Kanban & Lean Principles Flashcards
7 cards from real APM practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Kanban & Lean Principles flashcards as text
When using a 'Monte Carlo simulation' for Kanban forecasting, what data serves as the primary input?
Answer: Historical throughput data from completed work items
Monte Carlo simulations use historical throughput data (items completed per period) to generate probabilistic forecasts for how many items will be completed by a target date.
Which Lean concept warns against 'Muri' in a product development context?
Answer: Overburden on people or systems beyond their capacity
Muri refers to overburdening people or equipment beyond their reasonable capacity, leading to burnout, errors, and reduced quality.
A Kanban team is experiencing high variability in cycle time. What is the recommended first response?
Answer: Investigate and address the root causes of variability, such as blockers or unclear policies
High cycle time variability signals systemic issues like unclear policies, frequent blockers, or inconsistent work item sizing that must be investigated and resolved.
In Lean Software Development, 'amplify learning' as a principle is best demonstrated by:
Answer: Using short feedback cycles, experiments, and retrospectives to gain knowledge quickly
'Amplify learning' means creating frequent feedback loops through short iterations, experiments, and retrospectives to rapidly increase knowledge and reduce uncertainty.
What is the key distinction between 'Kaizen' and 'Kaikaku' in the context of Lean improvement?
Answer: Kaizen involves incremental continuous improvements; Kaikaku involves radical transformational change
Kaizen refers to small, continuous, incremental improvements made by everyone, while Kaikaku (or Kaikaku) refers to radical, breakthrough transformation of a process.
A product manager notices that items entering the 'Done' column remain there for weeks before being released. Which Lean waste does this represent?
Answer: Inventory / partially done work
Completed but unreleased work is inventory waste — it represents value that has been produced but not yet delivered to the customer, still carrying risk and holding cost.
Which Kanban practice most directly supports the Lean principle of 'respect for people'?
Answer: Using WIP limits to prevent team members from being overloaded
WIP limits prevent overburden (Muri) by ensuring team members are not overwhelmed with more work than they can sustainably handle, directly embodying respect for people.