Chapter 6 Managing Quality Short Answer

103) Identify the four costs of quality. Which one is hardest to evaluate? Explain. Answer: The four costs are internal, external, prevention, and appraisal. The hardest to estimate are external costs, or costs that occur after delivery of defective part or services. These costs are very hard to quantify. Diff: 2 Skill: comprehension Objective: LO1 Define quality and TQM 104) State the American Society for Quality's definition of quality. Of the three "flavours" or categories of quality definitions, which type is it? Explain. Answer: Quality is the totality of features and characteristics of a product or service that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs. This is user-based, as evidenced by the reference to needs, not to specifications or ingredients. Diff: 2 Skill: comprehension Objective: LO1 Define quality and TQM 105) Quality has at least three categories of definitions; identify them. Provide a brief explanation of each. Answer: The three categories of quality are user-based (in the eyes of the beholder), manufacturing-based (conforming to standards), and product-based (measurable content of product). Diff: 2 Skill: comprehension Objective: LO1 Define quality and TQM 106) Identify the five steps of DMAIC. Answer: (1) Define the project's purpose, scope, and outputs and then identify the required process information, keeping in mind the customer's definition of quality; (2) Measure the process and collect data; (3) Analyse the data, ensuring repeatability (the results can be duplicated), and reproducibility (others get the same result); (4) Improve, by modifying or redesigning, existing processes and procedures; and (5) Control the new process to make sure performance levels are maintained. Diff: 3 Skill: comprehension Objective: LO1 Define quality and TQM 107) In a sentence or two, summarize the contribution of Philip Crosby to quality management. Answer: In his book Quality Is Free, Crosby pointed out that the costs of poor quality are understated, and that understatement made it easier for firms to accept low quality results. He also promoted "zero defects" and doing the job right the first time. Diff: 2 Skill: comprehension Objective: LO1 Define quality and TQM 23 108) Identify the five core elements of ISO 14000. Answer: The five core elements of ISO 14000 are environmental management, auditing, performance evaluation, labelling, and life cycle assessment. Diff: 2 Skill: comprehension Objective: LO2 Describe the ISO international quality standards 109) Describe how ISO 9000 has evolved in the past several years. Answer: The standards have become more of a quality management system. These changes came about primarily through the December 2000 revisions. They emphasize top management leadership and customer requirements and satisfaction, while documented procedures now receive less emphasis. Diff: 3 Skill: comprehension Objective: LO2 Describe the ISO international quality standards 110) What steps can be taken to develop benchmarks? Answer: The steps are: determine what to benchmark, form a benchmarking team, identify benchmarking partners, collect and analyse benchmarking information, and take action to match or exceed the benchmark. Diff: 2 Skill: comprehension Objective: LO4 Explain how benchmarking is used in TQM 111) Explain how just-in-time processes relate to the quality of an organization's outputs. Answer: JIT relates to quality by cutting costs of quality, by lowering waste and scrap; by improving quality by shortening the time between error detection and error correction; and better quality means less inventory and better JIT system. Diff: 2 Skill: comprehension Objective: LO5 Explain quality robust products and Taguchi concepts 112) What is the difference between conforming quality and target-oriented quality? Answer: With conforming quality, any unit that meets specifications is acceptable, whether it is on the edges or centre of the specification range. Target-oriented quality treats output as better the closer it is to exactly what the customer wants. Diff: 3 Skill: comprehension Objective: LO5 Explain quality robust products and Taguchi concepts 113) Identify the major concepts of TQM. Answer: The major concepts of total quality management are continuous improvement, Six Sigma, employee empowerment, benchmarking, just-in-time (JIT), Taguchi concepts, and knowledge of TQM tools. Diff: 2 Skill: comprehension Objective: LO1 Define quality and TQM 24 114) What is the quality loss function (QLF)? Answer: The quality loss function identifies all costs connected with poor quality and shows how these costs increase as the product moves away from being exactly what the customer wants. Diff: 2 Skill: comprehension Objective: LO5 Explain quality robust products and Taguchi concepts 115) Explain