Operations Midterm
False
For unstructured processes, email is an effective way to track task completion
Phase I: Initiating Phase II: Planning Phase III: Executing Phase IV: Monitoring
Identify each of the phases of managing a project. Phase I: Identify problem/opportunity Phase II: Identify activities, resources, schedule Phase III: Getting it done Phase IV: Assessing if everything is progressing as planned and managing changes
Service processes can not be documented
Identify the statement below which is false
False
If there are four possible outcomes of a random event, the probability each of the four outcomes being realized is 25%
True
Local measures measure the impact of a change on a part of a process
Little's Law
Manufacturing lead times (MLT)/turnaround times (TAT) are proportional to the amount of work-in-process inventory in the system
Step 1: Define the model Step 2: Construct a monte carlo table for each random variable Step 3: Reproduce/simulate the performance of the system
Match the description with each of the sequential steps required to create a monte carlo simulation
Handoffs
Occurs when swimlanes are crossed
False
Once a process is documented changes should not be made to the process
True
One way to develop an understanding of the principles which govern flows is practice
True
Operations has to be done well for an organization to be successful
True
Operations management is about managing flows of products, people or information through a process
True
Operations management is concerned with operating, improving and designing processes/operations/systems which transform inputs into outputs
Visibility
Process charts involve classifying each step of a process into a category. Which of the following is not a commonly employed category?
True
A bottleneck is what is limiting throughput when the system constraint is the capacity of the process
True
A burndown chart is used to monitor day-by-day amount of work that remains in a given sprint
True
A handoff occurs when the responsibility for the next activity passes from one person to another
True
A high level view of a process usually contains 4-6 main tasks
Random
A monte carlo simulation reproduces the performance of a system that involves a BLANK event
True
A monte carlo table should be constructed for each random variable in the model
True
A process or task can often be broken into subprocesses and flowcharts of the subprocesses can be created
resources inputs outputs
A process, operation or system uses BLANK to transform BLANK into BLANK
- The order in which the tasks need to be performed - the tasks which need to be performed
A product or service's routing structure specifies which of the following:
True
A product/service can be delivered using any one of the process types. The process type which should be used depends on the customer's wants and expectations
True
A project is a non-continuously operating process (i.e., it is a one-time deal). Resources are used, a process is followed and a unique output is produced
Continuous flow
A sugar refinery is best characterized as which of the following process types?
True
A work breakdown structure can help identify activities/tasks required to complete a project and their dependencies
Visible
According to Ian James, companies which are successful with process find ways to make their processes
Inventory
All the money the system has invested in things which it intends to sell
True
Along the diagonal of the process-product matrix is the zone of strategic fit
Mass customization
An example of the process type which is outside the zone of strategic fit but has still proved to be successful is
Job shop/batch/process types
Are best suited to produce make-to-order products
product focused
Assembly line/continuous flow process types have flow structures which are said to be
True
Assuming there is excess market demand, increasing the flow through the bottleneck will result in an increase in throughput
True
Because different products compete for time on the same resources with job shop/batch processes, when volumes are high, scheduling becomes very difficult
Project
Developing and launching an advertising campaign for new product or service is best characterized as which of the following process types?
True
Documenting a process helps develop a shared understanding of the process and how to go about improving a process
Systems view
Evaluating how a part of a process impacts the entire process
False
Service organizations do not have work-in-process inventory
True
System measurements measure the impact of a change on the entire process
Capacity of a process
The average number of units a process is capable of completing in a given time period
False
The best process type for an organization to employ to produce a product or service will not change as the product or service progresses through its life cycle
- The duration - Whether there is a budget - Whether a schedule is required
The distinction between a multiple project environment and a job shop is somewhat artificial. What factor(s) below should you consider in deciding whether to manage a process as a project?
