Process Improvement Flashcards

Which technique repeatedly asks 'why' to drill from a symptom to an underlying root cause?

Answer: 5 Whys

The 5 Whys technique iteratively questions causes until the root cause emerges.

A fishbone (Ishikawa) diagram analyzing low retention of diverse hires would typically organize causes into what?

Answer: Categories such as people, process, policies, and environment

Fishbone diagrams group potential causes into categories to structure root cause analysis.

In Lean terminology, an approval step in the accommodation request process that adds delay but no value is classified as what?

Answer: Waste (muda)

Lean labels non-value-adding activities like unnecessary waiting or approvals as waste.

What is the primary benefit of blind (anonymized) resume screening as a process change?

Answer: It reduces the influence of names and demographic cues on initial screening

Removing identifying details reduces the effect of bias at the screening stage.

Which control mechanism best sustains gains after a pay equity process improvement?

Answer: Regular pay equity audits with documented compensation decision criteria

Ongoing audits and clear criteria prevent pay gaps from re-emerging.

A diversity executive compares the company's parental leave processes with those of top-rated employers. This practice is called what?

Answer: Benchmarking

Benchmarking compares practices against leading organizations to identify improvement opportunities.

Under the EEOC Uniform Guidelines, a selection rate for a group below what percentage of the highest group's rate signals possible adverse impact?

Answer: 80%

The four-fifths (80%) rule is a common screen for adverse impact in selection processes.