Quality Management and Process Improvement Flashcards

What is value stream mapping used for in Lean process improvement?

Answer: Visually documenting the flow of materials and information to identify waste

Value stream mapping creates a visual representation of all steps in a process to identify value-added and non-value-added activities (waste).

Which of the Seven Wastes of Lean manufacturing refers to producing more than what is needed?

Answer: Overproduction

Overproduction — making more than customer demand requires — is considered the worst waste in Lean because it generates and hides other wastes.

In quality management, what does 'benchmarking' involve?

Answer: Comparing one's processes and performance against industry best practices

Benchmarking involves comparing an organization's processes and performance metrics against best-in-class organizations to identify improvement opportunities.

What is the purpose of acceptance sampling in quality control?

Answer: To determine whether to accept or reject a batch based on a sample inspection

Acceptance sampling uses statistical methods to inspect a representative sample from a batch and decide whether the entire batch meets quality requirements.

Which quality management framework consists of the Malcolm Baldrige Award criteria categories including Leadership, Strategy, Customers, and Results?

Answer: Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Framework

The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award framework provides a comprehensive set of performance excellence criteria across seven categories to help organizations improve performance.

What is 'poka-yoke' in Lean and quality management?

Answer: An error-proofing device or method that prevents defects at the source

Poka-yoke refers to mistake-proofing mechanisms that make it impossible or difficult to make an error, preventing defects before they occur.