Six Sigma: project management basics

Your project is to set up a web-based subscription management system that enables customers to access professional journals. Match the communication methods to the purposes for which they're best suited.

In person Communicate with the executive director of a major Internet provider to gauge her interest in partnering in the project E-mail Relay a complete list of the site's journals to senior management, the project team, and the chief stakeholders Telephone Contact publishers a day before the deadline to remind them to sign the contract between their journal and your company

What is the purpose of a communication plan for a Six Sigma project? me

It contains information about responsibilities for project tasks, particularly those related to communication It describes how project-related communication will be managed

What is the purpose of baseline data?

It helps you understand the problem It provides the starting point for the project

Suppose you've been asked to create the basic outline for a WBS for our project. How would you organize the levels? Sequence the basic levels of a WBS, starting with the top level as number 1.

1. Project name 2. Major deliverables 3. Tasks 4. Sub-tasks 5. Work packages

What is a tollgate review?

A checkpoint for determining if the goals of a project are being met

Which elements would you expect to see in a communication plan?

Any restraints on communicating with project team members Recipients of project information

You're working on a Six Sigma project to improve the production process at a company that makes optical lenses. Match each project charter key element to a question it answers.

Business case Why should we do this project? Problem statement What is the impact of the issue we're trying to fix, and how is it measured? Goal statement What results do we expect, and how will they be measured? Key deliverable When will each main activity take place? Project scope What processes are we addressing and at what level?

Matrix diagrams could be used for which purposes?

Combining two tree diagrams into a single matrix Showing relationships between roles and actions during the Define stage Determining causes or effects of problems Assigning project tasks showing the potential of improvement efforts during the improve stage

What are the accurate interpretations of this Gantt chart?

Tasks B and C end with project milestones This project will take just over 22 weeks to complete There are ten activities to be completed before the project is finalized

What are some purposes of a work breakdown structure for a Six Sigma project?

To fully understand the scope of the work and each activity involved To prepare the schedule

What are the best practices for creating tree diagrams?

Defining the process for breaking down details at the start Not allowing groups or levels to merge Training the leader of the exercise on how the process of creating a tree diagram works Using no more than four items at any level

What are some key considerations when choosing communication tools?

Degree of collaboration required Volume of information Nature and complexity of the message

What are best practices for the creation of affinity diagrams?

Encourage creativity Use a cross-functional team Have four to seven team members Start out with a common basic understanding of the issue

What are the best practices for the creation of an affinity diagram?

Encourage the team to look at the issue from multiple perspectives Use a cross-functional team Make sure that team members share a basic understanding of the problem Have four to seven people on the team

Your project involves improving a bank's customer service. The bank provides business loans and must ensure that resources are available to its customers. What's the best problem statement for this project?

Our loan process currently has an average cycle time of eight days. This does not align with our customer requirement of no more than six days. This has resulted in customer defections and an estimated revenue loss of $1,400,000 per year.

Match each element of a project charter to its purpose.

Goal statement Defines the quality and results that the team expects to achieve Key deliverables Estimates output completion data so the team can judge if it's on track Project scope Sets the boundaries of the project and provides a baseline for project expectations and requirements Business case Sets forth the value and rationale of the project

Your project involves improving a bookseller's delivery process. The company promises three-day deliver, but it often doesn't meet this metric. What's the best problem statement for this project?

On-time deliveries of books ordered from our web site are averaging 60% as measured from shipping documents. Canceled orders and refused shipments have resulted in a loss of $120,000 in the past six months.

What activities are required to prepare for and conduct a tollgate review?

Prepare an agenda for the meeting so that participants understand the phase under review Invite team members and stakeholders who will present information and be responsible for signing off the phase Prepare reports that contain phase objectives and metrics Organize tools that will be used to conduct the review

What are the best practices for creating tree diagrams?

Review the diagram once it's completed Have no more than four items at any level Define the criteria for determining when the lowest level has been reached Make sure not to let groups or levels merge Defining the process for breaking down details at the start

Match each element of a project charter to its purpose

Roles and responsibilities Define the project's human resources, ream input, and reporting structure Resources Designates the items of value that are required to carry out project activities Problem statement Describes the impact of the issue that the project is trying to solve Goal statement Describe the anticipated results of the process improvement initiative

What are good scoping practices for a Six Sigma project?

Set clear expectations Prevent the project from crossing boundaries Determine which other projects impact your project Be conscious of time and money Write a concise and precise scope statement

What are the appropriate best practices for scoping a Six Sigma project?

Set clear expectations by communicating effectively with stakeholders and your team Determine which other projects impact your project Focus on financial aspects

Given the details, what are correct statements?

Some activities between path A and B run concurrently The critical path takes 16 minutes Path D is the critical path because it takes the longest time

A Six Sigma team has been tasked with improving customer satisfaction scores. What would be the best goal statement for its project?

The goal is to receive ratings of "very good" or higher from 90% of customers by December 31

What are correct interpretations of this Gantt chart?

This project will take just over 22 weeks to complete Tasks E, F, and G are predecessors of task H Tasks B and C end with project milestones There are ten activities to be completed before the project is finalized

In what instances would a matrix diagram be used?

To assign project tasks To explore the potential of improvement efforts To determine the causes and effects of problems To combine tree diagrams into a single matrix

How are activity network diagrams used?

To communicate the plan and risks to stakeholders To document the project To discover ways to get projects done sooner To show the flow of activities within a process

In which situations are relations charts used?

To evaluate relationships between ideas To deal with multiple cause-and-effect relationships To explore the root causes of problems To discover influencing factors

Why would you use a relations chart during a Six Sigma project?

To evaluate the relationships between ideas To discover the factors influencing a process issue To explore root causes of problems To determine the cause-and-effect relationships to help organize the ideas during the Define and Analyze stages of a project

How are Six Sigma tools used for planning, monitoring, and reporting?

To identify required activities To monitor progress To detect where actual values vary from planned values

In which ways are Six Sigma tools used for planning, monitoring, and reporting?

To share information with team members and stakeholders To detect where actual values vary from planned values To check project status at a glance