Session 11 Green Belt

Ishikawa Diagram

Also known as the Cause and Effect Diagram and the Fishbone Diagram because of its fish-like shape, the Ishikawa diagram is a tool used for structured brainstorming for potential causes of a problem. The effect (or problem) is placed at the "head" of the fish and the bones are labeled with categories of possible causes.

Which of the following is not an element of a standard control plan? A) Location of change control procedures B) The measurement method used C) The guage or measurement device number D) The reaction plan E) The chart champion and chart location

Answer A

What is the objective that drives the establishment of Standard Work? A) The objective is to link all work of the enterprise to customer standards. B) The objective is to reduce variability (waste) by ensuring that everyone performing the work uses the same best methods. C) The objective is to ensure interoperability of all office equipment through conformance to international standards. D) The objective is to speed financial transactions by standardizing the financial terms used to communicate between business units. E) The objective is to establish a standard cost for all work so that the financial reports will accurately reflect the profitability of the enterprise.

Answer B

Which of the following is the primary reason for a project team to consider closing out the project? A) Product or service has been launched B) Customer requirements have been met C) Budget has been expended D) Timeline calls for project close-out E) Project team has disbanded

Answer B

The following question is based on the same seatbelt FMEA example, focusing on the "Select Wrong Color Seat Belt" Failure Mode. A Lean Six Sigma team is working to reduce the RPN for wrong color seat belts. Which combinations of actions and outcome is correct? A) Error-proof the seat belt selection process only; severity rating drops to 3 as a result, and RPN is now 36. B) Improve testing process only; probability of detection drops to 1, and RPN is now 21. C) Error-proof the seat belt selection process only, probability of occurrence drops to 2, and RPN is now 30. D) Improve testing process only, probability of occurrence drops to 2, and RPN is now 30.

Answer C

Which of the following is NOT a function of the Control Plan? A) Maintain a central record of significant characteristics and their chart location. B) Document who collects and charts data on significant characteristics. C) Control the process of identifying significant characteristics. D) Document the measurement instrument used to collect data on each significant characteristic.

Answer C

Who determines what is or is not a Best Practice? A) Industry trade groups. B) International Association of Benchmarking. C) Individual organizations based on their knowledge and experience. D) American Society for Quality. E) American Production and Inventory Control Society

Answer C

An FMEA was constructed as part of a project to reduce invoicing errors. One of the potential failure modes was "Incorrect Price in Computer System". Values were assigned as follows: Severity - 8 Occurrence - 2 Detection - 9 What is the RPN for this failure mode, and which action would you recommend to improve the RPN based on this limited data? A) RPN=144, Error-proofing to decrease the probability of Occurrence and raise the Occurrence score B) RPN= 19, Error-proofing to increase the probability of Detection and reduce the Detection score C) RPN=144, Error-proofing to increase the probability of Detection and reduce the Detection score D) RPN= 19, Error-proofing to decrease the probability of Occurrence and raise the Occurrence score E) RPN=144, Error-proofing to increase the probability of Detection and raise the Detection score

Answer C RPN is the product of the three values, or 144. Lower numbers are better, so increasing the probability of Detection would yield a lower Detection value, and hence a lower RPN.

When applying 5-S principles to improve workplace organization and efficiency, what is the first step? A) Set in Order (Straighten) B) Standardize C) Shine D) Sort E) Sustain

Answer D

Which of the following is not a benefit of closing out a project? A) Development process is improved B) Spending is stopped C) Resources are freed D) Defects are eliminated E) Reputation is enhanced

Answer D

Which three actions are correct to improve Visual Control? A) Re-arrange inventory by department, centralize racks, clean and organize workstations. B) Move racks to a warehouse, display performance charts, install surveillance cameras. C) Reduce inventory, display performance charts, install Andon boards to measure scrap. D) Clean and organize workstations, generate daily reports on control plan status, build higher racks. E) Reduce inventory, clean and organize workstations, display performance charts.

Answer E

Visual Control Strategies fall into three catagories

Charts, Graphs, and displays of performance metrics Removal of visual obstructions Workstation cleanliness and organization

Control Plan

Critical to Quality Characteristic End-product characteristic proven to be important to the customer, along with hierarchical reference number. Significant Characteristic Number Reference number to organize Significant Characteristics within a hierarchy that relates to the corresponding CTQC's. Significant Characteristic Description Process characteristics that have a significant impact on the Critical to Quality Characteristic. Chart Type X-bar & R chart, P-chart, C-Chart, Trend chart Chart Champion Name of the process owner. Chart Location Location where the chart is kept. Measurement Method Method used to collect the measurement data, e.g. scale, caliper. Measurement Study Yes or No to denote whether a measurement system analysis has been completed. If Yes, show % total error. Reaction Plan Reference number to a reaction plan flow-chart that tells the data-plotter what to do in the event of an out-of-control or out-of-spec. condition. Reaction plans may be somewhat generic for families of process with similar criticality. Gage Number Reference number for the gage that corresponds to the calibration tracking system. Sampling Plan How many samples are drawn at what frequency. Process Stability Is the process in a state of statistical control - Yes or NO. Cp/Cpk If process is stable, calculate Cp and Cpk.

