Description
Total Quality Management
Jun 2026 Examination
Q1. A leading consumer electronics company in Bengaluru is preparing to launch a new series of smart wearables. Despite advanced engineering capabilities, pilot customers express dissatisfaction with battery life and comfort. Historically, the company’s designers have prioritized technical complexity over direct user input. In response to disappointing feedback, management decides to adopt Quality Function Deployment (QFD), aiming to systematically align design and production with what customers value most. Given the context, how can you apply the QFD methodology to ensure the next generation of smart wearables bridges the gap between technical design and genuine customer needs? Describe the steps and mechanisms you would introduce to embed the voice of the customer throughout planning, development, and production. (10 Marks)
Ans 1.
Introduction
Quality Function Deployment (QFD) is a structured methodology that translates the voice of the customer into specific engineering characteristics and production requirements. Developed in Japan and widely adopted across industries, QFD ensures that what customers genuinely want drives every stage of product development, from concept to manufacturing. For this Bengaluru-based electronics company, where designers have historically prioritized technical complexity over user experience, QFD offers a systematic framework to realign the product development process around real customer needs, specifically addressing battery life and comfort dissatisfaction in the new smart wearables series.
Concept and Application
QFD is typically implemented through a series of interconnected matrices, the most
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Q2(A). A fast-growing home appliance manufacturer uses activity-based costing (ABC) to allocate quality-related overheads by specific activities such as inspection, testing, rework, and preventive training. Analysis shows that high-volume products consume more preventive and appraisal resources, while premium models incur increased rework and warranty claims. Senior management proposes investing further in prevention, but some engineers argue resources should be shifted to reduce failure costs. Each group claims their strategy will optimize the company’s cost structure and customer satisfaction. Evaluate the competing strategies of prioritizing (a) increased prevention and appraisal activities for high-volume lines, versus (b) reducing failure costs in premium models. Which approach is most likely to maximize overall cost efficiency and quality outcomes? Justify your answer. (5 Marks)
Ans 2(A).
Introduction
In Total Quality Management, quality costs are broadly classified into Prevention, Appraisal, Internal Failure, and External Failure, often called the PAF model. The central insight of this model is that investing in prevention and appraisal reduces failure costs. However, the optimal balance depends on where failures are occurring and what their total cost is. This manufacturer faces two distinct quality challenges in two different product lines, requiring a differentiated response.
Concept and Application
Strategy A: Increased Prevention and Appraisal for High-Volume Lines
For high-volume product lines, even a small defect rate translates into a large absolute
Q2(B). SparkBright Electronics saves 80% in inspection costs by sampling 500 out of 50,000 incoming capacitors per lot. Their plan aims to reject lots with more than 2% defectives but has recently failed to catch a few marginally defective lots, causing disruptions in final assembly. The quality team proposes switching to a sequential sampling plan, claiming it will increase sensitivity and efficiency. The operations manager is concerned about added administrative complexity and confusion on the production floor. Appraise the proposal to adopt a sequential acceptance sampling plan for SparkBright Electronics, balancing the potential improvements in quality risk detection against the operational and administrative complexities. (5 Marks)
Ans 2(B).
Introduction
Acceptance sampling is a quality control technique used to decide whether to accept or reject a lot based on inspection of a sample. SparkBright’s current single-stage plan inspects a fixed sample of 500 units from each lot of 50,000 capacitors. While cost-effective, it has recently failed to detect marginally defective lots, creating downstream assembly disruptions. A sequential sampling plan offers a statistically more sensitive alternative, but its practical
