Execution and Control of Operations Flashcards

Which lean tool maps the flow of materials and information from supplier to customer to identify waste?

Answer: Value stream mapping

Value stream mapping (VSM) visually documents current-state material and information flows to identify non-value-adding activities and design a leaner future state.

In Theory of Constraints (TOC), the 'constraint' or bottleneck is defined as:

Answer: The resource that limits the system's throughput

In TOC, the constraint is the weakest link — the resource whose capacity determines the maximum output of the entire system.

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

Answer: Maximizing equipment effectiveness through proactive, operator-led maintenance

TPM aims to eliminate equipment losses by involving operators in maintenance, preventing breakdowns, and continuously improving Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).

Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) is calculated as the product of:

Answer: Availability, performance, and quality rates

OEE = Availability × Performance × Quality, capturing losses from downtime, speed reduction, and defects in a single metric.

In quality management, 'statistical process control' (SPC) uses control charts to:

Answer: Distinguish between common-cause and special-cause variation in a process

SPC control charts plot process data over time with control limits to detect when a process shifts from normal (common-cause) variation to abnormal (special-cause) variation.

What is the purpose of a 'poka-yoke' device in manufacturing?

Answer: To prevent errors or make defects immediately obvious so they cannot pass undetected

A poka-yoke (mistake-proofing) device is a mechanism that either prevents an error from occurring or immediately detects and signals it so defects are caught before moving downstream.