Deck 13: Six Sigma Management and Lean Tools

Question 1

The Sigma in Six Sigma refers to the ________.

A)mean
B)standard deviation
C)skewness
D)kurtosis
E)hypothesis

Answer 1

B

Question 2

________ is focused on final engineering design optimization.

A)DFSS
B)DMAIC
C)IDOV
D)DFMS
E)DDSS

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Six Sigma is popular with CEOs because it is more cost-reduction-oriented than traditional continuous improvement.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

The Six in Six Sigma refers to the ________.

A)number of standard deviations from a specification limit to the mean of a highly capable process
B)number of means from a specification limit to the standard deviation of a highly capable process
C)number of variances from a specification limit to the mean of a highly capable process
D)number of means from a specification limit to the variances of a highly capable process
E)number of means from zero of a highly capable process

Question 5

Which key player in Six Sigma is a specially trained individual who is a specialist?

A)champion
B)master black belt
C)black belt
D)green belt
E)process owner

Question 6

The sigma in Six Sigma refers to the Greek symbol that designates a mean in statistics.

Question 7

A process that meets the statistical notion of Six Sigma produces 3.4 defects per million pieces produced.

Question 8

At the core of Six Sigma is the equation Y = f(X)where Y represents ________.

A)key business objectives and measures
B)processes
C)interrelationships to be controlled and managed
D)uncontrollable variables
E)controllable variables

Question 9

________ get information from a variety of sources such as the voice of the business, the voice of the customer, and the voice of the employee for potential project ideas.

A)Orange belts
B)Premiers
C)Champions
D)Master black belts
E)Green belts

Question 10

In the context of Six Sigma, the acronym ppm stands for ________.

A)pages per minute
B)parts per million
C)project portfolio management
D)process performance manager
E)pay per minute

Question 11

The aspect of Six Sigma that has made it popular with CEOs is ________.

A)its similarity to continuous improvement programs
B)its repackaging of quality tools and philosophies
C)its organization into different levels
D)the contingency perspective
E)its cost-reduction orientation

Question 12

Six Sigma translates to a defect rate of ________.

A)233 parts per million
B)23 parts per million
C)3.4 parts per million
D)0.2 parts per million
E)6,210 parts per million

Question 13

The define, measure, analyze, design, and verify methodology pertains to ________.

A)developing new processes and products
B)improving existing products and processes
C)final engineering design optimization
D)preliminary engineering design
E)customer quality metrics

Question 14

Which key player in Six Sigma works with black belts to identify possible projects and is at the CEO or VP level depending on company size?

A)master black belt
B)champion
C)green belt
D)orange belt
E)premier

Question 15

Six Sigma is a program begun at General Electric in 1982 by Jack Welch.

Question 16

At which company did Six Sigma originate?

A)General Electric
B)Motorola
C)AT&T
D)3M
E)CIGNA

Question 17

Some quality practitioners are uncomfortable with Six Sigma's results orientation because ________.

A)it violates several of Deming's points
B)quality is inherently unfocused
C)results are impossible to measure
D)the practice was developed in a different culture
E)the program is relatively new and does not have proven results

Question 18

Which key player in Six Sigma is trained in basic quality tools and works in teams to improve quality on less critical projects?

A)champion
B)master black belt
C)black belt
D)green belt
E)premier

Question 19

At the core of Six Sigma is the equation Y = f(X)where f represents ________.

A)key business objectives
B)processes
C)interrelationships to be controlled and managed
D)people
E)controllable variables

Question 20

In lean-Six Sigma, the Japanese term "muda" is often used to describe ________.

A)process waste
B)machine processing
C)product testing
D)decision making
E)simulation

Question 21

Which step in the analyze phase of DMAIC involves determining what characteristics of the process need to be changed to achieve improvement?

A)analyze sources of variability
B)improvement projection
C)independent variable identification
D)performance objectives definition
E)return to control

Question 22

In the ________ phase, projects are identified and selected.

A)define
B)measure
C)analyze
D)improve
E)control

Question 23

The goal of the ________ step is to use visual and statistical tools to better understand the relationships between dependent and independent variables.

A)defining objectives
B)identifying Xs
C)analyzing sources of variation
D)gauge R&R
E)Pareto analysis

Question 24

Black belts are trained in basic quality tools and work in teams to improve quality.

Question 25

In the Six Sigma equation, Y = f(X), the variable X represents output or key business objectives.

