Process Improvement Flashcards

Which of the following best describes 'benchmarking' in process improvement?

Answer: Comparing processes against best-in-class organizations

Benchmarking involves comparing one's processes, products, or performance metrics to industry best practices or competitors.

A SIPOC diagram helps a team understand a process by identifying Suppliers, Inputs, Process, Outputs, and:

Answer: Customers

SIPOC stands for Suppliers, Inputs, Process, Outputs, and Customers — it provides a high-level view of a process and its stakeholders.

Which metric best measures process efficiency by comparing value-added time to total lead time?

Answer: Process cycle efficiency (PCE)

Process cycle efficiency (PCE) is the ratio of value-added time to total lead time, indicating how efficiently the process uses time.

An improvement team is in the 'Control' phase of DMAIC. Which action is most appropriate at this stage?

Answer: Developing a monitoring plan to sustain gains

The Control phase focuses on sustaining improvements through monitoring plans, control charts, and updated standard operating procedures.

A team uses a cause-and-effect diagram to organize possible causes of a quality problem. This tool is also known as a:

Answer: Fishbone diagram

The cause-and-effect diagram is also called a fishbone or Ishikawa diagram, named after its inventor Kaoru Ishikawa.

Which of the following is an example of a 'mistake-proofing' (poka-yoke) device?

Answer: A sensor that stops a machine when a part is missing

A sensor that stops a machine when a part is missing is a poka-yoke device that prevents defects from occurring or passing undetected.

When a control chart shows a point beyond the upper or lower control limits, this is called:

Answer: A special cause signal

A point outside the control limits indicates a special (assignable) cause of variation that warrants investigation.