CPIM Practice Exam

What is the primary use of control charts?

1. Finding event frequencies

2. Determining specification limits

3. Detecting special causes of variation

4. Calculating quality system costs

The correct answer is: Detecting special causes of variation

Control charts are primarily used to detect special causes of variation in a process. These charts provide a visual representation of process performance over time, enabling practitioners to identify variations that are not inherent to the process itself, often referred to as special causes. Such variations might result from external factors or changes in materials, equipment, environment, or procedures. Through the use of control charts, organizations can monitor processes and recognize outliers or unusual patterns that may indicate potential issues requiring investigation. By identifying these special causes, companies can take corrective actions to improve process stability and maintain quality control. This focuses on continuous improvement and helps ensure that processes are performing optimally. The other options, while related to quality and process management, do not address the primary function of control charts. Event frequencies pertain to different statistical analyses, specification limits define tolerances for acceptable performance rather than ongoing monitoring, and calculating quality system costs is a separate activity focused on budgeting and resource allocation rather than process control.