CPI Certification Practice Test 2025 - Free CPI Practice Questions and Exam Preparation Guide

The control chart is a powerful visual tool used to track process performance over time by displaying data points in a time-ordered sequence. It allows practitioners to monitor variations in a process and distinguish between normal (common cause) variation and unusual (special cause) variation. By using upper and lower control limits, a control chart helps in understanding the stability of a process and identifying trends that may require attention.

This method is vital for ongoing quality control and improvement, as it provides a clear visual representation of how performance metrics change over time, facilitating timely decision-making to maintain or improve quality standards. Other options like histograms, fishbone diagrams, and flowcharts serve important functions in quality management, such as identifying causes of variation or mapping processes, but they do not specifically track performance over time in the same dynamic way that control charts do.