Exam 3 OPSM 3830 Practice

Which of the following are measured using attributes?

Number of defects Number of calls in a day

For c-charts, the sample average number of defects is computed by which of the following formulas?

Number of defects divided by number of samples

What are some examples of inspection points in the service sector? (Select all applicable answers.)

Outgoing patient billing accuracy at medical clinic. Kitchen cleanliness at fast food restaurant at shift start.

When a sample average falls inside the control limits, what can be concluded about the process?

Random variation is suggested and the process is probably in control.

Which of the following are considered types of inventory in a manufacturing facility?

Raw materials Maintenance and repairs Finished goods In-transit goods Work-in-process

What are the different inspection points in manufacturing? (Select all correct answers.)

Raw materials & purchased parts before production Before a costly, irreversible or covering operation/process. Finished goods after production

What are some ways operations managers can improve process capability?

Reduce the process variability Upgrade or automate equipment Standardize process steps

Upgrade Equipment

Replace worn-out equipment; take advantage of technological improvements

When computing the control limits for the p-chart, what value is used when the population proportion of defective items is not known?

Sample proportion of defective items

Which of the following statements is/are correct about the sampling distribution? (Select all applicable answers)

Sampling distribution is a plot of many sample means. Sampling distribution is narrower than the process distribution.

Select the best definition of assignable variation.

Special, non-random variation traceable to a definite cause.

Which of the following statements is/are correct about Specifications?

Specifications are tolerances established by Engineering and/or the Customer. Specifications are a range of values in which all units of output must fall to be acceptable.

How do Specifications differ from Control Limits?

Specifications refer to the entire process and control limits are set on the sampling distribution.

Automate

Substitute automated processing for manual processing

Which of the following elements are part of the calculation for the capability analysis statistic Cpk? (Select all that apply.)

Take the smaller of the two calculation values for Cpk. Calculate the distance from the mean to the upper tolerance then do the same to the lower.

How does Taguchi's belief about quality differ from the traditional view?

The cost of poor quality increases as the output approaches the specification limit.

Which of the following statements about inspection frequency are is/are correct?

The more lots being produced the more inspections are needed. A stable process will require less frequent checks than an unstable process.

Select the best definition of process variability.

The natural or inherent variability in a process.

In a control chart when a data point falls outside the control limits (upper and lower), what must be concluded?

The process appears non-random and should be checked.

Which of the following exemplify a capable process?

The range of process variability is much less than the width of customer specifications.

Comparing a theoretical sampling distribution to the process distribution, which of the following is true?

The sampling distribution curve is narrower than the process distribution.

Standardize

Use standard parts, standard procedures

What is the difference between variable and attribute data? (Select the best answer.)

Variable data is measured on a continuous scale and attribute data is counted using discrete numbers.

When is the capability analysis statistic Cpk used, instead of Cp?

When a process is not centered between the upper and lower tolerances.

The "average of the sample means" is also known by what term?

X-double bar

Which type of inspection occurs before and after production?

acceptance sampling

What characteristic is measured in a run test?

anything observable

When the results of quality control are unacceptable, what is the next step?

corrective action

Which of the following is not a way inventory affects performance measures?

dividends

True or false: In acceptance sampling, a type of quality control inspection, 100% of product in a given lot are checked for conformance.

false

True or false: In order to create new samples, the runs are transformed into a series of Us and Ds and into a series of As and Bs.

false

A mean control chart is used to check ______.

for central tendency of a variable

The decision about where to use control charts should focus on aspects of the process that _______.

have a tendency to go out of control, and affect product or service characteristics

With inventory turnover, a _____ ratio is better, because that implies more efficient use of inventory.

higher

Because firms tend to have about 30 percent of current assets invested in inventory, a reduction in inventories can result in a significant ______.

increase in ROI

The inventory models in this chapter relate primarily to ______ items, that is, items that are ready to be sold or used.

independent-demand

Given a stable process, we must ask the question whether the ______ of process output is within an acceptable range.

inherent variability

A stock or store of goods is _______.

inventory

The implication for Taguchi is that reducing the variation inherent in a process will result ______. (Select all that apply.)

lowering the loss to society lowering the cost of poor quality

For practical reasons, the c-chart uses which probability distribution as an approximation to the Poisson?

normal

True or false: All processes have variation.

true

True or false: In the control process, only those characteristics that can be counted or measured are candidates for control.

true

True or false: Sometimes non-random variation can indicate excellent quality.

true

One basic issue of inspection is what type of data to collect. If we can measure the value of a characteristic, we are collecting ______ data.

variable

When is the capability analysis statistic Cp used?

when a process is centered between the upper and lower specifications

What symbol or letter signifies the number of standard deviations the control limits are based on, in the formula for a mean control chart?

z

If the number of standard deviations is not specified when computing control charts, what is an appropriate default value?

+/- 2 standard deviations

Which of the following statements about inventory management is/are true?

-One of the goals is to keep inventory costs within reasonable bounds.-One of the goals is to achieve good customer service.-Inventory managers must decide how much to order.

When control charts and run tests are used together, rank the order in which actions should be taken to compute control limits for process output. (1 is first, 3 is last.)

1. Determine appropriate control chart based upon data type 2. Compute upper and lower control limits 3. If sample statistics fall outside control limits, stop and look for a cause. If all are inside, conduct run tests to check for randomness.