how a Pareto chart can identify the most important causes of errors in a process. Answer: There will generally be some causes with much higher frequencies than others. The frequency plot will clearly show which cause has the highest frequency. Diff: 1 Skill: comprehension Objective: LO6 Use the seven tools of TQM 116) How is source inspection related to employee empowerment? Answer: Source inspection involves the operator ensuring that the job is done properly. These operators are empowered to self-check their own work. Employees that deal with a system on a daily basis have a better understanding of the system than anyone else, and can be very effective at improving the system. Diff: 2 Skill: comprehension Objective: LO5 Explain quality robust products and Taguchi concepts 117) What is a poka-yoke? Give an example. Answer: A poka-yoke is a foolproof device or technique that ensures production of good units every time. Examples will vary, but include McDonald's french fry scoop and standard sized bags used to ensure the correct quantity, and prepackaged surgical coverings that contain exactly the items needed for a medical procedure. Diff: 2 Skill: comprehension Objective: LO5 Explain quality robust products and Taguchi concepts 118) Identify the 10 determinants of service quality. Describe two of them in a sentence or two each. Answer: The 10 are reliability, responsiveness, competence, access, courtesy, communication, credibility, security, understanding, and tangibles. Descriptions are found in Table 6.5 in the text. Here are two examples: Access involves approachability and ease of contact. Security is the freedom from danger, risk, or doubt. Diff: 2 Skill: knowledge Objective: LO5 Explain quality robust products and Taguchi concepts 25 119) Management is concerned that workers create more product defects at the very beginning and end of a work shift than at other times of their eight-hour workday. Construct a scatter diagram with the following data, collected last week. Is management justified in its belief? Answer: There is fairly convincing evidence that there are more defects in the first and last shift hours than at other times. Diff: 2 Skill: application Objective: LO6 Use the seven tools of TQM 26 120) Perform a Pareto analysis on the following information: Reason for unsatisfying stay at hotel Unfriendly staff Room not clean Room not ready at check-in No towels at pool No blanket for pull-out sofa Pool water too cold Breakfast of poor quality Elevator too slow or not working Took too long to register Bill incorrect Total Answer: Frequency 6 2 3 33 4 3 16 23 7 3 100 Diff: 2 Skill: application Objective: LO6 Use the seven tools of TQM 27 121) Perform a Pareto analysis on the following information: Reason for unsatisfying check-out at store Unfriendly cashier Incorrect change Cashier too slow Price check Poorly bagged merchandise Slow receiving cheque approval Answer: Frequency 27 4 9 34 2 3 Diff: 2 Skill: application Objective: LO6 Use the seven tools of TQM 28 122) Construct a cause-and-effect diagram showing why a student might be dissatisfied with the cafeteria. Answer: (Note that answers may vary considerably.) Diff: 2 Skill: application Objective: LO6 Use the seven tools of TQM 29 123) Pretend that you have just come from a relative's wedding reception. It didn't turn out as well as it should have, and the bride's parents are pretty mad. Use the supplied template to construct a conventional cause-and-effect diagram. Identify twelve sources of defects for the issue "dissatisfied customer of wedding reception caterer." (Your dozen need not be exactly three per main cause, but should be a balanced treatment.) Categorize each cause onto a main cause. Provide brief support for each of your choices. Answer: Individual responses may vary considerably; some of the variation in responses comes from differing views of what is the caterer's realm of responsibility, compared to what might be assigned to a wedding planner instead. Material: not enough plates, glassware, utensils; prepared wrong dish; food was cold; ran out of food; food was "bad." Machinery: air conditioning/heating was broken; room was dirty; room too small; furniture poorly arranged; wedding "props" ugly or shopworn. Method: not on time; overcharged; not enough workers. Manpower: wait staff not properly attired; wait staff not speedy; wait staff not courteous. Responses should comment as necessary to show why a fault lies on a certain main branch; as an example, "cold food" might be interpreted as Method, not Material. Diff: 3 Skill: application Objective: LO6 Use the seven tools of TQM 30 124) A refrigeration and heating company–one that installs and repairs home central air and heating systems–has asked your advice on how to analyse their service quality. They have logged customer complaints. Here's a recent sampling. Use the supplied template to construct a conventional cause-and-effect diagram. Place each of the complaints onto a main cause; justify your choice with a brief comment as necessary. 