Question 1

The first unit of production takes 12 hours to produce and the learning rate is expected to be 80 percent. How long will it take to produce the fourth unit?
A) less than or equal to 7.0 hours
B) greater than 7.0 hours but less than or equal to 7.5 hours
C) greater than 7.5 but less than or equal to 8.0 hours
D) greater than 8.0 hours

Accepted Answer

The learning curve formula is Y = aX^b, where Y is the time required to produce the Xth unit, a is the time required to produce the first unit, and b is the learning rate coefficient. In this case, we can calculate the time required to produce the fourth unit using the formula:

Y = aX^b = 12*4^(-0.322) = 7.51

Therefore, the answer is C, greater than 7.5 but less than or equal to 8.0 hours.

Question 2

A restaurant manager tracks complaints from the diner satisfaction cards that are turned in at each table. The data collected from the past week's diners appear in the following table. 
Using a classic Pareto analysis, what top categories comprise 80% of the total complaints?
A) Table/utensils dirty
B) Table/utensils dirty, Food taste, Slow service
C) Food taste, Food temperature, Order mistake, Slow service, Table/utensils dirty
D) Food taste, Food temperature, Order mistake, Slow service, Too expensive

Accepted Answer

The answer of A restaurant manager tracks complaints from the...

Question 3

A farmer that has been well-trained in the scientific method divides his acreage into several plots and plants the same variety of hay in each. He varies the amount of fertilizer applied to each plot and carefully records the yield, in bales per acre, for each of the plots. Which of these tools would be the best to help him analyze the effect of fertilizer application on hay yield?
A) cause and effect diagram
B) scatter diagram
C) Pareto chart
D) flow chart

Accepted Answer

A scatter diagram is the best tool to analyze the relationship between two variables, in this case fertilizer application and hay yield. The farmer can plot the amount of fertilizer applied on the x-axis and the yield in bales per acre on the y-axis for each plot to see if there is a correlation between the two. This will help him determine the optimal amount of fertilizer to use for maximum yield. Cause and effect diagrams, Pareto charts, and flow charts are more appropriate for analyzing processes and systems rather than the relationship between two variables.

Question 4

Table 2.15
An analyst notes the time that customer appointments end with a tax preparer that is assigned customers requiring only the 1040EZ form. The times indicated in the table represent the departure times of the first eight clients for one tax preparation specialist. The 1040EZ tax forms among the different customers are very similar. The tax preparer started the first return at 12:00pm.
 
-Based on Table 2.15, how long should it take the tax preparer to complete the 16th return of the day?
A) 16 minutes
B) 19 minutes
C) 21 minutes
D) 24 minutes

Accepted Answer

To find how long it takes the tax preparer to complete the 16th return, we need to look for the time of the 15th return in the table. We see that the 15th return ended at 4:57pm, which is 4 hours and 57 minutes after the tax preparer started at 12:00pm. Therefore, the tax preparer took (4 hours and 57 minutes ÷ 15 returns) ≈ 21 minutes per return. To find how long it should take for the 16th return, we can simply add another 21 minutes, resulting in a total of 42 minutes. Therefore, the correct answer is C) 21 minutes.

Question 5

A work sampling method is used to determine the proportion of the time a worker is idle. The following information was gathered on a random basis. 
What is the proportion of idle time observed for this worker?
A) less than or equal to 5%
B) greater than 5% but less than or equal to 10%
C) greater than 10% but less than or equal to 20%
D) greater than 20%

Accepted Answer

The answer of A work sampling method is used to...

Question 6

Table 2.15
An analyst notes the time that customer appointments end with a tax preparer that is assigned customers requiring only the 1040EZ form. The times indicated in the table represent the departure times of the first eight clients for one tax preparation specialist. The 1040EZ tax forms among the different customers are very similar. The tax preparer started the first return at 12:00pm.
 
-Based on the data in Table 2.15 which value is closest to the learning rate for the tax preparer?
A) 80%
B) 82%
C) 87%
D) 92%

Accepted Answer

The answer of Table 2.15
An analyst notes the time that...

Question 7

A restaurant manager tracks complaints from the diner satisfaction cards that are turned in at each table. The data collected from the past week's diners appear in the following table. 
Using a classic Pareto analysis, what bottom categories comprise about 20% of the total complaints?
A) Order mistake, Too expensive, Food temperature
B) Slow service, Order mistake
C) Food taste, Food temperature, Slow service
D) Food taste, Table/utensils dirty

Accepted Answer

The answer of A restaurant manager tracks complaints from the...

