SAP QM Overview – Cheatsheet for Interview

SAP QM (Quality Management) integrates with MM, PP, PM, SD, WM/EWM to ensure quality across procurement, production, sales, and plant maintenance.

Core QM Submodules

  • Quality Planning
  • Quality Inspection
  • Quality Control
  • Vendor Quality Management
  • Audit Management
  • Quality Notifications
  • Test Equipment Management

2. Key Master Data

1. Material Master – QM View

  • Inspection type
  • QM Control Key
  • Sampling procedure
  • SPC indicator
  • Certificate profile

2. Inspection Plan

  • Operations & characteristics
  • MICs (Master Inspection Characteristics)
  • Sampling procedures
  • Work centers

3. Master Inspection Characteristics (MICs)

  • Quantitative MIC
  • Qualitative MIC
  • Control indicators
  • Upper/lower limits
  • Target value

4. Sampling Procedure

  • Fixed sample
  • Percentage sample
  • Sampling scheme
  • Dynamic modification rule (DMR)

5. QM Control Key

  • Controls inspection stages (during production/after production)

3. Inspection Types (Most Important)

  • 01 – Goods Receipt for Purchase Order
  • 04 – Goods Issue from Production / In-process Inspection
  • 05 – GR for Other Goods Receipts
  • 06 – GR from External Processing
  • 07 – GR for Stock Transport Order
  • 08 – Sample Inspection
  • 09 – Inspection for Customer Return
  • 10 – Delivery Inspection (Before Shipping)
  • 89 – Re-inspection Lot
  • 17 – Inspection during Physical Inventory
  • 103/105 – GR Blocked Stock

4. Quality Inspection Process

Steps

  1. Goods Receipt triggers inspection lot
  2. Maintain results (QE51N/QE01)
  3. Record defects if any
  4. Usage decision (UD)
  5. Stock posting (to unrestricted, blocked, scrap)

Usage Decision

  • A – Accepted
  • R – Rejected
  • Q – Blocked

5. Quality Notifications

Used to record complaints, defects, audit findings.

Types

  • Q1 – Internal complaint
  • Q2 – Vendor complaint
  • Q3 – Customer complaint

Key Elements

  • Tasks
  • Activities
  • Causes
  • Actions
  • Defects

6. Defects & Corrective Actions

  • Defect recording through inspection lots
  • Root cause analysis (8D, Ishikawa, 5 Whys)
  • Link to CAPA (Corrective Action Preventive Action)

7. Integration With Other Modules

With MM

  • GR inspection
  • Vendor evaluation
  • Certificate checking (QC21)

With PP

  • In-process inspection (04)
  • Inspection points
  • Production order results recording

With SD

  • Delivery inspections
  • Customer complaint notifications

With PM

  • Calibration (Task lists + MICs)
  • Inspection lots for equipment

With WM/EWM

  • Quality inspection staging
  • Post-GR into QI area

8. Dynamic Modification Rule (DMR)

Used to skip/reduce inspections for reliable materials/vendors.

Levels

  • Lot level
  • Characteristic level
  • Skip, tighten, normal inspection levels

9. Quality Certificates

  • Certificate profile
  • Certificate sending (QC20, QC21)
  • Vendor certificates at GR

10. Stability Study (Pharma)

  • Long-term and accelerated studies
  • QS70/QS71
  • Time-based scheduling

11. Inspection Lot Status

  • CRTD – Created
  • REL – Released
  • CRTD/REL – Depends on inspection type
  • UD – Usage Decision made
  • SPCO – Sample Complete
  • CHCR – Characteristic Completed

12. Common Interview Questions

  1. What is an Inspection Lot?
  2. Explain Inspection Types 01 and 04.
  3. What is the difference between Quantitative & Qualitative MIC?
  4. What is the role of DMR?
  5. How does QM integrate with MM?
  6. What is an Inspection Plan?
  7. What is Usage Decision & its impact?
  8. Difference between lot-based and characteristic-based recording?
  9. Explain how to do in-process inspection.
  10. What are Quality Notifications?
  11. How do you block a batch with quality issues?
  12. Explain vendor evaluation and score components.
  13. What is calibration process in PM-QM?
  14. What is defect recording?
  15. What is skip lot in DMR?

13. Real-Time Scenarios

Scenario 1: Vendor delivers defective material

  • Create Q2 notification
  • Reject inspection lot
  • Post to blocked stock
  • Vendor claim process

Scenario 2: In-process inspection failed

  • Defect recording
  • Rework order creation
  • Scrap posting if required

Scenario 3: Skip lot logic

  • Based on DMR → material inspection automatically skipped

Scenario 4: Customer complaint

  • Create Q3 notification
  • Assign corrective tasks
  • Root cause + closure

14. S/4HANA Enhancements

  • Fiori apps for Inspection Lot, UD, Notifications
  • Simplified QM tables
  • Embedded analytics for quality KPIs
  • Better EWM-QM integration
  • Advanced defect management

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