1. "I was overcharged–your labour rates are too high." 2. "The repairman left trash where he was working." 3. "You weren't here when you said you would be. You should call when you must be late." 4. "Your repairman smoked in my house."5. "The part you installed is not as good as the factory original." 6. "Your repairman was here for over two hours, but he wasn't taking his work seriously." 7. "You didn't tighten some of the fittings properly–the system's leaking." 8. "Your estimate of repair costs was WAY off." 9. "I called you to do an annual inspection, but you've done more–work that I didn't authorize." 10. "Your mechanic is just changing parts–he doesn't have a clue what's really wrong." 11. "Your bill has only a total–I wanted to see detail billing." 12. "Your testing equipment isn't very new– are you sure you've diagnosed the problem?"13. "One of the workmen tracked mud into my living room." Answer: Individual responses may vary. A typical set of responses might be Material: item 5. Method: items 1, 3, 8, 9, 11. Machinery: item 12; Manpower: items 2, 4, 6, 7, 10, 13. Items 7, 8, and 11 could be Manpower or Method. Diff: 3 Skill: application Objective: LO6 Use the seven tools of TQM 31 125) Construct a cause and effect diagram for why students arrive to class late. Include at least three reasons for each of the M's. Answer: Student responses should look like the above, with the 4 M's of Manpower, Machinery, Method, and Material listed. Possible responses include: Manpower: not conditioned to waking up early, I can't wake up at the same time every day, I stay up late the night before sometimes. Machinery: Car failure, alarm clock reset from power outage, alarm clock turned off by roommate. Method: forgot to set alarm clock, incorrect alarm clock setting (AM vs PM), I could not find the classroom. Material: (these responses can be overlapped with Machine answers to some degree) I wore flip-flops so I could not walk fast, I could not find a sweater and did not want to go out in the cold, I lacked the proper materials for walking in the snow/ice. Diff: 2 Skill: application Objective: LO6 Use the seven tools of TQM 32 126) A professor teaches two sections of a class, one on MWF for 50 minutes per day and another on T/TH for 75 minutes per day. Use the following information to construct a scatter diagram with test # on the x-axis and score on the y-axis. Should the professor argue for a change in the university's scheduling? MWF Section Test Results 75 70 65 65 70 Answer: Test # 1 2 3 4 5 T/Th Test Results 82 77 73 70 76 It appears that the T/TH section consistently scores higher than the MWF section. Perhaps the instructor should ask for MWF to be changed to MW with longer sessions, although the sample size is small. Diff: 2 Skill: application Objective: LO6 Use the seven tools of TQM 33 127) Create a Pareto Chart for the following mistakes made in grading an exam. Cause Incorrect sum Question marked wrong was right Question marked right was wrong Partial credit not consistent Answer: Frequency 35 3 4 58 Diff: 2 Skill: application Objective: LO6 Use the seven tools of TQM 34 128) Construct a cause-and-effect chart for a missed field goal late in a football game with at least three aspects for each M. Answer: Responses should include the four Ms of Manpower, Material, Machine, and Method. Student responses should fill out a diagram similar to the following. Possible responses include Manpower: nervous mindset, inconsistent offensive line blocking, lack of practice. Material (football): ball was wet/slippery, ball was too worn/not worn in, ball was over/under inflated. Machine (turf and field goal uprights): uprights were slanted, uprights were too far away from the field (not positioned correctly), turf was wet/muddy, grass type was not correct. Method: ball kicked too far to left or right, not kicked hard enough, kicker slipped on the kick, kicker did not hit the ball at the correct point, kicker aimed incorrectly. Other responses are acceptable as long as they mesh with their associated M. Diff: 3 Skill: application Objective: LO6 Use the seven tools of TQM 35 129) A pizza delivery company wants to improve its response time to gain a competitive advantage. Create a flowchart with eight unique events from the time the customer calls in to the time the pizza is delivered. Answer: Student responses will vary but should follow a similar pattern. The flowchart will likely be in a single line, however any pattern is fine so long as the boxes are sequential connected with directional arrows. Diff: 3 Skill: application Objective: LO6 Use the seven tools of TQM 36