ASQ Certified Quality Process Analyst & Improvement Associate 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A process is said to be in a state of statistical control when:
- All output meets customer specifications
- Only common cause variation is present (Correct answer)
- Special cause variation has been eliminated and the process is capable
- The process Cp is greater than 1.33
Correct answer: Only common cause variation is present
Statistical control means the process exhibits only common cause (natural, random) variation with no special causes present.
Question 2: Which DMAIC phase focuses on identifying and validating the root cause of a problem?
- Define
- Measure
- Analyze (Correct answer)
- Improve
Correct answer: Analyze
The Analyze phase uses data and tools like fishbone diagrams and hypothesis testing to identify and validate root causes.
Question 3: A Pareto chart is based on which principle?
- Normal distribution of defects across all categories
- Roughly 80% of problems stem from 20% of causes (Correct answer)
- All causes contribute equally to a problem
- Defects follow a Poisson distribution
Correct answer: Roughly 80% of problems stem from 20% of causes
The Pareto principle (80/20 rule) states that approximately 80% of effects come from 20% of causes, helping prioritize improvement efforts.
Question 4: What does a process capability index (Cpk) measure?
- The speed at which a process produces output
- How centered and capable a process is relative to its specification limits (Correct answer)
- The percentage of defective units in a production run
- The number of standard deviations between control limits
Correct answer: How centered and capable a process is relative to its specification limits
Cpk accounts for both the spread and the centering of a process relative to the specification limits.
Question 5: In a fishbone (Ishikawa) diagram, the 'bones' typically represent:
- Defect counts by time period
- Major categories of potential causes (Correct answer)
- Steps in a process flow
- Customer complaint priorities
Correct answer: Major categories of potential causes
The branches (bones) of an Ishikawa diagram represent major cause categories such as Man, Machine, Method, Material, Measurement, and Environment.
Question 6: Which type of control chart is most appropriate for monitoring the proportion of defective items in a process?
- X-bar and R chart
- c chart
- p chart (Correct answer)
- I-MR chart
Correct answer: p chart
The p chart monitors the proportion (fraction) of nonconforming units in samples of varying or constant size.
Question 7: The primary goal of a process improvement team's charter is to:
- Assign blame for existing quality problems
- Define the scope, objectives, and boundaries of the improvement project (Correct answer)
- Document the final solution implemented
- Establish the statistical significance threshold for hypothesis tests
Correct answer: Define the scope, objectives, and boundaries of the improvement project
A project charter aligns the team by clearly defining the problem statement, goals, scope, timeline, and team roles before work begins.
ASQ Certified Quality Process Analyst & Improvement Associate 2
A process is said to be in a state of statistical control when: