CQIA case studies
CQIA · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Certified Quality Improvement Associate (CQIA) is an ASQ credential for people who support quality improvement work but may not hold a traditional quality title. It signals foundational knowledge of quality tools, methods, and teamwork, and it is aimed at professionals who contribute to team-based improvement projects. The CQIA case studies are 5 cases and about 4,172 words.
1The CFO's Appraisal Haircut
Valmere Plastics runs a 320-person injection-molding plant. Last fiscal year the quality function recorded: prevention (training, SPC, design review) 60,000; appraisal (inspection, lab, audits) 240,000; internal failure (scrap, rework) 310,000; external failure (warranty, returns, and one lost account worth 180,000 in annual margin) 520,000.
898 words, about 4 min2The Team That Agrees Too Fast
A regional hospital formed a six-person team to cut emergency-department turnaround time: an ED physician, two nurses, a lab supervisor, a registration clerk, and the ED medical director as chair. Five weeks and four meetings in, attendance is perfect but the two nurses have spoken a combined eleven times.
784 words, about 4 min3The Kaizen That Evaporated
A 40-person order-fulfillment department ran a five-day kaizen event in March. The team redesigned the pick-pack-ship flow, cut travel distance by 60%, and reduced average order cycle time from 4.2 hours to 3.3 hours.
839 words, about 4 min4One Point Out of Limits
A supplier of machined bushings submits an X-bar and R chart covering 25 subgroups of n = 5, one subgroup per hour, plotted in production order. On bore diameter, the X-bar chart shows a single point above the upper control limit at subgroup 19; the R chart is in control throughout.
804 words, about 4 min5The Capability Number Nobody Checked
A medical device assembler reports Cp = 1.45 on a critical 12.0 ± 0.1 mm dimension, based on 125 parts measured by one inspector with a digital caliper of 0.01 mm resolution. A customer auditor asks for the measurement system study.
847 words, about 4 min