Quality Assurance & Improvement Flashcards
7 cards from real CPT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Quality Assurance & Improvement flashcards as text
A performance improvement team applies the '5 Whys' technique during a quality problem investigation. What is the primary purpose of this method?
Answer: Trace a symptom back to its root cause
The 5 Whys technique iteratively asks 'why' to peel back surface symptoms and reveal the underlying root cause of a quality problem.
Which component of a balanced scorecard most directly aligns with quality assurance activities in performance improvement?
Answer: Internal business process perspective
The internal business process perspective tracks operational quality, efficiency, and process improvement initiatives that drive performance outcomes.
During a confirmative evaluation, a CPT practitioner finds that a process improvement delivered results initially but performance has since degraded. This finding most likely indicates a need for:
Answer: Sustainment or reinforcement interventions
Performance degradation after initial success signals that the intervention lacked built-in sustainment mechanisms such as reinforcement, coaching, or job aids.
A CPT practitioner applies Mager and Pipe's performance analysis flowchart and determines the gap is a 'can't do' problem. Which intervention is MOST appropriate?
Answer: Training or job aid
A 'can't do' problem reflects a skill or knowledge deficiency, which is addressed through training, practice, or job aids rather than motivational interventions.
Which statistical process control tool would best help a quality team determine whether a manufacturing process is stable and predictable over time?
Answer: Control chart (run chart with limits)
Control charts display data over time with statistical control limits, allowing teams to distinguish between normal (common-cause) variation and significant (special-cause) shifts.
A performance improvement specialist is evaluating multiple potential interventions. She selects the option with the highest benefit-to-cost ratio that also addresses the validated root cause. This decision-making approach reflects which HPT principle?
Answer: Evidence-based selection
Selecting interventions based on data — both root-cause analysis and cost-benefit evidence — exemplifies the HPT principle of evidence-based decision making.
An organization's quality team establishes that defect rates must stay below 2% to meet contractual standards. On a control chart, this threshold would be represented as a:
Answer: Specification limit
Specification limits represent external requirements or customer/contract standards, distinct from statistical control limits which reflect the process's own natural variation.