WGU C215 Operations Management OA Exam 2026 – 300
Practice Questions with Verified Answers & Rationales
(Objective Assessment Test Bank)
1. A regional hospital network is redesigning its surgical service line. The operations director is
deciding between a 'focused factory' model (high-volume, standardized procedures) and a
full-service general hospital model. The network serves a diverse population with varying
acuity and a high proportion of emergency cases. Which strategic choice BEST aligns with the
network's competitive priorities?
A. Adopt the focused factory model to maximize efficiency and cost leadership across all procedures.
B. Maintain a general hospital model to provide a full range of services, aligning with a differentiation strategy
centered on comprehensive care.
C. Use a hybrid model: focused factories for high-volume elective procedures, while retaining general capacity
for emergency and complex cases.
D. Outsource all surgical services to specialized ambulatory centers to reduce fixed costs.
Answer: C. Use a hybrid model: focused factories for high-volume elective procedures, while
retaining general capacity for emergency and complex cases.
2. A manufacturing firm competes on rapid product innovation and customization. Currently, its
operations strategy emphasizes cost reduction through economies of scale. The firm's market
share is eroding because competitors are launching new features faster. Which strategic
change should the operations manager prioritize to realign operations with the corporate
strategy?
A. Increase batch sizes to lower unit costs and invest savings in R&D.
B. Shift to a flexible manufacturing system with shorter production runs and cross-trained workers.
C. Reduce product variety to focus on a few high-volume standardized products.
D. Implement a cost-leadership strategy by benchmarking against the lowest-cost competitor.
Answer: B. Shift to a flexible manufacturing system with shorter production runs and
cross-trained workers.
3. A logistics company is evaluating two strategies: expanding its trucking fleet to cover more
routes vs. partnering with independent owner-operators. The company's current competitive
priorities are reliability and cost. Fixed costs for the fleet expansion are high, but the partner
model offers variable costs. Which approach BEST aligns with a cost leadership strategy in a
stable demand environment?
A. Expand the fleet to achieve economies of scale and lower average fixed costs per mile.
B. Partner with owner-operators to keep variable costs low and avoid large capital investments.
C. Use a mix of both to hedge against demand uncertainty.
D. Choose the strategy that maximizes speed of delivery, regardless of cost.
Answer: A. Expand the fleet to achieve economies of scale and lower average fixed costs per
mile.
4. A quality engineer at a pharmaceutical company is analyzing defect data from tablet
compression. A Pareto chart shows that three defect types account for 80% of all defects. The
engineer's next step in quality improvement should be to:
A. Conduct a fishbone diagram to identify root causes for the top defect types.
, B. Implement statistical process control (SPC) on all production lines immediately.
C. Redesign the entire manufacturing process to eliminate all defects.
D. Increase inspection frequency to catch defects before they reach customers.
Answer: A. Conduct a fishbone diagram to identify root causes for the top defect types.
5. A hospital's patient satisfaction scores have been declining due to perceived long wait times.
The quality director intends to use the DMAIC framework. In which phase would the team define
the critical-to-quality (CTQ) characteristics, such as 'time from registration to seeing a
physician'?
A. Define
B. Measure
C. Analyze
D. Control
Answer: A. Define
6. A software development team is adopting Total Quality Management (TQM) principles. To
reduce defects, they plan to involve all employees in continuous improvement. Which action
BEST exemplifies TQM's principle of 'employee empowerment'?
A. Top management issues a policy mandating zero defects.
B. Cross-functional teams are given authority to halt production if they identify quality issues.
C. Quality control department is solely responsible for final inspection.
D. Quality improvement projects are limited to certified quality engineers.
Answer: B. Cross-functional teams are given authority to halt production if they identify quality
issues.
7. A global electronics firm sources components from multiple suppliers across different
countries. Disruptions in one region due to natural disasters have repeatedly delayed
production. The firm's supply chain manager wants to build resilience while balancing cost.
Which strategy is MOST effective?
A. Source all critical components from a single 'best-cost' supplier to maintain leverage.
B. Diversify suppliers across multiple geographic regions and maintain safety stock for critical items.
C. Reduce inventory levels to just-in-time to minimize holding costs.
D. Increase the use of air freight to shorten lead times.
Answer: B. Diversify suppliers across multiple geographic regions and maintain safety stock
for critical items.
8. A retail chain experiences consistent stockouts on popular items, leading to lost sales. The
buyers currently rely on informal judgment for ordering. The supply chain manager wants to
improve ordering decisions. Which approach would be the BEST initial step toward data-driven
supply chain management?
A. Implement RFID tagging on all products to track inventory in real-time.
B. Use historical sales data to calculate safety stock levels and reorder points.
C. Negotiate longer payment terms with suppliers to reduce costs.
D. Increase the frequency of physical inventory counts.
Answer: B. Use historical sales data to calculate safety stock levels and reorder points.
