CQIA study plan
CQIA · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Quality Basics
Distinguish among quality planning, quality assurance, and quality control using three workplace examples
Summarize the core principles of Deming, Juran, and Crosby and contrast where they disagree
Classify twelve cost items into prevention, appraisal, internal failure, and external failure costs
Describe how ISO 9001 registration differs from final product inspection and from a customer audit
Your checkpoint
One-page guru comparison matrix plus twelve correctly classified cost-of-quality items, self-scored against an answer key at 80% or higher
Quality Basics & Continuous Improvement
Trace one full turn of the PDCA cycle through a real process you own and label each phase
Explain how a quality council or steering committee sponsors improvement work
Identify the eight wastes in five short process descriptions
State the difference between continuous improvement and reengineering in one sentence each
Your checkpoint
A written PDCA narrative of one real workplace process (one page) plus a 25-item Domain 1 self-quiz scored at 80% or above
Continuous Improvement
Sequence the DMAIC phases and name the required output of each phase
Compare Kaizen events, benchmarking, and Six Sigma projects as improvement approaches
Write a corrective action statement and a preventive action statement for a supplied nonconformance
Explain how a Pareto chart sets improvement priority before a root cause study begins
Your checkpoint
A five-phase DMAIC outline applied to a hypothetical defect scenario, checked against a ten-point completeness checklist
Quality Tools and Techniques
Construct a Pareto chart, a cause-and-effect diagram, and a check sheet from supplied data descriptions
Select the correct basic quality tool for eight described situations and justify each choice in one sentence
Compute mean, median, mode, and range for three small datasets
Explain stratification and why data should be stratified before it is analyzed
Your checkpoint
A tool-selection decision table covering the seven basic tools against eight scenarios, plus a 15-item Domain 4 quiz scored at 80% or above
Quality Tools and Techniques
Interpret run-chart and control-chart signals: points beyond limits, trends, and runs
Separate common-cause from special-cause variation in five described situations
Explain random, stratified, and systematic sampling and when each is used
Identify three common misuses of quality tools and state the correct practice for each
Your checkpoint
Written interpretations for five described chart scenarios, each citing the specific signal rule applied, scored against a rubric
Teams
Describe the stages of team development and name the leader action required at each stage
Differentiate the roles of sponsor, facilitator, recorder, and team member
Apply nominal group technique and multivoting to a supplied decision scenario
Match five conflict-handling approaches to the situations where each is appropriate
Explain when consensus is required instead of majority vote
Your checkpoint
A one-page team charter and a 45-minute facilitation agenda with roles, ground rules, and a decision method assigned
Teams & Continuous Improvement
Combine team process and improvement tools to answer ten scenario-based items correctly
Answer 40 mixed-domain practice items under a 50-minute timer
Log every missed item with its domain, the reason for the error, and the correct concept
Re-teach two weak concepts in writing without consulting notes
Your checkpoint
A categorized error log of at least 40 practice items with a ranked re-study list of no more than five topics
Quality Basics & Teams & Continuous Improvement & Quality Tools and Techniques
Complete two timed 100-item mock exams under exam conditions
Review every missed item against the week-7 error log and close each gap
Recite the definitions of the core quality, team, and improvement terms from memory
Consolidate formulas, tool-selection rules, and role definitions onto a single reference sheet
Your checkpoint
Two completed timed mocks at 80% or above plus a finished one-page reference sheet you can reproduce from memory
Milestones
Week 2: Score 80% or higher on a 25-item Domain 1 quiz and finish the PDCA narrative before starting Domain 3 depth work
Week 4: Tool-selection decision table complete for all seven basic tools and the 15-item Domain 4 quiz passed at 80%, confirming the high-weight tools block is on schedule
Week 6: Team charter and facilitation agenda produced, and 30 mixed Domain 2 and Domain 3 items scored at 75% or above
Week 8: Both timed 100-item mocks scored at 80% or above and every week-7 error log entry marked closed