Lean Principles and Foundations Flashcards
7 cards from real LMC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Lean Principles and Foundations flashcards as text
Which of the following is an example of 'Mura' (unevenness) in production?
Answer: Alternating weeks of overtime followed by idle time
Mura refers to unevenness or variability in workload, exemplified by inconsistent production schedules that cause peaks and valleys in demand.
What does the lean principle of 'Respect for People' primarily require of managers?
Answer: Empowering workers to identify and solve problems
Respect for People means engaging and empowering employees to contribute their knowledge and solve problems, recognizing them as the primary source of improvement.
A value stream map shows a process step with a large 'push' arrow. What does this indicate?
Answer: Inventory is being pushed downstream regardless of demand
A push arrow in a VSM indicates that material or information is being forced downstream without a pull signal, which can create excess inventory and waste.
Which of the 5 lean principles, as described by Womack and Jones, comes immediately after 'Identify Value'?
Answer: Map the Value Stream
The five lean principles in order are: Identify Value, Map the Value Stream, Create Flow, Establish Pull, and Seek Perfection.
Overproduction is considered the 'worst' of the 8 wastes in lean because it:
Answer: Creates and hides other types of waste
Overproduction generates other wastes including excess inventory, additional transportation, unnecessary motion, and can mask process defects.
In the context of lean, what is 'Standard Work'?
Answer: The documented best current method for performing a task
Standard Work is the documented, repeatable best-known method for performing a task, serving as a baseline for improvement and training.
A hospital reduces patient wait times by having nurses restock supplies at the end of each shift only when bins are empty. This is an example of:
Answer: Just-in-time pull system
Restocking only when bins are empty is a classic pull/kanban system — supplies are replenished based on actual consumption, not a fixed schedule.