Core Lean Principles Flashcards
7 cards from real Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Core Lean Principles flashcards as text
What is Mura in Lean, and how does it differ from Muda?
Answer: Mura is unevenness or variability in flow; Muda is waste that adds no value
Mura describes unevenness or inconsistency in workflow (e.g., feast-and-famine production cycles), while Muda refers specifically to non-value-adding activities.
A Lean team uses a heijunka box to schedule work. What problem is heijunka designed to solve?
Answer: Unevenness (Mura) in production by leveling type and volume
Heijunka (production leveling) smooths production volume and mix over time to reduce the peaks and valleys that create Mura and downstream stress.
Which Lean principle directly addresses why a pull system is preferred over a push system?
Answer: Produce only what the customer pulls, eliminating overproduction
A pull system produces goods in response to actual customer demand, which directly prevents overproduction — the most harmful of the eight wastes.
During a kaizen event, a team reduces changeover time from 90 minutes to 12 minutes. Which Lean tool did they most likely use?
Answer: SMED (Single-Minute Exchange of Die)
SMED is specifically designed to reduce equipment changeover or setup times, enabling smaller batch sizes and greater production flexibility.
In value stream mapping, what symbol typically represents a 'push' arrow between processes?
Answer: A striped or wavy push arrow
In VSM convention, a striped push arrow indicates that material is being pushed forward by the upstream process rather than pulled by downstream need.
What does the 'takt time' calculation require as inputs?
Answer: Available production time and customer demand quantity
Takt time = Available Production Time ÷ Customer Demand, giving the maximum time allowed per unit to meet customer requirements.
A Green Belt notices that workers perform the same task differently each shift, causing variable output quality. Which Lean countermeasure directly addresses this?
Answer: Creating and enforcing standardized work instructions
Standardized work documents the best current method so every operator performs tasks consistently, reducing variability caused by individual differences.