Latest Finish Time (LF)
The latest the activity can be completed without jeopardizing the project completion date
True
The line of visibility divides a process into two portions: the proportion of the process which is visible to the customer and the portion of the process which is not visible to the customer
Throughput time
The minimum possible time required to process a unit from start to finish
Throughput time
The minimum possible time required to process a unit from start to finish (the sum of processing times)
True
The process choice decision is a decision about how you want to organize your resources
True
The process type which is likely to be successful in producing a product or service largely depends on the demand characteristics of that product or service
false
The process, operation or system which produces/provides an organization's primary product(s)/service(s) is the only process, operation or system in most organizations
Slowest
The rate units arrive at a workstation is dictated by the processing time of the BLANK preceding workstation
Project completion date
The result of the forward activity pass (the earliest possible time in which the project can be completed)
Task
The smallest possible unit of work
throughput
The system contraint(s) is what limits
True
The value of diving deeper and documenting additional subprocesses (or subtasks) are performed
process
To produce or provide an organization's primary products or services requires a
Agile approach
What project management approach would you use for a project which you don't know exactly what the end result will look like or even the required activities?
Capacity Utilization ratio
What the workstation has to do to satisfy the market demand divided by what the work station is able to do
True
When a process changes, a new process flowchart should be constructed which reflects the change
Microsoft Project
Which of the following applications is frequently used to help manage projects?
- increasing the flow through the bottleneck - reducing idle time on the bottleneck - decrease the time the bottleneck takes to process a unit - have the bottleneck only process units which are going to result in a sale - don't allow the bottleneck to produce defective units - offload bottleneck tasks to a nonbottleneck resource
Which of the following could result in an increase in throughput?
- Gets clarity on the process for yourself and others - helps identify best practices - helps identify opportunities for improvement
Which of the following is a potential advantage of documenting a process?
Scrum
Which of the following is an agile approach to managing a project
Continuously operation process
Which of the following is not a characteristic of a project?
Process Flow Diagram
Which of the following is not a common initiation document?
Waiting to engage in a process improvement effort until after the process is documentation
Which of the following is not a common process of mapping pitfalls?
Project
Which of the following is not a continuously operating process type?
A handoff occurs where swimlanes are at opposite poles
Which of the following is not a true statement?
Process chart
Which of the following process documentation tools classifies each step in a process as either an operation, transport, inspect, delay or store?
Job shop
Which of the following process types is best characterized as a continuously operation process capable of producing very low volumes of highly customized outputs?
Continuous flow
Which of the following process types is best characterized as producing very high volumes of a highly standardized/commodity product?
A handoff agreement must be very structured and require both parties to sign the agreement every time there is a handoff
Which of the following statements is false?
Manufacturing lead times (MLT) or turnaround times (TAT) are dictated by the slowest workstation
Which of the following statements is false?
resource flexibility is high (i.e., resources are general purpose resources and can process a variety of products)
Which of the following statements is not an accurate statement concerning assembly line/continuous flow process
To be profitable, job shop/batch processes require high volumes in order to cover fixed costs
Which of the following statements is not an accurate statement?
Assembly line/continuous flow process types
Which process types are best suited to repeatedly produce, high volumes of a standardized product at a low per unit cost?
assembly line/continuous flow process types
Which process types are best suited to repeatedly produce, high volumes of a standardized product at a low per unit cost?
True
Work packages are the smallest units of effort consuming both time and resources that the project manager can schedule and control
Greater than
Work-in-process (WIP) inventory will accumulate in front of a resource whenever the flow feeding (i.e., arriving at) the resource is BLANK the rate the resource can process units
Operational Expense
all the money the system has to spend in order to turn inventory into throughput
arrow
in a flowchart, represents flow
parallelogram
in a flowchart, represents input/output
inverted triangle
in a flowchart, represents inventory
diamond
in a flowchart, represents point where flow diverges
oval
in a flowchart, represents start/end point
Rectange
in a flowchart, represents task
True
process documentation tools are used to assess process's capability and identify opportunities for improvement
process maps
process flowcharts are also sometimes referred to as
Deployment Chart
process flowcharts with swimlanes
False
service providers who perform back-office tasks should always be visible to the customer
cycle time
the average time between completions of successive units in a process
Latest Start Time (LS)
the latest you can start the activity without jeopardizing the project completion date
Throughput
the rate at which the system generates money through sales
Manufacturing lead time (MLT)/Turnaround Time (TAT)
the total time a unit spends in the system (from the time the unit enters the system until it leaves)
handoffs
which of the following is a common point/source of problems (i.e., an opportunity for improvement)?
google chrome
which of the following is not particularly useful in creating process flowcharts?
Process Chart
which type of chart/diagram is frequently used to identify and eliminate non-value adding activities?
