Total Quality Management

1. "Quality is defined by the customer" is

a. an unrealistic definition of quality

b. a user-based definition of quality
c. a manufacturing-based definition of quality
d. a product-based definition of quality
e. the definition proposed by the American Society for Quality Control

2. Which of the following is not one of the major categories of costs associated with quality?

a. prevention costs
b. appraisal costs
c. internal failures
d. external failures
e. none of the above, they are all major categories of costs associated with quality

3. According to the manufacturing-based definition of quality,

a. quality is the degree of excellence at an acceptable price and the control of variability at an
acceptable cost
b. quality depends on how well the product fits patterns of consumer preferences
c. even though quality cannot be defined, you know what it is
d. quality is the degree to which a specific product conforms to standards

4. All of the following costs are likely to decrease as a result of better quality except

a. customer dissatisfaction costs

b. inspection costs
c. scrap costs
d. warranty and service costs
e. maintenance costs

5. Inspection, scrap, and repair are examples of

a. internal costs
b. external costs
c. costs of dissatisfaction
d. societal costs

6. ISO 9000 seeks standardization in terms of

a. products
b. production procedures
c. suppliers' specifications
d. procedures to manage quality

7. Which of the following is true about ISO 14000 certification?

a. it is a prerequisite for ISO 9000 certification

b. it indicates a higher level of adherence to standards than ISO 9000
c. it is only sought by companies exporting their goods
d. it deals with environmental management

8. Total Quality Management emphasizes

a. the responsibility of the Quality Control staff to identify and solve all quality-related problems
b. a commitment to quality that goes beyond internal company issues to suppliers and customers
c. a system where strong managers are the only decision makers
d. a process where mostly statisticians get involved
9. A successful TQM program incorporates all of the following except

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a. continuous improvement
b. employment involvement
c. benchmarking
d. centralized decision making authority

10. "Kaizen" is a Japanese term meaning

a. a foolproof mechanism
b. Just-in-time (JIT)
c. a fishbone diagram
d. setting standards
e. continuous improvement

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

a. inspection at the end of the production process

b. an increase in numerical quotas to boost productivity
c. looking for the cheapest supplier
d. training and knowledge

12. The philosophy of zero defects is

a. unrealistic
b. prohibitively costly
c. an ultimate goal; in practice, 1 to 2% defects is acceptable
d. consistent with the commitment to continuous improvement

13. Quality Circles members are

a. paid according to their contribution to quality

b. external consultants designed to provide training in the use of Quality tools
c. always machine operators
d. all trained to be facilitators
e. none of the above, all of the statements are false

14. The process of identifying other organizations that are best at some facet of your operations
and then modeling your organization after them is known as

a. continuous improvement
b. employee empowerment
c. benchmarking
d. copycatting
e. patent infringement

15. Costs of dissatisfaction, repair costs, and warranty costs are elements of cost in the

a. Taguchi Loss Function

b. Pareto Chart
c. ISO 9000 Quality Cost Calculator
d. Process Chart

16. A quality loss function utilizes all of the following costs except
a. the cost of scrap and repair
b. the cost of customer dissatisfaction
c. inspection, warranty, and service costs
d. sales costs
e. costs to society
17. Pareto charts are used to

a. identify inspection points in a process

b. outline production schedules
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c. organize errors, problems or defects

d. show material flow

18. Pareto charts are used to

a. identify inspection points in a process

b. organize errors, problems or defects
c. outline production schedules
d. show an assembly sequence
e. provide guidelines for quality training

19. Among the tools of TQM, the tool ordinarily used to aid in understanding the sequence of
events through which a product travels is a

a. Pareto chart
b. Flow chart
c. check sheet
d. Taguchi map

20. The process improvement technique that sorts the "vital few" from the "trivial many" is

a. Taguchi analysis
b. Pareto analysis
c. benchmarking
d. Yamaguchi analysis

21. A fishbone diagram is also known as a

a. cause-and-effect diagram
b. poka-yoke diagram
c. Kaizen diagram
d. Taguchi diagram

22. If a sample of parts is measured and the mean of the measurements is outside the control
limits the process is

a. in control, but not capable of producing within the established control limits
b. out of control and the process should be investigated for assignable variation
c. within the established control limits with only natural causes of variation
d. monitored closely to see if the next sample mean will also fall outside the control limits
e. none of the above

23. A quality circle holds a brainstorming session and attempts to identify the factors responsible
for flaws in a product. Which tool do you suggest they use to organize their findings?

a. Ishikawa diagram
b. Pareto chart
c. process chart
d. control charts

24. When a sample measurement falls inside the control limits, it means that
a. each unit manufactured is good enough to sell
b. the process limits cannot be determined statistically
c. the process output exceeds the requirements
d. if there is no other pattern in the samples, the process is in control
25. Which of the following is true regarding control charts?

a. Values above the upper and lower control limits indicate points out of adjustment.
b. Control charts are built so that new data can be quickly compared to past performance data.
c. Control charts graphically present data.
d. Control charts plot data over time.
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e. All of the above are true.

