which of the following is being lost from the company?
A. Tacit knowledge
B. Explicit knowledge
C. Meta-knowledge
D. Information
A system that is designed to ensure that procedures are current, properly authorized, and accessible is
known as document

Appendix - B
A. Imaging
B. Control
C. Cross-linking
D. Audit
which of the following formulas is used to calculate takt time?
A. Total production time divided by the quantity demanded by the customer in that time
B. Quantity demanded by the customer in a period of time divided available production time
C. Quantity demanded by the customer in a period of time divided by total production time
D. Available production time divided by the quantity demanded by the customer in that time
which of the following metrics can be used to measure the internal performance of various departments
at the operational level?
A. Inventory turns
B. Earned value
C. Return on investment
D. Throughput
a new process improvement team has been working together once a week for three weeks on a
department-level satisfaction issue. The first two weeks went fairly smoothly, with initial operation and
team training. The members stayed in task as the team progressed toward identifying the steps in the
current process. In the third week, as the team began to do a value-added analysis of the steps, the
members experienced a high degree of conflict. The leader, who is also the team facilitator, lost control
of the group and went to the quality manager for advice. This is the team leader’s first team project.
In response to the team leaders request for help, the quality manager should explain the current level of
conflict in which of the following ways?
A. Conflict is a sign that the team membership needs to be changed
B. Conflict is a normal stage of group development
C. The quality manager should have been part of the team from the beginning
D. The process chosen to study was too complex
one of the unique challenges to leading a virtual team is

A. Selecting team members
B. Identifying a clear communication method
C. Determining the location of the meetings
D. Keeping an action item log
if a company wants to optimize its overall supply chain, which of the following startegies will have the
most lasting impact?
A. Focusing on priority actions
B. Training purchasing agents in negotiation techniques
C. Improving audit results for problem suppliers
D. Sharing information internally and with all suppliers
which of the following methods of gathering customer survey data will help a company identify where
to focus its improvement efforts?
A. Asking questions that are linked to specific business processes
B. Conducting the survey on a person to person basis
C. Measuring the respondents general level of satisfaction with the company
D. Using segmentation to identify specific customer groups
The logistics component of a supply chain management system should be used to
A. Monitor the cost of transporting goods between suppliers and the customer
B. Monitor product delivery times in just-in-time (JIT) systems
C. Reduce the cost of handling, inventorying, and transporting products
D. Reduce the cost of receiving product from supplier
Constructive methods to address resistance to change include
A. Providing opportunities for participation
B. Avoiding talking about the change
C. Providing incentives and awards
D. Allowing people to be complacent

Appendix - B
In a quality-focused organization, which of the following task should be completed by line managers?
A. Formulating quality policy
B. Establishing quality goals
C. Establishing the recognition policy
D. Solving specific problems
Three middle managers from a company attended a seminar and discussed how the techniques they
learned could be incorporated to their processes to give them a competitive advantage. They met with
top management, who agreed that the information should be shared with production supervisors and
distributed to all employees. A month later, a follow-up assessment revealed that almost no one was
using the new techniques, and a majority of the employees surveyed said they felt threatened by the
change the techniques would require.
What should the company have done to ensure a more successful level of acceptance and use of the
technique?
A. Top managers should have presented the change as their own idea rather than from a seminar
B. Middle managers should have presented slides or other handouts from the seminar
C. Formal training should have been provided to all employees before deploying the technique
D. Employees should have been advised of how the change would benefit them
A company is establishing customer contact requirements to provide measurable performance levels for
all front-line employees who interact directly with customers. To make these requirements effective, the
company must also take which of the following actions?
A. Assign each senior manager a customer representative to work with as a teammate
B. Ask customers to define the type and level of service they expect to receive
C. Create a cross-functional team to analyze the relationship between internal and external
customers
D. Evaluate the customer satisfaction levels of major competitors
An audit training program is most effective when it
A. Is presented at the workplace rather than off-site
B. Is designed and conducted by area managers

C. Uses a combination of lecture and self-test methods
D. Takes into account the trainees learning styles
which of the following actions would be a violation of the ASQ code of ethics?
A. Giving credit to all present or previous employers when disclosing information about quality
processes
B. Accepting a monetary reward as a member of a successful process improvement team
C. Indicating any potential consequences of ignoring a quality professional’s judgement
D. Accepting compensation from two different parties for the same service, without their consent
Which of the following actions by a quality manager will result in improvements in an organizations
understanding of quality?
A. Asking the company president to introduce organization-wide quality improvement programs
B. Collaborating with quality managers from other organizations to identify best practices
C. Meeting with staff from various departments to align quality policies with organizational goals
D. Making a presentation to senior management on the value of process audits
A cross functional project team has been developed with members in different geographic locations.
This is known as which of the following types of teams?
A. Virtual
B. Cellular
C. Special project
D. Ad hoc
If a company finds that employee satisfaction is positively correlated with external customer
satisfaction, it would be appropriate for management to link customer satisfaction measurement with
A. Individual financial rewards
B. Group-based financial rewards
C. Internal continuous improvement system
D. Employee satisfaction programs

