problem 1: During the analysis of a process that was compute, a situation arose where it was seen that the variability of the data points collected was non-random on several occasions, that is, it did not meet acceptable quality standards. Though, when an investigation was completed to find out the cause of the problem, assignable causes were not revealed and the quality team felt that they were ‘hitting a wall’.

i) What are some of the possible descriptions for not finding any assignable causes?

ii) If you were a quality manager working on this project, what recommendations would you make to proceed from this condition?

problem 2: GM (specifically Cadillac) has recently enhanced its image because of enhancements they have made in quality over the last decade. As a result, they won the 2013 North American Car of the Year Award at the Detroit auto show in January 2013. Likewise, Amazon.com claims that their main goal is to provide top notch service to their customers.

Assess the quality dimensions talked about for each of the two companies and describe the differences between the implications for quality at GM and at Amazon.com.

problem 3: Discuss the difference between a symptom and a problem from a quality point of view. For a Quality Manager, why is it significant to understand this difference?