26. The goal of inspection is to

a. detect a bad process immediately

b. add value to a product or service
c. correct deficiencies in products
d. correct system deficiencies

27. Which of the following is not a typical inspection point?

a. upon receipt of goods from your supplier

b. during the production process
c. before the product is shipped to the customer
d. at the supplier's plant while the supplier is producing
e. after a costly process

28. "Poka-yoke" is the Japanese term for

a. card
b. foolproof
c. continuous improvement
d. fishbone diagram
e. Just-in-time production

29. A worker operates a shear press. She notices that the metal sheets she is cutting have curled
edges. Who should get the first "shot" at solving the problem?

a. the foreman
b. a member of the Quality Control department
c. the operator herself
d. an engineer
e. the employee's supervisor

30. A recent consumer survey conducted for a car dealership indicates that, when buying a car,
customers are primarily concerned with the salesperson's ability to explain the car's features, the
salesperson's friendliness, and the dealer's honesty. The dealership should be especially
concerned with which dimensions of service quality?

a. communication, courtesy, and credibility

b. competence, courtesy, and security
c. competence, responsiveness, and reliability
d. communication, responsiveness, and reliability

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1. Which of the following is not a location option that management can consider in location
planning?

a. expand an existing facility

b. add a new location
c. relocate from one location to another
d. do nothing
e. all are possible options

2. A system is comprised of two separate units which must both function in order for the system
to perform as intended. The reliability of one is 0.4, and the reliability of the other is 0.5. The
overall system reliability is:

0.4*0.5=0.2
a. 0.9
b. 0.3
c. 0.2
d. 0.1
e. 0.02

3. The probability that a product will wear out within a given amount of time is often described
by the:

a. beta distribution
b. binomial distribution
c. negative exponential distribution
d. normal distribution
e. uniform distribution

4. A point which is outside of the lower control limit on an range chart:

a. is an indication that no cause of variation is present.

b. should be ignored because it signifies better than average quality.
c. should be investigated because an assignable cause of variation might be present.
d. should be ignored unless another point is outside that limit.
e. is impossible since the lower limit is always zero.

5. Which of the following is not a step in the quality control process?

a. define what is to be controlled.

b. compare measurements to a standard.
c. eliminate all defects found.
d. take corrective action if necessary.
e. evaluate corrective action.

6. The range chart is most likely to detect a change in:

a. proportion.
b. mean
c. number defective.
d. variability.
e. sample size.

7. The optimum level of inspection is where the:

a. cost of inspection is minimum.
b. cost of passing defectives is minimum.
c. total cost of inspection and defectives is maximum.
d. total cost of inspection and defectives is minimum.
e. difference in inspection and defectives costs is minimum.
8. The purpose of control charts is to:

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a. estimate the proportion output that is acceptable.

b. weed out defective items.
c. determine if the output is within tolerances/specifications.
d. distinguish between random variation and assignable variation in the process.
e. none of these.

9. Which of the following is not a key way in which business organizations compete with one
another?

a. production cost.
b. quality
c. product duplication.
d. flexibility
e. time to perform certain activities.

10. The research and development activity which converts research results into useful
commercial applications is:

a. basic research.
b. applied research.
c. development.
d. redesign.
e. commercial research.

11 . The concept of total quality control, i.e. that quality must be attended to at all stages of the
industrial cycle and throughout the organization, is the creation of which of the following
pioneers?

a) Armand Feigenbaum
b) Joseph M Juran
c) Genichi Taguchi
d) W Edwards Deming

12. The so-called 'Quality Gurus' of total quality management (TQM) do NOT include one of
the following:

a) Joseph M Juran
b) W Edwards Deming
c) Bill Cosby
d) Kaoru Ishikawa

13. The specific concerns of total quality management (TQM) include a number of aspects.
Which is not normally associated with TQM?

a) Inclusion of every person in the organization

b) Covering all parts of the organization
c) Meeting the needs and expectations of customers
d) Primarily a “worker” rather than a management activity

14. The preferred method for achieving total quality in process output is:

a) Rely on operator self-inspection and self-correction

b) Build and install an error-proof process and maintain it
c) Rely on a team of highly trained and dedicated inspectors
d) Perform inspection at the next process

15. Total quality management (TQM) programmes are more likely to remain effective if a
number of prescriptions are followed. Which of the following prescriptions should not be
followed?

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a) Quality improvement relates to operation's performance objectives

b) TQM does not become a separate 'bolt-on' set of activities
c) TQM should become a substitute for normal managerial leadership
d) Slogans and exhortations about TQM's effectiveness are avoided

16. Which one of the following would normally be considered as one of the ‘costs of
quality’?

a) Research and development costs

b) Distribution costs
c) Stockholding costs
d) Internal failure costs
e) Marketing costs

17. Which one of the following would normally be considered as one of the ‘costs of
quality’?

a) Transaction costs
b) Overhead costs
c) Marketing costs
d) Appraisal costs
e) Transport costs

18. The specific concerns of total quality management (TQM) include a number of aspects.
Which is not normally associated with TQM?

a) Inclusion of every person in the organization

b) Meeting the needs and expectations of customers
c) Primarily a “worker” rather than a management activity
d) Covering all parts of the organization

19. The preferred method for achieving total quality in process output is:

a) Rely on operator self-inspection and self-correction

b) Build and install an error-proof process and maintain it
c) Rely on a team of highly trained and dedicated inspectors
d) Perform inspection at the next process

20.
In statistical process control the __________ specification limit is the minimum acceptable level
of output.
a) Lower
b) Upper
c) Lower and Upper
d) None of the above

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