LMC Assessment & Evaluation Methods 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which tool is used to visually separate causes of a problem into major categories during a lean assessment?
- Pareto chart
- Fishbone diagram (Correct answer)
- Control chart
- Value stream map
Correct answer: Fishbone diagram
The fishbone (Ishikawa) diagram organizes root causes into categories like People, Process, Machine, and Environment.
Question 2: A lean team wants to evaluate whether a process change sustained its gains over 90 days. What is the BEST method?
- One-time audit after 90 days
- Control chart tracking key metrics over time (Correct answer)
- Re-running a 5S assessment
- Conducting a single customer survey
Correct answer: Control chart tracking key metrics over time
Control charts reveal whether a process remains in statistical control and sustains improvement gains over time.
Question 3: What does 'takt time' measure in lean evaluation?
- Total cycle time of all process steps
- Rate of customer demand divided by available production time (Correct answer)
- Time wasted in queue between operations
- Maximum throughput capacity of a machine
Correct answer: Rate of customer demand divided by available production time
Takt time = available production time ÷ customer demand rate, setting the pace the process must match.
Question 4: During a gemba walk, a lean practitioner should primarily focus on:
- Reviewing reports and KPI dashboards at the manager's desk
- Observing actual work conditions and talking to frontline workers (Correct answer)
- Auditing financial statements for waste costs
- Benchmarking competitor processes online
Correct answer: Observing actual work conditions and talking to frontline workers
Gemba walks emphasize going to the actual place of work to observe real conditions and engage workers directly.
Question 5: Which metric best evaluates the efficiency of a lean process by comparing value-added time to total lead time?
- Process cycle efficiency (PCE) (Correct answer)
- Overall equipment effectiveness (OEE)
- First-pass yield (FPY)
- Net promoter score (NPS)
Correct answer: Process cycle efficiency (PCE)
PCE = value-added time ÷ total lead time, directly measuring how much of the total time actually adds value.
Question 6: When a 5S audit score drops sharply in 'Sustain,' what is the most likely root cause?
- The workspace layout was redesigned
- Daily disciplines and accountability checks are lacking (Correct answer)
- Too many items were sorted out in the first pass
- The standardize phase was skipped
Correct answer: Daily disciplines and accountability checks are lacking
Low Sustain scores indicate insufficient daily routines, visual management, or leadership follow-through to maintain standards.
Question 7: A pull system is best evaluated by measuring:
- Work-in-process (WIP) inventory levels between stations (Correct answer)
- Total number of Kanban cards printed
- Monthly production output volume
- Number of workers cross-trained
Correct answer: Work-in-process (WIP) inventory levels between stations
WIP inventory between stations directly shows whether downstream demand is controlling upstream production as intended by pull.
LMC Assessment & Evaluation Methods 2
Which tool is used to visually separate causes of a problem into major categories during a lean assessment?