Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification Core Lean Principles 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the key distinction between 'transportation' waste and 'motion' waste in the 8 wastes framework?
- Transportation involves people moving; motion involves materials moving
- Transportation involves materials moving; motion involves people moving (Correct answer)
- Both refer to the same type of waste described differently
- Transportation is value-added; motion is non-value-added
Correct answer: Transportation involves materials moving; motion involves people moving
Transportation waste is the unnecessary movement of materials or products, while motion waste is the unnecessary movement of people or equipment operators.
Question 2: A Lean team maps a process and finds that 70% of cycle time is spent on activities the customer would not pay for. What category does this majority fall under?
- Value-added activities
- Non-value-added but necessary activities
- Pure waste (muda) (Correct answer)
- Kaizen opportunities
Correct answer: Pure waste (muda)
Activities that consume time and resources but do not transform the product in a way the customer values are pure waste and are primary targets for elimination.
Question 3: Which Lean tool uses a card system to authorize production or replenishment based on actual consumption?
- 5S
- Kanban (Correct answer)
- SMED
- Poka-yoke
Correct answer: Kanban
Kanban uses physical or electronic signals to trigger production or delivery only when downstream consumption occurs, embodying the pull principle.
Question 4: What is the Lean term for any activity that consumes resources but creates no value for the customer?
- Kaizen
- Muda (Correct answer)
- Muri
- Mura
Correct answer: Muda
Muda is the Japanese term for waste — any activity that uses time, money, or resources without adding value from the customer's perspective.
Question 5: In the context of the 5 Lean principles, what does 'perfection' mean?
- Achieving zero defects in the final product
- Pursuing continuous improvement relentlessly as an ongoing journey (Correct answer)
- Reaching a predetermined quality target set by management
- Eliminating all variation through automation
Correct answer: Pursuing continuous improvement relentlessly as an ongoing journey
Perfection in Lean means continuously striving to improve, recognizing that waste elimination and value enhancement are never truly finished.
Question 6: Which of the following best describes 'overprocessing' as a Lean waste?
- Running machinery at higher speed than needed
- Doing more work or using more resources on a product than the customer requires (Correct answer)
- Processing more units than the demand forecast requires
- Storing finished goods before shipment
Correct answer: Doing more work or using more resources on a product than the customer requires
Overprocessing waste occurs when effort, precision, or features exceed what the customer actually needs or values, such as painting a hidden surface.
Question 7: Muri, one of the three M's in Lean, refers to which type of problem in a process?
- Waste that adds no customer value
- Unevenness or variability in workflow
- Overburden or unreasonable stress on people or equipment (Correct answer)
- Defects caused by process errors
Correct answer: Overburden or unreasonable stress on people or equipment
Muri means overburden — asking people or machines to work beyond their capacity, which leads to breakdowns, errors, and burnout.
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification Core Lean Principles 3
What is the key distinction between 'transportation' waste and 'motion' waste in the 8 wastes framework?