Certified Supplier Quality Professional (CSQP) Practice Exam

In the DMAIC problem-solving process, at what stage would "prevent reverting back to the old way" fall?

1. Analyze

2. Control

3. Define

4. Improve

The correct answer is: Control

The stage "prevent reverting back to the old way" aligns with the Control phase of the DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) problem-solving process. In this phase, the primary focus is on maintaining improvements that have been made in the previous stages and ensuring that the processes continue to operate effectively. Implementing controls and monitoring systems is key to sustaining the gains, thus preventing any regression to previous practices. This ensures that the improvements are embedded in the organizational culture and daily operations, which minimizes the risk of falling back into old habits. In contrast, the other stages of DMAIC serve different purposes: defining the problem establishes the project's importance, measuring performance collects relevant data, analyzing identifies root causes of issues, and improving focuses on developing solutions to those problems. Each of these stages contributes to the overall objective of problem-solving but does not specifically address the need to ensure that improvements are sustained over the long term, which is the cornerstone of the Control phase.