A six sigma process will have a process capability index equal to:

2.00

Which of the following statements about Type I error is/are correct?

A Type I error is concluding non-randomness and being mistaken. A Type I error's alpha risk equals the probability (area) in the two "tails."

Select the best definition of Quality Control.

A process that measures output relative to a standard and takes action when discrepancies occur.

Select the best definition of a control chart.

A time-ordered plot of sample statistics used to determine randomness or non-randomness.

When the standard deviation is not known, mean control chart upper and lower control limits are computed by adding and subtracting ______ from the grand mean.

A2 x Average Range

What is the rationale and basis for statistical process control?

Acceptable variation within probability limits

A Type I Error is referred to by what other name?

Alpha Risk

When is the nonrandom variation shown on a control chart a positive outcome?

An observation below the lower control limit on a R-chart. An observation below the lower control limit on a c-chart. An observation below the lower control limit on a p-chart.

What is the best definition of statistical process control?

Analyze data from some point in the process to determine if the process is likely to be in or out of control.

What is the best synonym for inspection from the below list?

Appraisal

When +/- 2 standard deviation control limits are used in a process control chart, which of the below statements are true?

Approximately 95.5% of the time random data points will fall within (inside) the upper and lower control limits.

For a mean control chart, when the process standard deviation is not known, what is used in its place as a measure of process variability?

Average Range

What happens when a process is not stable?

Capability index is meaningless

Select the best definition of random variation.

Common variation inherent in a process occurring by chance.

What is the formula for Cp?

Cp = Specification Width / Process Width

Which scenario would indicate the need for off-site testing at a centralized testing facility?

Customer specifications for satellite component require dust-free, no vibration test

Run tests can reveal non-random patterns in time-ordered data. Select three patterns that might be seen.

Cycles Bias Trend

What is the range control chart upper control limit formula?

D4 x Average Range

What is the first step in the control process?

Define in sufficient detail what is to be controlled.

Make mistake-proof

Design parts that can only be assembled the correct way; have simple checks to verify a procedure has been performed correctly

Simplify

Eliminate steps, reduce the number of parts, use modular design

Which of the following statements about process capability is correct? (Select all that apply.)

For a process to be capable, the output must fall within tolerances. A capable process exhibits natural, random variability.

What are the basic issues of quality control inspection? (Check all that apply.)

How much and how often to inspect At what stage of the process inspection should occur Where inspection should take place Whether to inspect attributes or variables

Managers must make a number of important decisions about the use of control charts. What are they?

How often samples should be taken At what points in the process to use control charts What type of control chart to use What size samples to take

What are some risks of using capability indexes? (Select all that apply.)

If the process output is not normally distributed, statistical inferences are incorrect. If the process is not centered but Cp is used anyway, it gives misleading indications. If the process is not stable, Cp and Cpk are meaningless.

Select all the ways quality assurance can be part of an organization's operations strategy.

Improve process capability to reduce need for inspection Adopt continuous process improvement methods to increase customer satisfaction with product quality.

Which of the following types of inventory are items that are ready to be sold?

Independent-demand items

Which of the following statements is/are correct about Inspection?

Inspection involves checking for conformance against a quality standard. Inspection can occur before, during or after production.

Which is/are examples of Acceptance Sampling? (Select all that apply.)

Inspection of raw material batches before production Inspection of final assembly lots after production

What does the central limit theorem tell us about the sampling distribution?

It approaches a normal distribution as sample size increases.

Which product characteristics would prompt the most intensive inspection?

Low-volume, high-cost

Though process improvement initiatives come with a cost, benefits of more capable processes may outweigh and can include which of the following? (Select all that apply.)

Lower warranty costs Less need for inspection Fewer service complaints

What are the two different types of run tests?

Median and Up/Down

Under which conditions would on-site inspection be better than off-site at a specialized test lab?

Need for quick inspection results due to delivery schedule Alteration or contamination of samples during transfer to lab

When comparing a sampling to a process distribution, what are the most important things to note?

They have the same means, are normally distributed, and sampling has less variability.

Why do statistical process control analysts perform run tests, even when control charts demonstrate all points within the limits?

To determine whether patterns can be detected.

Select the best definition of capability analysis.

To determine whether the variability of a stable process falls within tolerances.

Which of the following is NOT a normal function of inventory?

To take advantage of existing storage space.

Inspection during transformation is called what?

process control

Statistical process control is ______.

quality control efforts that occur during production

Select the best definition of a "run."

sequence of observations with a certain characteristic

Six Sigma refers to achieving a process variability so small that the design specifications represent ___ standard deviations above and below the process mean.

six

One of the reasons a firm carries inventory is to ______, that is, to achieve constant output and use inventory to meet overly high requirements during seasonal periods.

smooth production requirements

Random variation in a process indicates __________; whereas non-random variation indicates process __________.

stability/instability

Inventory is a ________ or ________ of goods.

stock, store

A range control chart is used to check ______.

the dispersion of a variable

Select the best definition of process capability.

the inherent variability of process output relative to the variation allowed by the design specifications

For attribute data a c-chart is used to monitor ______.

the number of defects per unit

For attribute data a p-chart is used to monitor ______.

the proportion of defective items generated by a process

In a p-chart, as the sample size increases, how does the standard deviation of the sampling distribution for the proportion of defective items change?

the standard deviation decreases

We do not use the process standard deviation in a range control chart, because ______.

the underlying sampling distribution is not normal