Control Phase Critical Questions to answer

Have mechanisms been put in place to provide ongoing feedback and prevent backsliding? Are significant characteristics (inputs and process variables) being monitored and improved over time using statistical methods? Are appropriate preventive actions in place to ensure that work processes are performed in a consistent fashion? Has the Process Owner accepted responsibility for the process changes and ongoing process management? Are improvements, lessons learned, and best practices being shared in a systematic fashion? Have you recognized the team's efforts and celebrated success?

Project Close-Out

Is the process of confirming with the customer of the project that their requirements have been met and that no additional development effort is required. Maintenance of the product or process that was developed by the project is turned over to operations, along with responsibility for the Control Plan. In addition, lessons learned through the execution of the project are documented and reviewed with those who are responsible for the overarching improvement or development process and made accessible to future project teams.

Continuous Flow

Movement of products or services through a process in small lot sizes (ideally a lot size of one) with minimum work-in-process inventory.

Just In Time (JIT)

Movement of products or services through a process in small lot sizes (ideally a lot size of one) with minimum work-in-process inventory.

Benefits to have Project Close-out and Hand Off

Reputation with customer is enhanced - the project team did what it said it would do. The effectiveness of the project team is also confirmed. Resources are freed - project resources can be assigned to other projects. Overall, the efficiency of process improvement resources is increased. Spending is stopped - any budget shortfall can be reallocated. Unnecessary spending is eliminated. DMAIC process is improved - by identifying and reviewing lessons learned, opportunities for improving the DMAIC process are realized. Future project teams also have the benefit of reviewing past lessons learned and acting accordingly on their project.

5 -S

SORT. Separate the needed items from unnecessary items, and remove the unnecessary items from the shop floor where they collect dirt, get damaged, get lost, obstruct the view of what is going on, and create trip/fall hazards. SET IN ORDER (STRAIGHTEN). Structure the workstation so needed items can be located quickly and easily. Everything should have a defined, standard storage location. Follow the old axiom: "A place for everything, and everything in its place." Avoid storing anything directly on the floor, which creates an impediment to cleaning, and one more thing to trip over. A good rule to follow is "Nothing on the floor but feet!" SHINE. Clean, sweep, and scrub everything around the workstation. This is also the first step toward Total Productive Maintenance. Process discipline is reinforced by a clean workplace, which sends the very visible message to the workforce that management cares about working conditions, and there is a defined way to do things. STANDARDIZE. After identifying the best (simplest, most effective) way to accomplish the previous three steps, it is important to ensure compliance to the new standards. Set these standards in place so that anyone can achieve consistent results by following the same steps every time. This can be done by documenting the simplest method to do the task, using clear labeling and developing effective work instructions. Establish clear responsibility for every square foot of the workplace so that there is no "no-man's zone" that doesn't get attention. SUSTAIN. Good housekeeping and organization requires consistency of attention and effort. This requires daily (hourly) management reinforcement. Housekeeping practices cannot be turned off and on. Rules must be clearly communicated and everyone must be held accountable to obey rules and proper work practices. If you establish this discipline, it will reinforce adherence to proper process methods and standards, and quality will improve.

Standard Work

Term coined by Toyota to represent the established best way of performing the work within a process.

Five Why Analysis

The 5-Why analysis method is used to move past symptoms and understand the true root cause of a problem. It is said that only by asking "Why?" five times, successively, can you delve into a problem deeply enough to understand the ultimate root cause.

Control Plan

The Control Plan documents ongoing process management responsibilities for significant process inputs and Critical to Customer Requirements (CTQC's). Control plans typically list each characteristic, how it is measured, its specifications, the sampling plan, who collects the data, where the Control Chart (SPC Chart) can be located, and which Reaction Plan should be used if the characteristic is out of control or out of specification.

Corrective Action Matrix

The Corrective Action Matrix is used by problem-solving teams to keep track of WHO is doing WHAT - by WHEN. The matrix can be either simple or very complicated.