Yeah, the other two things got a perfect score, you'd think the boss would notice that part too, right?
A lot depends on what the boss is looking for. I think usually what they are looking for is for some reassurance that things will be better in the future.
An answer that highlights what a good job you did, but indicates that things will be even better in the future may go over the best. So maybe something like
"Quality control got a score of 14 out of 17 because it didn't include a budget for quality control, which was not requested. In the future, I'll include a budget for quality control even if one is not requested. If I had included a budget for quality control, we would have had perfect scores in all three areas for which I'm responsible, and our rank would have improved from 7th place to 5th."
It's a way to remind the boss that you weren't responsible and that even if you had perfect scores it wouldn't have mattered, but without saying those things outright.
A lot depends on what the boss is looking for. I think usually what they are looking for is for some reassurance that things will be better in the future.
An answer that highlights what a good job you did, but indicates that things will be even better in the future may go over the best. So maybe something like
"Quality control got a score of 14 out of 17 because it didn't include a budget for quality control, which was not requested. In the future, I'll include a budget for quality control even if one is not requested. If I had included a budget for quality control, we would have had perfect scores in all three areas for which I'm responsible, and our rank would have improved from 7th place to 5th."
It's a way to remind the boss that you weren't responsible and that even if you had perfect scores it wouldn't have mattered, but without saying those things outright.