Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification Lean Principles and Waste 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A software development team keeps a backlog of hundreds of features coded but not yet released to users. Which waste does this represent?
- Defects
- Inventory (Correct answer)
- Over-processing
- Waiting
Correct answer: Inventory
Unreleased software features are analogous to inventory waste — work-in-process that is not yet delivering value to the customer.
Question 2: According to Lean thinking, which of the following actions best represents 'identifying value' from a customer's perspective?
- Benchmarking competitor processes
- Determining which product features the customer is willing to pay for (Correct answer)
- Reducing the cost of raw materials
- Increasing production speed
Correct answer: Determining which product features the customer is willing to pay for
Identifying value means understanding what the customer is willing to pay for — only those features or outcomes define true value in Lean.
Question 3: Which waste type is added in the 'extended' 8-waste model that is NOT part of the original 7 wastes of Lean?
- Transportation
- Over-processing
- Non-utilized talent (Correct answer)
- Defects
Correct answer: Non-utilized talent
The 8th waste — non-utilized talent (skills) — was added to the original 7 Toyota Production System wastes to address underuse of employee knowledge and creativity.
Question 4: A printer applies three coats of paint when the customer specification requires only one. This is an example of which waste?
- Overproduction
- Defects
- Over-processing (Correct answer)
- Motion
Correct answer: Over-processing
Over-processing waste occurs when more work, effort, or quality is applied to a product than the customer requires or values.
Question 5: In Lean, which Japanese term refers to the actual workplace or 'place where value is created'?
- Kaizen
- Gemba (Correct answer)
- Muda
- Heijunka
Correct answer: Gemba
Gemba means 'the real place' in Japanese and refers to the location where actual work and value creation occur, such as a factory floor or service counter.
Question 6: Which of the following is the best example of a 'pull' system in a manufacturing environment?
- Producing daily based on a fixed monthly forecast
- Manufacturing products only after receiving a customer order or kanban signal (Correct answer)
- Building safety stock to buffer against demand variability
- Running machines at full capacity to maximize utilization
Correct answer: Manufacturing products only after receiving a customer order or kanban signal
A pull system triggers production based on actual demand signals such as customer orders or kanban cards, not forecasts or schedules.
Question 7: A Lean team performs a Gemba walk and observes operators frequently searching for misplaced tools. The corrective action of organizing tools at point of use primarily targets which waste?
- Waiting
- Transportation
- Motion (Correct answer)
- Inventory
Correct answer: Motion
Organizing tools at the point of use reduces the unnecessary physical movement (motion waste) operators make to search for and retrieve items.
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification Lean Principles and Waste 4
A software development team keeps a backlog of hundreds of features coded but not yet released to users.
Which waste does this represent?