Supply Management (M3-M6)

What is the primary definition of quality in operations management?

Consistently meeting or exceeding customer expectations.

Which perspective is considered the most important when defining quality?

The Customer perspective.

In quality management, what does the producer perspective focus on?

Whether the product or service meets engineering and operational specifications.

What fundamental question does the value perspective of quality address?

"Is the product or service worth what I paid for it?"

How does modern quality management differ from traditional thinking regarding defects?

Modern quality management designs processes to prevent defects, whereas traditional thinking inspects completed products to catch and fix defects.

Quality Assurance (QA) is primarily focused on the _____.

process (preventing defects before production)

Quality Control (QC) is primarily focused on the _____.

product (detecting defects during or after production)

Is Quality Assurance (QA) a proactive or reactive approach?

Proactive (it aims to prevent defects before they occur).

Is Quality Control (QC) a proactive or reactive approach?

Reactive (it detects defects during or after production).

What are the four main categories of the Cost of Quality?

"1. Prevention Costs

2. Appraisal Costs

3. Internal Failure Costs

4. External Failure Costs"

What type of quality costs are incurred by training employees, maintaining equipment, and designing processes to avoid defects?

Prevention Costs

What type of quality costs are associated with inspecting, testing, and auditing products to measure quality compliance?

Appraisal Costs

What category of quality cost occurs when a defect is detected before a product reaches the customer?

Internal Failure Costs

What category of quality cost is incurred when a defective product reaches the customer (e.g., refunds, warranty claims, lost reputation)?

External Failure Costs

Over time, how do prevention costs compare financially to failure costs?

Prevention costs are significantly lower over time than failure costs.

What is Total Quality Management (TQM)?

A management philosophy focused on continuously improving processes across an organization to satisfy customers.

What are the core principles of Total Quality Management (TQM)?

Customer Focus, Employee Involvement, Continuous Improvement, Process Thinking, Data-Driven Decisions, and Leadership Commitment.

According to W. Edwards Deming, what is the root source of most quality problems in an organization?

Flawed processes and systems, rather than individual employee performance.

Why did W. Edwards Deming argue that management should not blame front-line employees for quality defects?

Because most operational problems stem from poor system design, which is management's responsibility to fix.

What is Six Sigma?

A structured management approach aimed at reducing process variation and eliminating defects.

Given the process cycle shown below: Diagram showing the five stages of the Six Sigma cycle: Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control. What acronym represents this structured Six Sigma improvement process?

DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control)

What is the primary objective of the 'Define' step in the DMAIC process?

To identify and clearly articulate the problem or opportunity for improvement.

What action is taken during the 'Measure' step of the DMAIC process?

Mapping the current process and collecting quantitative performance and defect data.

What is the primary goal of the 'Analyze' step in DMAIC?

To examine collected data and determine the underlying root causes of defects.

What occurs during the 'Improve' step of the DMAIC methodology?

Designing and implementing solution changes to fix root causes and simplify processes.

What is the purpose of the 'Control' step in the DMAIC process?

To continuously monitor the process to ensure that improvements are sustained over time.

Which of the Seven Quality Tools is used by managers to map and understand a step-by-step process?

Flowchart

Which of the Seven Quality Tools is designed specifically for structured data collection?

Check Sheet

Which quality tool helps managers identify the biggest or most critical problems to address first?

Pareto Chart

Which of the Seven Quality Tools is used specifically to brainstorm and find root causes of a problem?

Fishbone Diagram (Cause-and-Effect Diagram)

Which quality tool displays the frequency distribution of a continuous variable to examine variation?

Histogram

Which quality tool is used to evaluate potential relationships or correlations between two variables?

Scatter Diagram

Which quality tool monitors process performance over time to distinguish normal variation from unusual patterns?

Control Chart

If customer complaints suddenly surge regarding long wait times, which quality tool should be used first to identify root causes?

Fishbone Diagram

What is the central theme of sustainable operations management?

Creating long-term value through sustainable operational practices.

What three pillars make up the Triple Bottom Line framework?

"1. Social (People)

2. Environmental (Planet)

3. Financial (Profit)"

What is 'greenwashing' in business operations?

Conveying a false impression or providing misleading information about how environmentally sound a company's products or practices are.

When evaluating a product's environmental impact, what operational dimensions should be investigated?

Raw materials, manufacturing processes, packaging, transportation/shipping, and disposal/recycling practices.

Why is extensive upfront planning critical to successful project management?

Successful projects invest more time planning early to prevent spending excessive time and money fixing problems later.

What key operational tasks are completed during the Planning phase of a project?

Defining objectives, understanding customer requirements, specifying scope, identifying stakeholders, assembling teams, estimating resources, and identifying risks.

What primary questions does Project Scheduling answer?

Which activities must be completed, task durations, activity dependencies, task assignments, and target completion dates.

What is the primary role of the Controlling phase in project management?

Tracking project execution against the baseline plan and taking corrective action when variances occur.

If an employee discovers incorrect inventory data submitted to management, what response demonstrates strong professionalism?

Notify the appropriate manager immediately, correct the error, and explain any potential operational impact.