Process Improvement Flashcards
7 cards from real LPC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Process Improvement flashcards as text
Theory of Constraints suggests a team should focus its improvement effort first on what?
Answer: The bottleneck that limits overall throughput
Improving anything other than the constraint won't raise the system's overall output.
What are the five phases of Six Sigma's DMAIC method, in order?
Answer: Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control
DMAIC stands for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control.
A coach notices a leader redesigning a process without talking to the people who do the work. What practice should the coach encourage?
Answer: Going to the gemba to see the work firsthand and involve frontline staff
Gemba means 'the real place' and stresses watching the actual work and including the people closest to it.
Which tool gives a high-level view of Suppliers, Inputs, Process, Outputs, and Customers?
Answer: SIPOC diagram
A SIPOC diagram defines a process's scope and boundaries before detailed mapping begins.
What is the main purpose of a control chart in process improvement?
Answer: To tell common-cause variation apart from special-cause variation over time
Control charts plot data against statistical limits to show whether a process is stable or affected by unusual causes.
A team's lead time is 10 days but the actual hands-on work takes only 6 hours. What does this most likely show?
Answer: Most of the lead time is waiting or non-value-added time
A big gap between lead time and work time usually means queues, handoffs, and delays are the main problem.
An error-proofing device that physically stops a part from being installed backward is an example of what?
Answer: Poka-yoke
Poka-yoke is mistake-proofing: designing a process so errors can't happen or are caught right away.