Appendix - B
A company should develop or expand its quality policy in order to
A. Document demands on its suppliers
B. Describe its fundamental quality beliefs
C. Increase the output of its employees
D. Improve the cycle time of its products
Which of the following planning tools is used to define problems by organizing concepts or ideas in
relationship to each other?
A. A tree diagram
B. A process decision program chart (PDPC)
C. An arrow diagram
D. An affinity diagram
Which of the following characteristics is descriptive of a customer-supplier partnership?
A. The supplier is viewed as a resource for gaining a competitive edge
B. Product problems are resolved through the customer’s material review board
C. The supplier determines requirements for product design
D. The cost of goods and services is the primary basis of the relationship
A quality performance index (QPI) rates supplier performance based on
A. Total costs of the supplier’s parts
B. Rework, and corrective action reports
C. On-time deliveries and purchase order requirements
D. Defect rates and on-time deliveries
The main benefit of employing a job rotation scheme is
A. Simplification of jobs
B. Specialization of labor
C. Decreased fatigue
D. Enhancement of skills

Performance appraisals and coaching techniques are most effective when they are combined to
A. Lead employees to higher levels of performance
B. Rank the workforce for pay increases or promotions
C. Evaluate the performance of individuals on a team
D. Discipline at-risk employees
Process improvement teams should receive training in which of the following topics?
A. Complaint resolution
B. Safety-related requirements
C. Problem-solving
D. Conflict management
Which of the following sets of factors is most important for establishing a supply base that delivers a
competitive advantage?
A. Quality, cost, and delivery
B. Quality, price, and capacity
C. Quantity, cost and availability
D. Quantity, price and delivery
After corrective action has been taken on a process problem, which of the following steps should be
taken to assess the impact of that corrective action?
A. Discuss the process changes with appropriate management representatives
B. Submit a corrective action response to the auditor who detected the process problem
C. Survey affected customers to ensure that the process problem has been solved
D. Measure the performance of the new process
A quality manager has decided to implement training and must establish training goals. Which of the
following training topics should employees be expected to apply?
A. Root cause analysis, process mapping, and 5S

Appendix - B
B. Critical path, work breakdown structure, and overall equipment efficiency
C. Quality function deployment, SWOT, and matrix diagrams
D. Process decision program charts, activity network diagrams, and affinity diagrams
The quality manager for ACME Company has been asked by Sloan Tools, a neighboring company, to
provide Sloan employees with the same SPC training that ACME developed and uses for its employees.
Sloan operates in a different industry from ACME but believes that its employees can benefit from the
SPC training. In this situation, the ACME quality manager should take which of the following actions?
A. Discuss the offer with ACME management, since the training was developed by ACME
B. Turn down the offer to avoid any actual or perceived conflict of interest
C. Accept the offer as an opportunity to gain knowledge that will ultimately benefit ACME
D. Accept the offer, since Sloan is not a competitor
Which of the following content areas should be stressed during quality facilitator training?
A. Design theory
B. Performance management data
C. Report writing
D. Continuous improvement tools
In a large improvement project, which of the following stakeholders is responsible for defining the
project, determining the resources necessary, and reviewing the project’s progress?
A. The sponsor
B. The team
C. The facilitatorgator through the process of isolating the facts surrounding an event or failure.
The first step in this process is to obtain a clear def
D. The quality council
Simulation training is becoming a more common tool in the workplace because
A. Team members need more individualized training
B. Workforces need more interactive learning
C. Trainees prefer more interactive learning

D. Classroom training is becoming too expensive
How many constraints could there be in a system at given time?
A. Zero
B. One
C. Two
D. Three
One method to monitor performance and determine actions to satisfy customers is the use of balanced
scorecards. While there are many perspectives to consider in a scorecard, what is a good set to start
with?
A. Mission, vision, values, business strategy
B. Human resources, information system, production, supplier
C. Financial targets, customer goals, competitor strengths, supplier performance
D. Financial targets, customer goals, internal activities, learning and growth of organization
Rank order, from first to last, the following steps that an organization should take to establish a sound
professional development program.
1. Plan
2. Develop
3. Review
4. Assess needs
5. Improve
A. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
B. 1, 2, 4, 5, 3
C. 4, 1, 2, 3, 5
D. 4, 2, 1, 5, 3
A certified Manager of Quality / Organizational Excellence (CMQ/OE) is attending a supplier recognition
program in another country. The supplier wants to give the CMQ/OE a small token of appreciation that