Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt Certification Trivia 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the 8 Lean wastes refers to producing more than what is needed or before it is needed?
- Inventory
- Overproduction (Correct answer)
- Defects
- Motion
Correct answer: Overproduction
Overproduction is considered the worst of the 8 Lean wastes because it generates and hides all other wastes such as excess inventory and unnecessary transportation.
Question 2: In Six Sigma, a process operating at 'Six Sigma' quality level produces approximately how many defects per million opportunities?
- 3.4 (Correct answer)
- 66,807
- 6,210
- 233
Correct answer: 3.4
A Six Sigma process produces no more than 3.4 defects per million opportunities (DPMO), accounting for a 1.5 sigma shift in the mean.
Question 3: What is the purpose of a 'fishbone diagram' (Ishikawa diagram) in Lean Six Sigma?
- Map customer value streams
- Display process flow steps
- Identify and organize potential causes of a problem (Correct answer)
- Track defect frequency over time
Correct answer: Identify and organize potential causes of a problem
The fishbone (Ishikawa) diagram visually organizes potential causes of a problem into categories, helping teams identify root causes through structured brainstorming.
Question 4: What does 'DPMO' stand for in Six Sigma metrics?
- Defects Per Manufacturing Operation
- Defects Per Million Opportunities (Correct answer)
- Data Points for Measurement Operations
- Daily Process Measurement Output
Correct answer: Defects Per Million Opportunities
DPMO stands for Defects Per Million Opportunities and is the standard metric used to express process quality level in Six Sigma.
Question 5: In Lean, which concept describes producing exactly what the next process needs, when it needs it?
- Push system
- Pull system (Correct answer)
- Batch processing
- Mass production
Correct answer: Pull system
A pull system produces items only when signaled by downstream demand, reducing inventory and overproduction — the opposite of a push system.
Question 6: Which statistical measure represents the middle value in a data set when values are arranged in order?
- Mean
- Mode
- Median (Correct answer)
- Range
Correct answer: Median
The median is the middle value of a dataset arranged in ascending or descending order, and is less affected by outliers than the mean.
Question 7: What is a 'Kaizen event' in Lean Six Sigma?
- A monthly management review of KPIs
- A focused, short-duration team effort to rapidly improve a process (Correct answer)
- An annual strategic planning session
- A customer feedback collection exercise
Correct answer: A focused, short-duration team effort to rapidly improve a process
A Kaizen event (also called a rapid improvement event or blitz) is a focused workshop — typically 3–5 days — where a cross-functional team rapidly improves a specific process.
Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt Certification Trivia 3
Which of the 8 Lean wastes refers to producing more than what is needed or before it is needed?