Question 8

The first unit of production takes 20 hours to produce and the learning rate is expected to be 90 percent. How long will it take to produce the fourth unit?
A) less than or equal to 12.0 hours
B) greater than 12.0 hours but less than or equal to 15.0 hours
C) greater than 15.0 but less than or equal to 18.0 hours
D) greater than 18.0 hours

Accepted Answer

The learning curve formula is Y = A * X^b, where Y is the time for the Xth unit, A is the time for the first unit, X is the unit number, and b is the learning rate exponent (log(learning rate)/log(2)). For a 90% learning rate, b = log(0.9)/log(2) ≈ -0.152. For the 4th unit, Y = 20 * 4^(-0.152) ≈ 16.2 hours, which falls in the range of greater than 15.0 but less than or equal to 18.0 hours.

Question 9

The first unit of production takes 20 hours to produce and the learning rate is expected to be 90 percent. How long will it take to produce the eighth unit?
A) less than or equal to 12.0 hours
B) greater than 12.0 hours but less than or equal to 15.0 hours
C) greater than 15.0 but less than or equal to 18.0 hours
D) greater than 18.0 hours

Accepted Answer

Using the 90 percent learning rate, we can use the formula Tn = T1 * n^log(0.9), where Tn is the time to produce the nth unit, T1 is the time to produce the first unit (20 hours), and "log(0.9)" is the logarithm of 0.9 base n, where n is the number of units being produced. Thus, for the eighth unit, we have:

T8 = 20 * 8^log(0.9)
T8 ≈ 14.5 hours

Therefore, the answer is B, as it is greater than 12.0 hours but less than or equal to 15.0 hours.

Question 10

Which one of the following techniques will help management trace customer complaints directly to the process involved?
A) cause-and-effect diagram
B) quality circles
C) quality engineering
D) specification management

Accepted Answer

The cause-and-effect diagram (also known as the fishbone diagram or Ishikawa diagram) is a tool that helps identify the potential root causes of a problem. By analyzing customer complaints and using the diagram to trace the possible causes of the issue, management can determine which process or processes may be responsible for the problem. This allows them to implement corrective measures to improve the process and prevent similar complaints in the future. Quality circles and quality engineering are more general quality improvement techniques, and specification management is focused on documenting and managing product requirements.

Question 11

Work sampling is most often used in situations in which:
A) a time standard is needed for a repetitive job.
B) an estimate of the proportion of the time spent on a particular activity is needed.
C) it is important to keep the sample size down.
D) special training is required for the observer, and stopwatches must be used.

Accepted Answer

Work sampling is a statistical technique used for estimating the proportion of time spent on a particular activity. It does not require a time standard to be established or special training for the observer, and it can be used with a smaller sample size compared to other methods like time and motion study.

Question 12

Table 2.15
An analyst notes the time that customer appointments end with a tax preparer that is assigned customers requiring only the 1040EZ form. The times indicated in the table represent the departure times of the first eight clients for one tax preparation specialist. The 1040EZ tax forms among the different customers are very similar. The tax preparer started the first return at 12:00pm.
 
-Which statement about Table 2.15 is best?
A) Learning effects are not present because the time between successive customer departures is not always shorter than the preceding time.
B) Learning effects are present, but the actual percentage reduction cannot be determined.
C) Learning effects are present because in general the time between successive departures drops.
D) Learning effects are present here, but the actual percentage reduction cannot be determined.

Accepted Answer

Learning effects refer to improvements in productivity that result from repetition and experience. In this case, since the times between successive customer departures generally decrease, it suggests that the tax preparer is becoming more efficient with experience, indicating the presence of learning effects. Option A is incorrect because the times between successive departures are not always shorter, which does not rule out the possibility of learning effects. Option B and D are incorrect because it is possible to determine the presence of learning effects based on the trend in departure times, even if the actual percentage reduction cannot be calculated.

Question 13

A manager of a fiberglass molding operation suspects that the number of process failures is related to the number of total units produced of a particular product. A tool most useful in this analysis would be a:
A) checklist.
B) cause-and-effect diagram.
C) Pareto chart.
D) scatter diagram.

Accepted Answer

A scatter diagram is the best tool for analyzing the relationship between two variables, in this case, the number of process failures and the number of units produced. It can help determine if there is a correlation between the two variables and the strength of that correlation. This can then be used to make improvements and optimize the production process. A checklist, cause-and-effect diagram, and Pareto chart are helpful for other types of analysis and improvement projects.

Question 14

The first unit of production takes 12 hours to produce and the learning rate is expected to be 80 percent. How long will it take to produce the sixth unit?
A) less than or equal to 6.0 hours
B) greater than 6.0 hours but less than or equal to 7.7 hours
C) greater than 7.7 but less than or equal to 9.5 hours
D) greater than 8.0 hours

Accepted Answer

The learning curve formula is Tn = T1 * n^(log b / log 2), where Tn is the time to produce the nth unit, T1 is the time to produce the first unit, n is the unit number, and b is the learning rate (in decimal form). For the sixth unit with an 80% learning rate, the calculation is 12 * 6^(log 0.8 / log 2) = 12 * 6^(-0.32193) ≈ 7.7 hours. This means the time to produce the sixth unit is greater than 6.0 hours but less than or equal to 7.7 hours.

