CQIA Process Improvement 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following best describes 'continuous improvement' (kaizen)?
- Large, infrequent overhauls of processes
- Small, incremental improvements made on an ongoing basis (Correct answer)
- Reengineering the entire business model
- Implementing automation to replace manual tasks
Correct answer: Small, incremental improvements made on an ongoing basis
Kaizen, the Japanese concept of continuous improvement, emphasizes small, ongoing positive changes that accumulate over time.
Question 2: A team wants to test whether a change in raw material supplier affects defect rates. The most appropriate approach is:
- A focus group discussion
- A designed experiment (DOE) (Correct answer)
- A customer satisfaction survey
- A Gantt chart
Correct answer: A designed experiment (DOE)
Design of Experiments (DOE) allows teams to systematically test the effect of one or more variables on a process output.
Question 3: In lean thinking, which of the 8 wastes involves producing more than what the customer currently needs?
- Defects
- Waiting
- Overproduction (Correct answer)
- Motion
Correct answer: Overproduction
Overproduction is considered the worst lean waste because it leads to excess inventory and often hides other types of waste.
Question 4: A process improvement team sets a goal to reduce invoice errors from 5% to 1% within 90 days. This is an example of a:
- Vision statement
- SMART goal (Correct answer)
- Project charter constraint
- Baseline measurement
Correct answer: SMART goal
SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound — this goal meets all five criteria.
Question 5: Which tool would best help a team prioritize which problems to address first based on their frequency and impact?
- Affinity diagram
- Pareto chart (Correct answer)
- Box plot
- Process map
Correct answer: Pareto chart
A Pareto chart ranks problems by frequency or impact, helping teams focus on the vital few issues that cause the most harm.
Question 6: During a team brainstorming session, the facilitator asks members to write ideas on sticky notes and group similar ones. This technique is called a(n):
- Force field analysis
- Affinity diagram (Correct answer)
- Relations diagram
- Tree diagram
Correct answer: Affinity diagram
An affinity diagram organizes a large number of ideas or data into natural groupings based on their relationships.
Question 7: In process improvement, 'cycle time' is best defined as:
- The time from order to delivery including defect rework
- The total elapsed time to complete one unit from start to finish (Correct answer)
- The time a unit spends waiting between process steps
- The time required to inspect a finished product
Correct answer: The total elapsed time to complete one unit from start to finish
Cycle time measures the total elapsed time to complete one unit of work from start to finish, including all processing and wait times.
CQIA Process Improvement 4
Which of the following best describes 'continuous improvement' (kaizen)?