In quality management, which activity focuses on preventing defects by improving processes?

• A. Inspects deliverables to verify they meet requirements.
• B. Defines customer acceptance criteria.
• C. Assigns project roles.
• D. Focuses on process improvement to prevent defects.

Answer: (D)

Preventing defects by improving processes is about building quality into how work is done. It focuses on identifying root causes of problems, reducing variation, and making systemic changes so defects don’t occur in the first place. That preventive mindset is what drives process improvement efforts, using methods like PDCA, Six Sigma, or Lean to refine workflows and controls.

Inspecting deliverables, by contrast, verifies whether outputs meet requirements after they’re produced, which detects defects rather than prevents them. Defining customer acceptance criteria sets what quality means to the customer but doesn’t describe how to prevent issues in the process. Assigning project roles is about organizing the team and governance, not directly about preventing defects through process changes.