Practice Test Geeks(COM) Certified Operations Manager Practice Test
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Process Management & Improvement Flashcards

7 cards from real COM practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

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  1. A manufacturing plant notices its defect rate varies widely across shifts. Which Six Sigma tool best identifies the root causes of this variation?

    Answer: Fishbone (Ishikawa) diagram

    A fishbone diagram systematically maps potential causes (people, machines, methods, materials, environment, measurement) to identify root causes of variation.

  2. In a SIPOC diagram, what does the 'O' represent?

    Answer: Outputs

    SIPOC stands for Suppliers, Inputs, Process, Outputs, and Customers — 'O' represents the Outputs delivered by the process.

  3. A company reduces its order-to-ship cycle time from 10 days to 4 days. This improvement primarily targets which type of waste in lean thinking?

    Answer: Waiting

    Reducing cycle time directly attacks 'waiting' waste, one of the 8 lean wastes, by eliminating delays between process steps.

  4. Which statistical measure describes how consistently a process stays within its specification limits over time?

    Answer: Process capability index (Cpk)

    Cpk measures both the spread and centering of a process relative to its specification limits, indicating long-term capability.

  5. An operations manager implements daily 15-minute team standup meetings to surface process blockers quickly. This practice is most aligned with which methodology?

    Answer: Agile/Scrum

    Daily standups are a core Agile/Scrum ceremony designed to synchronize work, surface impediments, and drive rapid iteration.

  6. A process improvement team uses a value stream map and finds that 80% of total lead time is non-value-added. What is the typical next step?

    Answer: Identify and eliminate or reduce the non-value-added steps

    The goal of value stream mapping is to expose waste; the next step is to plan and execute improvements that eliminate or reduce non-value-added activities.

  7. Which DMAIC phase involves establishing baseline metrics and quantifying the current problem?

    Answer: Measure

    The Measure phase collects baseline data on current process performance to quantify the problem and validate the measurement system.