Certified Production & Operations Manager (POM) Practice Exam

Quality assurance and control is a task performed by which function in a manufacturing firm?

1. Supply chain management

2. Finance

3. Operations

4. Marketing

The correct answer is: Operations

Quality assurance and control are primarily associated with the operations function in a manufacturing firm. This function is responsible for overseeing the production processes to ensure that products meet the required quality standards. It involves implementing quality management systems, conducting inspections, and performing testing throughout the manufacturing process to identify and rectify any defects or deviations from standards. In the operations function, the focus is on improving efficiency, optimizing processes, and ensuring that the final products are consistent and reliable. Quality assurance prevents defects in the manufacturing process, while quality control involves the detection of defects after production, ensuring that only products meeting quality criteria reach the customer. Although supply chain management, finance, and marketing touch upon quality in indirect ways—such as ensuring that suppliers meet quality standards, considering costs related to quality, and potentially affecting branding through perceived product quality—they do not directly manage or implement quality assurance and control processes as an integral part of their primary functions.