COM Process Management & Improvement 3

Question 1

A hospital applies the Theory of Constraints to its emergency department. The patient intake desk is identified as the bottleneck. According to TOC, what should be done first?

Accepted Answer

Exploit the bottleneck by maximizing its throughput

Answer

TOC's five focusing steps begin with identifying the constraint, then exploiting it — getting the maximum output from it before adding resources.

Question 2

What is the primary purpose of a control chart's Upper Control Limit (UCL) and Lower Control Limit (LCL)?

Accepted Answer

Distinguish natural process variation from special-cause variation

Answer

Control limits are statistically derived from the process itself and separate common-cause variation (normal) from special-cause variation (requiring investigation).

Question 3

An operations manager wants to reduce process variation using the PDCA cycle. After implementing a change in the 'Do' phase, what happens in the 'Check' phase?

Accepted Answer

Measure results and compare them to the expected outcomes

Answer

The Check phase analyzes the data collected during the Do phase to determine whether the change achieved the desired improvement.

Question 4

Which lean concept describes the ideal state where production is triggered only by actual customer demand?

Accepted Answer

Pull system

Answer

A pull system produces goods only in response to downstream demand signals, preventing overproduction and excess inventory.

Question 5

A Kaizen event is best described as which of the following?

Accepted Answer

A focused, short-duration team-based improvement event

Answer

A Kaizen event (or blitz) is an intensive, time-boxed workshop (typically 3–5 days) where a cross-functional team tackles a specific process problem.

(COM) Certified Operations Manager Practice Test

(COM) Certified Operations Manager Practice Test

COM Process Management & Improvement 3