Lean Six Sigma: DMAIC Improve Phase

During the Improve phase of DMAIC, what is the initial focus after determining the root causes?

What is the primary goal of the Improve phase in the DMAIC process?

What does the concept of 'continuous flow' in Lean Six Sigma aim to achieve?

Which of the following best describes a key characteristic of continuous flow processing?

What is the most important consideration when deciding whether to implement a 'pull' system?

Which of the following scenarios exemplifies a 'pull' system in operation?

If a bottleneck is identified in a process, which of the following is the LEAST effective measure to address it?

Which option accurately describes the role of a Kanban in a pull system?

Which of the following is LEAST likely to be a type of Kanban signal?

Which Kanban type is specifically used to order materials in advance of a process?

Why is it essential to review the number of Kanban issued periodically in a production system?

A company wants to implement a Kanban system but is unsure how many Kanban will be required. The lead time is 2 hours, Takt time is 30 minutes, and quantity per Kanban is 10 parts. Using the formula (Lead time / TAKT time) / Parts per Kanban + "X" = # of Kanbans needed, and not including any allowance factor 'X', how many Kanban are required?

When determining the 'pitch' in a Kanban system, what factor is MOST important?

If a Kanban system is not performing as expected, what is the most appropriate initial response?

Which of the following is MOST reflective of the ideal material and information flow in a Lean environment?

Why is reducing changeover time important in Lean manufacturing?

What constitutes changeover time?

What is the initial step in minimizing machine downtime during changeovers?

Why might a company want to reduce changeover time?

What is the first step of an 8 step process?

Which of the following is a benefit of quicker changeover and set up times?

What is the primary aim of Total Productive Maintenance (TPM)?

When identifying which equipment should have total overhauling, what is the most important question to ask?

What does Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) measure?

What foundational element underpins Total Productive Maintenance (TPM)?

In the 5S methodology, what is the purpose of 'Seiri' (Sort)?

Which 5S principle is focused on making sure everyone uses the same process to standardize terms and processes?

What is the ultimate goal of Error Proofing?

Which tool is described as 'simple, inexpensive failure proofing devices'?

Which of the following is LEAST likely to cause for human or process errors?

What is a 'facilitation' solution.

What is the first recommended step that occurs for forming solutions?

When should companies use the Six Sigma tool?

Of the following, what is an example of visual management?

Of the following, what is the most important part of maintaining a team and its success?

What is a Kaizen event?

In the Improve phase of DMAIC, after developing potential solutions, what should be the team's next focus?

What is a key benefit of organizing processes such that one person can build an entire product?

When deciding where to implement continuous flow processing, what is the most important factor?

In a pull system, what action does a supermarket employee take when a customer buys a can of soup from the shelf?

Which of the following characteristics is LEAST likely to be found at the end of the producer's line area in a pull system?

Which statement best describes a managed buffer's role in relation to a bottleneck?

Which of the following Kanban types authorizes the movement of goods?

What is the primary reason for attaching a Kanban to actual parts in a pull system?

In determining Kanban Size in parts, what happens if you use a Takt time based on theoretical values instead of cycle time?

In a Kanban system, what does 'pitch' refer to?

If Kanban levels are not set properly, what is the best course of action to take?

What is the result of initiating a pull system without first attempting to implement flow?

What is the purpose of reducing changeover time?

What does changeover time encompass?

When trying to minimize machine downtime during changeovers, what is the first action to take?

Which of the following is a goal for Set Up Reduction?

What is the overall philosophy of total productive maintenance?

When implementing TPM, what is a key strategic goal related to equipment?

What should be considered when identifying 'critical' equipment for TPM?

What does the 'availability' metric measure in Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE)?

What is the foundation of the TPM deployment process?

What is the main objective when applying the 5S methodology?

How does the 'Seiton' (Set in Order) principle of the 5S methodology primarily contribute to workplace efficiency?

What is the purpose of creating sustainment in 5S?