9. A manufacturing company's demand for a critical component is highly seasonally variable.
The supply chain manager is deciding between using a responsive supply chain or an efficient
Practice Questions with Verified Answers & Rationales
(Objective Assessment Test Bank)
1. A regional hospital network is redesigning its surgical service line. The operations director is
deciding between a 'focused factory' model (high-volume, standardized procedures) and a
full-service general hospital model. The network serves a diverse population with varying
acuity and a high proportion of emergency cases. Which strategic choice BEST aligns with the
network's competitive priorities?
A. Adopt the focused factory model to maximize efficiency and cost leadership across all procedures.
B. Maintain a general hospital model to provide a full range of services, aligning with a differentiation strategy
centered on comprehensive care.
C. Use a hybrid model: focused factories for high-volume elective procedures, while retaining general capacity
for emergency and complex cases.
D. Outsource all surgical services to specialized ambulatory centers to reduce fixed costs.
Answer: C. Use a hybrid model: focused factories for high-volume elective procedures, while
retaining general capacity for emergency and complex cases.
2. A manufacturing firm competes on rapid product innovation and customization. Currently, its
operations strategy emphasizes cost reduction through economies of scale. The firm's market
share is eroding because competitors are launching new features faster. Which strategic
change should the operations manager prioritize to realign operations with the corporate
strategy?
A. Increase batch sizes to lower unit costs and invest savings in R&D.
B. Shift to a flexible manufacturing system with shorter production runs and cross-trained workers.
C. Reduce product variety to focus on a few high-volume standardized products.
D. Implement a cost-leadership strategy by benchmarking against the lowest-cost competitor.
Answer: B. Shift to a flexible manufacturing system with shorter production runs and
cross-trained workers.
3. A logistics company is evaluating two strategies: expanding its trucking fleet to cover more
routes vs. partnering with independent owner-operators. The company's current competitive
priorities are reliability and cost. Fixed costs for the fleet expansion are high, but the partner
model offers variable costs. Which approach BEST aligns with a cost leadership strategy in a
stable demand environment?
A. Expand the fleet to achieve economies of scale and lower average fixed costs per mile.
B. Partner with owner-operators to keep variable costs low and avoid large capital investments.
C. Use a mix of both to hedge against demand uncertainty.
D. Choose the strategy that maximizes speed of delivery, regardless of cost.
Answer: A. Expand the fleet to achieve economies of scale and lower average fixed costs per
mile.
4. A quality engineer at a pharmaceutical company is analyzing defect data from tablet
compression. A Pareto chart shows that three defect types account for 80% of all defects. The
engineer's next step in quality improvement should be to:
A. Conduct a fishbone diagram to identify root causes for the top defect types.
, B. Implement statistical process control (SPC) on all production lines immediately.
C. Redesign the entire manufacturing process to eliminate all defects.
D. Increase inspection frequency to catch defects before they reach customers.
Answer: A. Conduct a fishbone diagram to identify root causes for the top defect types.
5. A hospital's patient satisfaction scores have been declining due to perceived long wait times.
The quality director intends to use the DMAIC framework. In which phase would the team define
the critical-to-quality (CTQ) characteristics, such as 'time from registration to seeing a
physician'?
A. Define
B. Measure
C. Analyze
D. Control
Answer: A. Define
6. A software development team is adopting Total Quality Management (TQM) principles. To
reduce defects, they plan to involve all employees in continuous improvement. Which action
BEST exemplifies TQM's principle of 'employee empowerment'?
A. Top management issues a policy mandating zero defects.
B. Cross-functional teams are given authority to halt production if they identify quality issues.
C. Quality control department is solely responsible for final inspection.
D. Quality improvement projects are limited to certified quality engineers.
Answer: B. Cross-functional teams are given authority to halt production if they identify quality
issues.
7. A global electronics firm sources components from multiple suppliers across different
countries. Disruptions in one region due to natural disasters have repeatedly delayed
production. The firm's supply chain manager wants to build resilience while balancing cost.
Which strategy is MOST effective?
A. Source all critical components from a single 'best-cost' supplier to maintain leverage.
B. Diversify suppliers across multiple geographic regions and maintain safety stock for critical items.
C. Reduce inventory levels to just-in-time to minimize holding costs.
D. Increase the use of air freight to shorten lead times.
Answer: B. Diversify suppliers across multiple geographic regions and maintain safety stock
for critical items.
8. A retail chain experiences consistent stockouts on popular items, leading to lost sales. The
buyers currently rely on informal judgment for ordering. The supply chain manager wants to
improve ordering decisions. Which approach would be the BEST initial step toward data-driven
supply chain management?
A. Implement RFID tagging on all products to track inventory in real-time.
B. Use historical sales data to calculate safety stock levels and reorder points.
C. Negotiate longer payment terms with suppliers to reduce costs.
D. Increase the frequency of physical inventory counts.
Answer: B. Use historical sales data to calculate safety stock levels and reorder points.
9. A manufacturing company's demand for a critical component is highly seasonally variable.
The supply chain manager is deciding between using a responsive supply chain or an efficient
