PMP Quality Management 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A project manager notices that defects are clustering around a single supplier's components. Which quality tool best visualizes the frequency distribution of defect categories to identify the dominant cause?
- Control chart
- Pareto chart (Correct answer)
- Scatter diagram
- Run chart
Correct answer: Pareto chart
A Pareto chart ranks defect categories by frequency, making it easy to identify the vital few causes responsible for most defects.
Question 2: During Manage Quality, the team performs a process audit and finds that approved procedures are not being followed. What is the MOST appropriate next step?
- Issue a defect report to the team
- Update the quality management plan
- Initiate a change request to address the process gap (Correct answer)
- Escalate to the project sponsor immediately
Correct answer: Initiate a change request to address the process gap
Manage Quality findings that reveal process non-conformance should be addressed through formal change requests to correct the quality system.
Question 3: A project team is using statistical sampling to inspect deliverables. What is the PRIMARY benefit of this approach over 100% inspection?
- It eliminates all defects before delivery
- It reduces inspection cost and time while providing statistical confidence (Correct answer)
- It transfers quality responsibility to the customer
- It satisfies ISO 9001 requirements automatically
Correct answer: It reduces inspection cost and time while providing statistical confidence
Statistical sampling provides a cost-effective way to draw conclusions about an entire population without inspecting every unit.
Question 4: Which quality concept distinguishes between the cost of conformance and the cost of non-conformance?
- Cost-benefit analysis
- Cost of quality (COQ) (Correct answer)
- Earned value management
- Value engineering
Correct answer: Cost of quality (COQ)
Cost of quality (COQ) categorizes all quality-related spending into prevention/appraisal costs (conformance) and internal/external failure costs (non-conformance).
Question 5: A control chart shows eight consecutive data points on one side of the mean. What should the project manager conclude?
- The process is within acceptable limits
- The variation is random and no action is needed
- A non-random pattern (rule of seven) indicates the process is out of control (Correct answer)
- The upper and lower control limits need to be recalculated
Correct answer: A non-random pattern (rule of seven) indicates the process is out of control
The rule of seven states that eight or more consecutive points on one side of the mean signal a non-random, assignable cause requiring investigation.
Question 6: In the PMBOK framework, which process is responsible for translating the quality management plan into executable quality activities?
- Plan Quality Management
- Control Quality
- Manage Quality (Correct answer)
- Perform Integrated Change Control
Correct answer: Manage Quality
Manage Quality (formerly Perform Quality Assurance) converts quality planning into executable quality activities and audits.
Question 7: A project manager wants to determine whether a relationship exists between the number of test hours and the number of defects found. Which tool should be used?
- Histogram
- Scatter diagram (Correct answer)
- Cause-and-effect diagram
- Flowchart
Correct answer: Scatter diagram
A scatter diagram plots two variables against each other to determine whether a correlation or relationship exists between them.
PMP Quality Management 2
A project manager notices that defects are clustering around a single supplier's components.
Which quality tool best visualizes the frequency distribution of defect categories to identify the dominant cause?