What is Error Proofing seeking to reduce?

What is a key shift in focus for successful Error Proofing?

Which of the following statements best describes the goal of Error Proofing in work operations?

In error proofing, what is the primary goal when focusing on a process?

What was the contribution of Shigeo Shingo in the field of error proofing?

What is the primary goal of 'Poka-yoke'?

When error-proofing a process, what should be the first solution considered, according to the principles of mistake-proofing?

What is 'facilitation' in the context of error proofing?

Why is it crucial to involve stakeholders with a RACI chart at the start of the Improve phase?

When generating solutions in the improve phase with your team, which of the following questions need to be asked?

In which activity can a SCAMPER Technique be greatly utilized?

If you want to use Six Sigma tools, what question should you ask?

What is a defining trait of visual management?

How should action items be defined in cross-functional teams?

What is the goal of visual management in the workplace?

What is the primary focus of a Kaizen event?

What is the typical first step in executing a full-scale implementation plan for fixes developed during the Improve phase?

In a continuous flow system, if there is a marked increase in the demand, what is the appropriate action?

What fundamental principle must be in place before a 'pull' system can effectively operate?

Which type of Kanban is used to signal the need to produce more goods, based on consumption?

What is the MAIN objective of reviewing Kanban levels in a pull system?

What could happen if you implement material and information flow by producing to forecasting instead of producing to customer demand?

What is an important consideration when making adjustments to improve set up times?

When strategically implementing Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), which goal is most important for extending the life and performance of equipment?

Which of the 5S pillars creates the standards and checklists?

The philosophy of focusing on improving work operations to make them 'fit people' comes from which strategy?

The primary goal of the DMAIC Improve phase is to generate potential solutions without prioritizing them.

In continuous flow, processes are organized so that multiple people work on different parts of the same item.

In a 'push' system, items are only produced when the next operation or customer requires them.

A 'pull' system is analogous to how a supermarket operates, where stock is replenished as it's consumed.

A bottleneck does not exists in every process.

Kanban signals do not include information about where the product is needed.

In Kanban, the number of issued kanbans should be reviewed only after a major process change.

Pitch is a measure of how many kanbans are released at a time.

Kanban implementation focuses on increasing inventory levels regardless of demand.

The ultimate goal of reducing changeover time is to decrease the number of changeovers performed.

Reducing changeover times primarily benefits internal operations, with minimal impact on customer demands.

In SMED (Single Minute Exchange of Dies), the goal is to eliminate external elements.

During the setup process, finding and transporting tools do not add extra time to the process.

TPM is mainly focused on reacting to equipment failures rather than preventing them.

The primary goal of TPM is to control equipment breakdowns.

Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) solely measures machine uptime without considering performance or quality.

TPM only applies to the production line, not administrative functions.

5S is primarily a housekeeping program focused solely on cleaning.

The 5S methodology ensures workplace safety without improving efficiency.

Error proofing focuses on blaming individuals for mistakes in the process.

Error proofing seeks to increase waste (rework).

Machines are not capable of making errors.

Preventing the error from occuring or minimizing the affect of it once it occurs will help an organizations bottom line.

Poka-yoke devices are usually highly sophisticated and complex.

Jidoka implies that workers and machines do not have the capacity to identify errors.

The 'involvement matrix' helps prioritize stakeholders, regardless of their ability to impact project outcomes.

When evaluating solutions, limiting resources available may be considered.

A RACI chart does not aid in developing a brainstorm list of project stakeholders.

Potential solutions should not be cheked against common sense.

The 'Quick and Dirty' approach to brainstorming ideas states that individuals should think like adults.

Multivoting does not weigh cirteria.

Visual management helps makes a workplace harder to understand.

Quality, not quantity, is a type of Performance Metric within visual managment.

Functional teams, not Cross-functional teams, are excellent improvement tools.

It does not matter whose on the team when trying to improve and area.

Tiger Teams focus on Long-term fixes.