Question 26

Part of the responsibility of the master black belt is to perform a cost of poor quality analysis.

Question 27

________ is used to determine if measurements are consistent.

A)Matrix synchronization analysis
B)Multiple systems analogues
C)Maximal system adjustment
D)Minimal system adjustment
E)Measurement system analysis

Question 28

What are the two major steps in the measure phase?

A)selecting process outcomes and mapping non value added activities
B)selecting process outcomes and verifying measurements
C)understanding the process and mapping non value added activities
D)understanding the process and verifying measurements
E)mapping non value added activities and verifying measurements

Question 29

The training cost of a single black belt is between $10,000 and $20,000 with expected returns in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Question 30

What distinguishes Six Sigma from traditional continuous improvement?

Question 31

FMEA is used to ________.

A)check the efficacy of a business case
B)identify ways a process or product can fail to meet critical customer requirements
C)determine the accuracy and precision of your measurements
D)identify inputs (Xs)and outputs (Ys)from a project you have mapped and are desiring to pursue
E)identify non value added activities

Question 32

Process FMEA, process capability assessments, basic statistics, and decision making are the tools used in the ________ phase of the DMAIC process.

A)define
B)measure
C)analyze
D)improve
E)control

Question 33

The basic seven (B7)tools of quality can be used to handle 90% of the quality problems that a firm typically encounters.

Question 34

The efficacy of a business case is checked using the mnemonic RUMBA. The "M" in RUMBA stands for ________.

A)methods
B)materials
C)motivation
D)measurable
E)manpower

Question 35

In the Six Sigma equation, Y = f(X), the variable Y represents interrelationships to be managed.

Question 36

DMAIC is an acronym for ________.

A)Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control
B)Design, Measure, Apply, Invest, Correlate
C)Design, Model, Analyze, Invest, Control
D)Design, Model, Analyze, Improve, Correlate
E)Define, Measure, Apply, Invest, Correlate

Question 37

Two important measures that are monitored in the process map are ________.

A)payback period and ROI
B)risk and return
C)defects per unit (DPU)and defects per million opportunities (DPMO)
D)breakeven point and payback period
E)contribution margin and breakeven point

Question 38

Business cases, process mapping, voice of the customer, change management, and problem/objective statements are the tools used in the ________ stage of the DMAIC process.

A)define
B)measure
C)analyze
D)improve
E)control

Question 39

Graphical data analysis, hypothesis tests, and process modeling and simulation are the tools used in the ________ phase of the DMAIC process.

A)define
B)measure
C)analyze
D)improve
E)control

Question 40

The job of the champion is to work with black belts to identify possible projects.

Question 41

A measurement systems analysis (MSA)is used to determine if measurements are consistent.

Question 42

Hypothesis tests, design of experiments, simulation, and piloting and testing are the tools used in the ________ stage of the DMAIC process.

A)define
B)measure
C)analyze
D)improve
E)control

Question 43

Evaluating the efficacy of a business case can be accomplished by asking if the case is reliable, understandable, meaningful, buyable, and accomplishable.

Question 44

The P-value in the ANOVA table shows what variables ________.

A)need to be standardized
B)are redundant
C)are independent and identically distributed
D)significantly contribute to the variation
E)are out of control

Question 45

The measure phase involves two major steps, selecting process outcomes and verifying measurements.

Question 46

The XY matrix is used to identify inputs and outputs from a project that has been mapped.

Question 47

Solution selection, solution implementation, control charts, and best practices are the tools used in the ________ stage of the DMAIC process.

A)define
B)measure
C)analyze
D)improve
E)control

Question 48

Offline experimentation is performed during the ________ phase.

A)control
B)improve
C)analysis
D)identification
E)variation

Question 49

DMAIC is very similar to Deming's PDCA cycle.

Question 50

The ________ is used to identify inputs (Xs)and outputs (Ys)from a project that has been mapped and is desired to be pursued.

A)X,Y scatter plots
B)XY differentiation method
C)X,Y covariance analysis
D)XY matrix
E)XY nonlinearity analysis

Question 51

The analyze phase of a Six Sigma project is used to select an appropriate project for improvement.

Question 52

Describe the design phase of the DMAIC process. What are the four parts of the design phase?

Question 53

Briefly define each of the steps in the DMAIC process.

Question 54

The creation of an XY matrix involves determining relationship weights and importance weights of inputs and output variables.

