CLL Technology & Digital Tools 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which digital tool is most commonly used to create and analyze Value Stream Maps in a lean environment?
- Microsoft Word
- eVSM or similar VSM-specific software (Correct answer)
- QuickBooks
- Adobe Photoshop
Correct answer: eVSM or similar VSM-specific software
Dedicated VSM software like eVSM allows lean practitioners to draw, annotate, and analyze current and future state maps with lean-specific symbols.
Question 2: What is the primary lean benefit of using an Electronic Kanban (eKanban) system over a physical card system?
- It eliminates the need for standard work
- It provides real-time inventory visibility and automatic replenishment signals (Correct answer)
- It replaces the need for 5S
- It automates all production scheduling decisions
Correct answer: It provides real-time inventory visibility and automatic replenishment signals
eKanban systems transmit replenishment signals digitally in real time, improving response speed and reducing the risk of lost or misread physical cards.
Question 3: In lean manufacturing, an Andon system is digitized to primarily accomplish which outcome?
- Track employee attendance
- Instantly notify team leaders of production abnormalities so problems are addressed at the source (Correct answer)
- Automate product inspection
- Schedule preventive maintenance calendars
Correct answer: Instantly notify team leaders of production abnormalities so problems are addressed at the source
A digital Andon escalates alerts to the right people in real time, enabling rapid response and minimizing downtime caused by defects or stoppages.
Question 4: A lean team wants to identify the root cause of recurring equipment failures using historical sensor data. Which type of digital tool best supports this?
- A digital time-clock system
- Predictive maintenance analytics software (Correct answer)
- An electronic purchase order system
- A digital HR onboarding portal
Correct answer: Predictive maintenance analytics software
Predictive maintenance tools analyze sensor and historical data to detect patterns that precede failure, enabling proactive intervention.
Question 5: Which lean metric is most directly monitored using Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) digital dashboards?
- Employee satisfaction scores
- Machine availability, performance, and quality rates combined (Correct answer)
- Supplier on-time delivery percentage
- Office space utilization
Correct answer: Machine availability, performance, and quality rates combined
OEE dashboards aggregate availability, performance, and quality data to give a holistic measure of how effectively equipment is being used.
Question 6: When implementing a digital visual management board in a lean environment, what is the most critical success factor?
- Using the most expensive display hardware available
- Ensuring the board shows real-time, actionable data that drives daily decision-making (Correct answer)
- Limiting access to management only
- Replacing all physical boards immediately
Correct answer: Ensuring the board shows real-time, actionable data that drives daily decision-making
Digital visual management boards are only effective when they display current, relevant data that empowers teams to act on problems during daily huddles.
Question 7: A company deploys IoT sensors on production equipment as part of a lean digital transformation. What lean principle does this most directly support?
- Jidoka (built-in quality and automatic detection of abnormalities) (Correct answer)
- Heijunka (production leveling)
- Hoshin Kanri (policy deployment)
- Nemawashi (consensus building)
Correct answer: Jidoka (built-in quality and automatic detection of abnormalities)
IoT sensors that automatically detect and signal process deviations directly support Jidoka by enabling machines to identify and stop on abnormal conditions.
CLL Technology & Digital Tools 2
Which digital tool is most commonly used to create and analyze Value Stream Maps in a lean environment?