It does not matter whether a work area will formally or informaly agree on the proccess within the work area.

Kaizen Events are typically 10-15 days with 50-75 people involved.

Kaizen events should not plan next RIEs and follow-on activities.

Focus of removing waste should not be implemented during a Kaizen event.

Team brainstorming during the DMAIC Improve phase primarily focuses on eliminating waste.

The Improve phase aims to brainstorm solutions without piloting process changes.

The DMAIC Improve phase prioritizes measuring results before developing potential solutions.

In Continuous Flow, processes are designed so multiple individuals each handle one specific task.

In continuous flow processing, work-in-progress inventory can increase, if demand increases.

In continuous flow processing, only one unit is worked as raw materials is converted into finished goods.

In continuous product flow, overproduction is acceptable as long as more products are being created.

Pull systems operate efficiently without any buffers or inventory.

In Push systems, products are only sent to the next operation if the customer has put in a request.

Push systems minimize inventory by producing items at the last possible minute.

A 'pull system' production is based on downstream consumer demand.

The stock person in a pull system will bring out all the products they can, which may not always be accommodated by the shelf.

In a pull system, the supermarket contains only the varieties of completed parts.

Material in a pull system is staged at the producer’s line.

A bottleneck increases the flow of the entire process.

High WIP (work in progress) can accurately reveal the location of the bottleneck.

Buffers before bottlenecks are generally discouraged, negatively affecting the flow.

In Kanban systems, authorization to produce is not part of the signals.

Signals in a kanban system only take the form of paper cards for tracking production.

A withdrawal Kanban authorizes production of goods.

In Kanban, kanbans must be attached to manufactured parts, the pull signal must be removed from the material as soon as the first piece is removed from the container.

Takt time is used for actual calculations of Kanban amounts, while cycle time is used for theoretical calculations.

If you need to account for weather delays to protect a customer's order from not being filled, your "X" factor should decrease to account for this variability.

Kanban pitch is calculated by multiplying Takt Time by number of kanbans.

A kanban is a self-sufficient tool that requires no human adjustments.

Introducing a pull system without establishing continuous flow minimizes supermarketing issues.

In a true pull system, If you DO NOT explicitly limit your WIP, it is a pull system.

SMED aims to minimize changeover time, reducing the interval between the last good part of one run and the first good part of the next run.

In order to reduce setup time, external activities should be done during the machine down time to minimize the number of activities.

Decreasing changeover times increases the need for inventory.

When setting up tools, bolts, and nuts do not add to the changeover time.

One activity to reduce setup time is eliminating external elements.

TPM primarily focuses on maximizing enthusiasm rather than Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).

TPM focuses on reactive maintenance rather than proactive identification of potential equipment problems.

In TPM, a key measure of performance efficiency calculates uptime divided by downtime.

5S is primarily a cleaning program that does not include elements of a waste-elimination program.

In Japanese Seiketsu refers to ensure workspace is clean and well maintained.

While error-proofing reduces errors, it does not rely on data analysis or standard work.

Error proofing focuses to punish those who make mistakes.

Poka-yoke focuses on shifting accountability from the process of management to the operators themselves, allowing for a easier more streamlined process.

The primary goal of the DMAIC Improve phase is to analyze existing processes and identify bottlenecks.

In continuous flow, processes are designed so that multiple people always work together on each step of the process.

In a 'push' system, production is driven by actual customer demand, while in 'pull' systems, production is based on anticipated demand.

Kanban cards are used to signal what, when, where, and how many of a product should be produced.

Bottlenecks are easier to manage when you can maintain excess inventory before the bottleneck.

The TAKT time is used for calculations in a work flow, while the cycle time is used in theoretical calculations.

Reducing changeover times allows a company to reduce the number of planned changeovers.

External changeover tasks must take place while the machine is down.

In TPM, you may have a TPM in administration.

Within the 5S methodology, 'Sustain' refers to ensuring the tools in your workspace are clean and well maintained.