Question 55

A project risk assessment is a method for evaluating a potential project.

Question 56

The XY matrix identifies ________ from a project you have mapped.

A)inputs and outputs
B)customers and suppliers
C)high and low quality processes
D)waste and gain
E)expenditures and savings

Question 57

Pareto analysis of internal and external costs is a tool utilized during the analyze phase of DMAIC.

Question 58

A project with a 65% risk factor and a 40% return factor is considered to be low-hanging fruit on the project risk and return matrix.

Question 59

The goal with a process map is to identify value-added activities.

Question 60

When defining objectives in the analyze phase, you are attempting to determine what characteristics of the process need to be changed to achieve improvement.

Question 61

The process of examining competing technologies to produce a product is known as ________.

A)robust design
B)concept design
C)parameter design
D)tolerance design
E)finish design

Question 62

Gauge R&R is used to determine the consistency and thickness of materials.

Question 63

What is the Taguchi constant for a device that costs $250 to repair and a tolerance of plus or minus 2 mm with a mean squared deviation from the target of 0.2?

A)2.5
B)62.5
C)2625
D)2500
E)6250

Question 64

What is the Taguchi constant for a device that costs $300 to repair and a tolerance of plus or minus 3 mm with a mean squared deviation from the target of 0.2?

A)1.33
B)7500
C)67500
D)300
E)33.3

Question 65

Using gauge R&R to verify measurements is a major step in the DMAIC analyze phase.

Question 66

The process of developing specification limits is known as ________.

A)robust design
B)concept design
C)parameter design
D)tolerance design
E)finish design

Question 67

The Taguchi constant for flooring materials is known to be $50/cm sq. and the cost to repair them is $300. What is the tolerance interval?

A)2.45 cm
B)0.41 cm
C)6.00 cm
D)0.16 cm
E)4.25 cm

Question 68

The Pitman arm on a car costs $105 to repair. Compute the quality loss function for losses incurred as a result of deviation from a target where a tolerance of 10 plus or minus 0.2 is required and the mean squared deviation (V)from the target is (0.05)2.

A)262.5
B)6.6
C)420.0
D)168.5
E)105.0

Question 69

The process of selecting control factors and determining optimal levels for them is known as ________.

A)robust design
B)concept design
C)parameter design
D)tolerance design
E)finish design

Question 70

The Pitman arm on a car costs $105 to repair. Compute the quality loss function for losses incurred as a result of deviation from a target where a tolerance of 10 mm plus or minus 0.15 mm is required and the mean squared deviation from the target is (0.16)2.

A)119
B)47
C)4101
D)92
E)29

Question 71

What is the Taguchi constant for a device that costs $400 to repair and a tolerance of plus or minus 0.5 mm with a mean squared deviation from the target of 0.3?

A)144
B)450
C)4400
D)1600
E)1100

Question 72

The Taguchi constant for flooring materials is known to be $30/cm sq. and the cost to repair them is $325. What is the tolerance interval?

A)0.3 cm
B)3.3 cm
C)0.09 cm
D)10.8 cm
E)1.11 cm

Question 73

Improper gauge training, use, and calibration may result in problems in gauge measurements.

Question 74

What is gauge R&R and what are some of reasons that can result in problems of measurements?

Question 75

In the Taguchi method, levels of parameters are also known as ________.

A)mixes
B)settings
C)factors
D)treatments
E)models

Question 76

The Taguchi constant for flooring materials is known to be $50/cm sq. and the tolerance is 25 plus or minus 0.6. What is the quality loss function for losses incurred as a result of deviation from the target?

A)$1500
B)$83
C)$18
D)$125
E)$166

Question 77

The process of designing products so they are inherently defect-free and insensitive to random variation is known as ________.

A)robust design
B)concept design
C)parameter design
D)tolerance design
E)finish design

Question 78

The Taguchi method focuses primarily on ________.

A)robust design
B)concept design
C)parameter design
D)tolerance design
E)finish design

Question 79

What is the Taguchi constant for a device that costs $500 to repair and a tolerance of plus or minus 2 mm with a mean squared deviation from the target of 3?

A)125
B)1125
C)55
D)222
E)532

Question 80

What is the Taguchi constant for a device that costs $200 to repair and a tolerance of plus or minus 0.25 mm with a mean squared deviation from the target of 0.6?

A)1152
B)556
C)3200
D)34.7
E)55.6