Chapter 4 & 5

A firm with a cost-leadership strategy can command premium prices and achieve higher profits

false

An interrelationship digraph allows for "linear thinking" rather than "lateral thinking"

false

Competitive benchmarking evaluates processes or business functions against the best companies, regardless of their industry

false

Durability refers to the probability of a product's surviving over a specified period of time under stated conditions of use

false

Eliminating steps is the lean thinking principle that refers to the issue of the errors every time a process is handed from one person or group to another

false

Having a manufacturing system designed for flexible sequence of operations is a strategy used for cost-leadership for high-volume products

false

Individuals with innovative cognitive styles will tend to use data within a well-established domain, accept problems as defined, and generate ideas consistent with accepted convention

false

Plans and actions should be developed based on analysis of the symptoms of a problem, rather than on the root causes only.

false

Significant reductions in cycle time can be achieved by focusing on individual subprocesses

false

Six Sigma methods are more intuitive than lean approaches and easier to apply by anybody in the workplace

false

The Deming Cycle is composed of four stages: Design, Measure Analyze, and Control

false

The kanban strategy has been called "the single most important concept in the japanese management-the key to japanese competitive success"

false

quality related data are of two general types - quantifiable and non-quantifiable

false

With respect to the seven QC tools, a ______is a picture of a process that shows the sequence of steps performed.

flowchart

In a Pareto distribution, the characteristics are ordered

from largest frequency to smallest

In the Hoshin planning process, top management is responsible for developing and communicating a vision, then building organization-wide commitment to its achievement

true

In the general hoshin planning process, policy deployment starts with the senior managers of the company

true

Lean approaches address visible problems in processes; Six Sigma is more concerned with less visible problems

true

Lean thinking can be applied to non-manufacturing environments

true

In a balanced scorecard, leading measures refer to

predictions about the future

A _____ is a method for mapping out every conceivable event and contingency that can occur when moving from a problem statement to possible solutions

process decision program chart

The term____ refers to approaches that produce exceptional results, are usually innovative in terms of use technology or human resources, and are recognized by customers or industry

process variance

The total time required by a company to deliver a finished product that satisfies customers' needs is referred to as:

product lead time

With respect to the various tools used in lean thinking, in the ____ system, upstream suppliers do not produce until the downstream customer signals a need for parts.

pull production

The ability of a car to start consistently in all types of weather and lack of failure of electronic components is an example of the ____ dimension of product design.

reliability

A ______ illustrates relationships between hypothesized causes and effects

scatter diagram

With respect to the Japanese terms of the 5s concept, _____ means setting in order.

seiton

With respect to the terms used in 5s, seiketsu means ____

standardize

Minimizing the number of parts, eliminating fasteners, making parts symmetric whenever possible, avoiding rigid and stiff parts, and using one-sided assembly designs are some of the approaches companies use to achieve cost leadership for high-volume products

true

One of the mechanisms used to encourage innovation and creativity in the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Criteria for Performance Excellence is the prescriptive nature of the criteria, which channels activities toward purpose, bot toward following procedures.

true

Strategic Objectives are what an organization must change or improve to remain or become competitive

true

Strategy literature sometimes refers to strategic plans as strategic content

true

The most important ingredient for continuous improvement is an appropriate organizational culture

true

To be able to improve a process, it must be repeatable and measurable

true

Two approaches that help companies achieve breakthrough improvement are benchmarking and reengineering

true

Two key components of service system quality are employees and information technology.

true

a histogram shows the frequency or number of observations of a particular value or within a specified group.

true

check sheets are tools that aid in data collection

true

control charts are useful for identifying improvement opportunities and verifying that improvements really do not have the desired effect.

true

if a process is driven by an administrative logic such as cost accounting or functional specialization, it is ripe for reengineering.

true

In which phase of the DMAIC process does statistical thinking play a critical role?

Analyze

______ is the search for best practices that will lead to superior performance.

Benchmarking

_______, first proposed by Walter Shewhart in 1924, are the backbone of statistical process control.

Control charts

The DMAIC approach used in SIx Sigma is expanded as:

Design, Measure, Analyze, Improve,, and Control

______ refers to the degree of caring and individual attention provided to customers

Empathy

Policy deployment is also known as

Hoshin planning

______ are "spreadsheets" that graphically display relationships between ideas, activities, or other dimensions in such

Matrix Diagrams

A customer buying a personal computer defines the types of disk drives, modem, memory configurations, and types of hardware

Option-oriented

In the PDCA cycle, designing the product takes place in the ____

Plan

_____ is concerned with the plans, procedures, and methods for the design and evaluation of quality in good and services

Quality engineering

_______ is focused on breakthrough improvement to dramatically improve the quality and speed of work and to reduce its cost by fundamentally changing the processes by which work gets done.

Reengineering

_______ refers to rapid changeover of tooling and fixtures in machine shops so that multiple products in smaller batches can be run on the same equipment.

Single minute exchange of dies

______ refers to the process by which the members of an organization envision its future and develop the necessary procedures and operations to carry out that vision.

Strategic planning

The _____ is a tool for organizing a large number of ideas, opinions, and facts relating to a broad problem or subject area.

affinity diagram

With respect to the types of quality-related data, _____ data are obtained by counting or from some type of visual inspection

attribute

____ refers to a firm's ability to achieve market superiority over its competitors

competitive advantage

________ refers to an organization's areas of greatest expertise

core competencies

The time it takes to accomplish one portion of a process is known as _____

cycle time

The______ phase DMAIC addresses project management issues that answer questions about what will need to be done, by whom, and when

define

A company's _____ is/are the only source of competitive advantage that competitors cannot copy

human resources

An ________ identifies and explores causal relationships among related concepts or ideas.

interrelationship digraph

A pull production system is also known as

kanban

In a balanced scorecard, lagging measures refer to

the outcomes of a process

With the respect to the various tools used in lean thinking, _____ is designed to ensure that equipment is operational and available when needed

total production maintenance

An _______ maps out the paths and tasks necessary to complete a specific project or reach a specified goal

tree diagram

A kaizen event is an intense and rapid improvement process in which a team or a department throws all ts resources into an improvement project over a short time period.

true

A simple way of defining lean thinking is "getting more done with less"

true

A strategy of continuous improvement is essential to achieve a low-cost competitive.

true

According to the principles of TQ, a customer-focused organization and a process orientation are necessary prerequisites for agility

true

An interrelationship digraph identifies and explores causal relationships among related concepts or ideas

true

Attractive facilitates, appropriately dressed employees, and well-designed forms that are easy to read and interpret are examples of the "tangibles" dimension of service quality

true

Flowcharts are best developed by the people involved in the process- employees, supervisors, managers, and customers

true

Improved conformance in production leads to lower manufacturing and service costs.

true

A histogram is a graphical representation of the:

variation in a set of data

A firm purchasing a key supplier to strengthen its value chain is an example of

vertical integration