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Operations Management Flashcards

7 cards from real MEM practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

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  1. A factory produces 500 units per day with a defect rate of 4%. After implementing Six Sigma controls, the defect rate drops to 0.5%. What is the daily reduction in defective units?

    Answer: 17.5 units

    Original defects = 500 × 0.04 = 20; new defects = 500 × 0.005 = 2.5; reduction = 17.5 units per day.

  2. Which scheduling rule minimizes the average number of jobs in the system when processing times are known?

    Answer: Shortest Processing Time (SPT)

    SPT minimizes mean flow time and average work-in-process, thereby minimizing the average number of jobs in the system.

  3. In a Theory of Constraints analysis, the constraint operation processes 80 units/hour while all other stations process 100+ units/hour. Demand is 90 units/hour. What is the system throughput?

    Answer: 80 units/hour

    System throughput is governed by the bottleneck (constraint), so output equals 80 units/hour regardless of demand.

  4. A company uses a periodic review inventory system with a review period of 2 weeks and a lead time of 1 week. Safety stock is calculated based on how many weeks of demand variability?

    Answer: 3 weeks

    In a periodic review system, safety stock covers variability during the review period plus lead time (2 + 1 = 3 weeks).

  5. Which lean metric directly measures the ratio of value-added time to total lead time in a process?

    Answer: Process cycle efficiency (PCE)

    PCE = value-added time / total lead time, and a world-class PCE is typically above 25%.

  6. A project network has activities A(3d), B(5d), C(2d), D(4d) where A→C→D and A→B→D are the two paths. What is the critical path duration?

    Answer: 12 days

    Path A→B→D = 3+5+4 = 12 days; Path A→C→D = 3+2+4 = 9 days; critical path is 12 days.

  7. In aggregate production planning, the 'chase strategy' specifically adjusts which resource to match demand fluctuations?

    Answer: Workforce levels

    The chase strategy matches production rate to demand by hiring and laying off workers, keeping inventory minimal.