Question 15

A work sampling method is used to determine the proportion of the time a machine is idle. The following information was gathered on a random basis. 
What is the proportion of idle time observed for this machine?
A) less than or equal to 5%
B) greater than 5% but less than or equal to 15%
C) greater than 15% but less than or equal to 25%
D) greater than 25%

Accepted Answer

The answer of A work sampling method is used to...

Question 16

Which of the following analyses is best suited for a scatter diagram?
A) A professor plots a student's exam score against the number of homework problems the student completed prior to the exam.
B) A professor determines a student's letter grade based on their final course average.
C) A professor determines the curve on the most recent exam by categorizing students into groups called A, B, C, etc.
D) A professor studies his student evaluations and classifies complaints into broad categories such as Assign More Homework and Make Exams More Challenging.

Accepted Answer

A scatter diagram is used to show the relationship between two variables. In this case, a professor is plotting a student's exam score against the number of homework problems they completed prior to the exam, which shows how the two variables are related.

Question 17

A work sampling method is used to determine the proportion of the time a worker is idle. The following information was gathered on a random basis. 
What is the proportion of idle time observed for this worker?
A) less than or equal to 5%
B) greater than 5% but less than or equal to 10%
C) greater than 10% but less than or equal to 20%
D) greater than 20%

Accepted Answer

The answer of A work sampling method is used to...

Question 18

Which work measurement technique breaks down tasks into a series of generic micromotions?
A) time study method
B) elemental standard data approach
C) predetermined data approach
D) work-sampling method

Accepted Answer

The predetermined data approach breaks down tasks into a series of generic micromotions, allowing for the analysis and optimization of work processes by using predefined time standards for these micromotions.

Question 19

The first unit of production takes 20 hours to produce and the learning rate is expected to be 90 percent. How long will it take to produce the twelfth unit?
A) less than or equal to 11.0 hours
B) greater than 11.0 hours but less than or equal to 13.0 hours
C) greater than 13.0 but less than or equal to 15.0 hours
D) greater than 15.0 hours

Accepted Answer

The answer of The first unit of production takes 20...

Question 20

A process troubleshooter has to decide which problem to address first with his or her cause-and-effect diagram. The data analysis tool that will help him decide which problem to tackle first is a:
A) scatter diagram.
B) check sheet.
C) flowchart.
D) Pareto chart.

Accepted Answer

A Pareto chart is a visual representation of the frequency or size of problems in descending order of importance. It can help the process troubleshooter identify the most critical problem that is causing the majority of the issues, and thus prioritize which problem to address first.

Quiz 2: Process Strategy and Analysis

The first unit of production takes 12 hours to produce and the learning rate is expected to be 80 percent. How long will it take to produce the fourth unit?

A restaurant manager tracks complaints from the diner satisfaction cards that are turned in at each table. The data collected from the past week's diners appear in the following table. Using a classic Pareto analysis, what top categories comprise 80% of the total complaints?

A work sampling method is used to determine the proportion of the time a worker is idle. The following information was gathered on a random basis. What is the proportion of idle time observed for this worker?

A restaurant manager tracks complaints from the diner satisfaction cards that are turned in at each table. The data collected from the past week's diners appear in the following table. Using a classic Pareto analysis, what bottom categories comprise about 20% of the total complaints?

The first unit of production takes 20 hours to produce and the learning rate is expected to be 90 percent. How long will it take to produce the fourth unit?

The first unit of production takes 20 hours to produce and the learning rate is expected to be 90 percent. How long will it take to produce the eighth unit?

Which one of the following techniques will help management trace customer complaints directly to the process involved?

Work sampling is most often used in situations in which:

A manager of a fiberglass molding operation suspects that the number of process failures is related to the number of total units produced of a particular product. A tool most useful in this analysis would be a:

The first unit of production takes 12 hours to produce and the learning rate is expected to be 80 percent. How long will it take to produce the sixth unit?

A work sampling method is used to determine the proportion of the time a machine is idle. The following information was gathered on a random basis. What is the proportion of idle time observed for this machine?

Which of the following analyses is best suited for a scatter diagram?

A work sampling method is used to determine the proportion of the time a worker is idle. The following information was gathered on a random basis. What is the proportion of idle time observed for this worker?

Which work measurement technique breaks down tasks into a series of generic micromotions?

The first unit of production takes 20 hours to produce and the learning rate is expected to be 90 percent. How long will it take to produce the twelfth unit?

A process troubleshooter has to decide which problem to address first with his or her cause-and-effect diagram. The data analysis tool that will help him decide which problem to tackle first is a: