Mod 3 Section C Chapter 4 Quiz
Which is not considered waste in the Toyota Production System? Unused people skills Underproduction Overproduction Product defects
Underproduction The types of waste identified in the Toyota Production System are process, movement, methods, product defects, waiting time, overproduction, excess inventory, and unused people skills.
Through the use of Just-in-Time (JIT) and other lean techniques, velocity produces products and services: with features that exceed customer expectations. as quickly as possible. at the lowest price. only as fast as customers want them.
only as fast as customers want them. Through the use of JIT and other lean techniques, velocity produces products and services only as fast as customers want them.
Lean organizations avoid which of the following? Educating suppliers on how to streamline processes Seeking out the lowest project bid from suppliers Identifying suppliers whose methods work well with the lean strategy Developing long-term relationships with their suppliers
Seeking out the lowest project bid from suppliers Developing relationships with partners rather than seeking low bids for every project is a fundamental lean principle.
If customer demand for smartphones is running at 1,000 units per day and the available manufacturing capacity is 650 minutes per day, then takt time equals: 13 seconds. 39 seconds. 78 seconds. 154 seconds.
39 seconds. When a system is producing goods at takt time, the rate of goods produced exactly equals the rate of customer demand. Takt time is determined by dividing the available production time by customer demand (650 minutes/1,000 units = .65 minutes; .65 x 60 seconds = 39 seconds per phone)
A kaizen event would bring stakeholders together to design which of the following? A new supply chain A new product A new corporate organization chart A short-term project to improve a process of limited scale
A short-term project to improve a process of limited scale Kaizen events, also called kaizen blitzes, are used to design small-scale process improvement projects. They are particularly useful at the beginning of large-scale total quality management projects to achieve a quick success and thus build credibility for the larger change initiative.
A manager decides to source the key Just-in-Time (JIT) manufacturing goods from a local producer even though an overseas producer sells identical goods for less, even with the added cost of shipping. Which of the following is this manager most likely emphasizing? Affordability Quality Positive supply chain contribution Availability
Availability The availability of the good is being emphasized; the manager needs a reliable supply of goods even if it costs more to get the goods when they are needed for the JIT process.
The Japanese term "kaizen" refers to which of the following business processes? Continuous process improvement Interlocking business ownership Root cause Display cards used as production signals
Continuous process improvement "Kaizen" is the Japanese term for continuous improvement. The total quality management and continuous improvement ideas were brought to Japan from the United States and then returned here after the Japanese established their practical value in business.
What is a major challenge associated with using a six sigma approach? Determining how many defects is acceptable per million opportunities Determining what constitutes a defect Shaping customer expectations around what acceptable performance is Communicating the six sigma plan to the organization's customers
Determining what constitutes a defect A major challenge is determining what constitutes a defect. As the text describes, there is probably a range of wait times at an ATM that most customers will generally find acceptable. Is it 30 seconds, a minute, or two minutes? Six sigma targets 3.4 defects per million as a standard. Though understanding what a customer considers a defect is important, six sigma does not attempt to shape those expectations in order to attain the goal. Six sigma may be employed out of sight of the customers, without their awareness.
What challenge must an organization with many customer interactions overcome when utilizing six sigma? Choosing which six sigma method to use Determining what constitutes a defect Reducing defects to the target goal of 300 per million opportunities Determining who the customer is
Determining what constitutes a defect One potential challenge to using the six sigma approach arises from the difficulty of determining what constitutes a defect. This may include setting a meaningful limit on variability, another challenge with six sigma. For instance, there is probably a range of wait times at an ATM that most customers will generally find acceptable. Is it 30 seconds, a minute, or two minutes? The project team leader, or the executive sponsoring the project, may be tempted to set the limits of variability as wide as possible to achieve a six sigma level of defects.
A phone manufacturer decides to set up a total quality management (TQM) approach to achieve long-term success through customer satisfaction. The organizational management team is heavily involved at every step of the way, and they identify and focus on their customers: internal partners, distributors, retailers, and end-use customers. They make an explicit effort to not assign blame but focus to improve processes. Still, the organization does not realize the level of improvement that it anticipated prior to beginning the TQM approach. What may be the reasoning for the lackluster performance? Reluctance to identify parties at fault for failures Over-involvement of organizational management Failure to focus exclusively on end-use customers Failure to identify suppliers as important partners
Failure to identify suppliers as important partners There are several key premises of TQM that must be followed to achieve success. Management must be committed participants in the quality initiative in the organization. It must be understood by the entire workforce that continuous improvement strives for better processes and to not point fingers. It must focus on the customers and puts their needs in the forefront of every discussion about improvement, and suppliers must be considered partners as well. Because this organization failed to identify suppliers as customers, the TQM process was not as successful as it should have been.
An organization using six sigma has taken great care in defining who the customer is and what its expectation of quality is and has mapped out the processes the company uses to identify potential areas for improvement. The organization's efforts yield improvement, though not at the levels expected. What is the most likely cause of this? Failure to define what an error is Incompatibility with their Just-in-Time replenishment system Failure to pay attention to financial causes Failure to pay attention to the employee
Failure to pay attention to the employee Attaining six sigma quality requires attention to three elements: the customer, the process, and the employee. In this instance, the organization has failed to pay attention to the employees.
In a Just-in-Time (JIT) system, which of the following may occur? Increased holding costs Increased frequency of order entry Increased inventory accumulation Increased lead times
Increased frequency of order entry JIT pulls items through the system when they are needed, not according to preset schedules. Materials don't move from supplier to plant until requested. Similarly, work-in-process (WIP) doesn't move from one work center to another until a signal indicates that the time is right. Lots sizes are kept small, and orders are entered more frequently.
Which of the following describes the best mix of different continuous improvement methods working together? Just-in-Time, lean, and six sigma work best when combined. Six sigma and lean are compatible with each other but not with Just-in-Time. Just-in-Time and six sigma are compatible with each other but not with lean. Just-in-Time and lean are compatible with each other but not with six sigma.
Just-in-Time, lean, and six sigma work best when combined. When a system is running at the speed necessary to satisfy customer demand, lean and Just-in-Time tactics can be used to reduce waste and optimize delivery timing while six sigma controls smooth out system variability.
A manufacturer decides to employ a total quality management (TQM) approach to improve the manufacturing process. The upper management team directs floor managers to assemble teams of machine operators to decide how to best improve and to report back to them. They direct managers to look for solutions and better processes, not to identify poor performers, and to focus on ways to best serve their customers. They expect that the teams will generate standard performance measures to track improvement. Despite this effort, the TQM process fails. What is the most likely reason for the failure? Lack of upper-level management participation in the process Refusal to identify poor-performing workers who are causing problems Relying on standard performance measures to determine success, which may result in positive changes that are not measurable Focusing on customer needs instead of on designing the process to best suit the company's direct needs
Lack of upper-level management participation in the process TQM requires management to be commited participants in the quality initiative, acting as role models during the process. By directing low-level managers to run the process and report back, upper management fails to be adequately visible and involved in the process. TQM does not look to point fingers at low perfomers, actively focuses on customers, and generates standard performance measures, making all of the other options incorrect.
Developing a Just-in-Time (JIT) supply chain generally implies adopting which of the following strategies with suppliers? Competitive bidding among the widest possible number of suppliers Short-term contracts with revolving suppliers Long-term relationships with a limited number of suppliers Open bidding for flexibility supported by frequent inspection of incoming shipments
Long-term relationships with a limited number of suppliers JIT supply chains strive to build long-term relationships with a limited number of suppliers who are willing to incorporate JIT principles into their own businesses. A JIT supplier delivers on time, ships only quality goods that require no inspection, and reduces inventory in warehouses and in transit.
Which level of employees is likely to produce "defects" that are highly visible and annoying to the customer from a six sigma perspective? Mid-level Executive-level Director-level Low-level
Low-level When it comes to customer satisfaction, there are no irrelevant employees (or processes). Bank tellers, receptionists, and file clerks (or data entry specialists) may occupy low rungs on the corporate ladder, but their "defects" tend to be highly annoying and visible to the customer. A company fully committed to the six sigma approach will offer training at all levels. Additionally, low-level employees tend to work with the product itself, and in six sigma, the defects refer to product defects.
Just-in-Time (JIT) "cells" are laid out to accommodate which of the following? One product family with similar manufacturing processes One type of machine One specialized type of worker One production process
One product family with similar manufacturing processes "Work cells" are arranged to allow for the most efficient production of a product family manufactured with similar production processes. This minimizes the distance the products travel through production and, ideally, allows production of one unit at a time in response to an order.
Which of the following continuous improvement methodologies focuses on reduction of defects to statistical insignificance? Six sigma Just-in-Time (JIT) Theory of constraints Lean
Six sigma Six sigma seeks to limit defects to no more than 3.4 per million opportunities. Of course, no initiative sets out to increase defects, but six sigma makes defect reduction its specific objective.
A manufacturer is interested in increasing its systemic throughput. It has identified the slowest point in the production process and begins working to increase speed at that point of production. It then identifies the slowest remaining point and works to increase speed at that point, with plans to continue this improvment process moving forward. Which continuous improvement approach does this represent? Six sigma Just-in-Time Theory of constraints Lean
Theory of constraints The theory of constraints (TOC) provides a systematic method of increasing a system's throughput by identifying the slowest element in the system (the constraint or bottleneck) and focusing initial improvement efforts on that element. As one constraint is eliminated, another appears; hence, TOC is inherently a continuous improvement strategy.
What is the purpose of the five Ss? To make everything in the workplace orderly and clean and to maintain it that way To ensure that the work area is simplified To keep the work environment steady and scrubbed To create a supportive work environment for six sigma
To make everything in the workplace orderly and clean and to maintain it that way The purpose of the five Ss is to make everything about the workplace orderly and clean and to keep it so. The five Ss refers to a workplace organization method created by the Japanese: seiri, seiton, seiso, seiketsu, and shitsuke. Collectively they describe how to best organize a work space to optimize efficiency and effectiveness. Since order and organization are important concepts in lean, these five Ss (often referred to 5S) have been adopted and translated into English as "sort, simplify, scrub, standardize, and sustain."
According to the House of Toyota, Just-in-Time is facilitated by: push systems, one-piece flow, and takt time. one-piece flow, poka yoke, and jidoka. pull systems, one-piece flow, and takt time. jidoka, pull systems, and takt time.
pull systems, one-piece flow, and takt time. According to the House of Toyota, Just-in-Time is facilitated by pull systems, one-piece flow, and takt time. With lean's emphasis on activities such as one-piece flow and pull systems, queue times (wait times for a product awaiting the next step in a process) often shrink significantly. One-piece or continuous flow improves quality because the next (downstream) process uses the piece shortly after it has been produced at the previous (upstream) process. Takt time is when a lean system is ticking along at the perfect rate and its production of finished goods is exactly synchronized with the rate of customer demand. This reduces inventories to a minimum, eliminating all but work-in-process and in-transit inventories.
The House of Toyota is often used to explain the entire scope of lean. Toyota's sudden acceleration quality issues have underscored the importance of aligning: cost-saving measures with the short-term growth strategy. the short-term growth strategy with product features. engineering improvements with the value proposition. the long-term quality strategy and the value proposition with the short-term growth strategy.
the long-term quality strategy and the value proposition with the short-term growth strategy. Toyota's quality issues around sudden acceleration reaffirm the critical importance of a firm aligning its long-term quality strategy and value proposition with its shorter-term growth strategy, thereby ensuring that value will continue to exist.
Lean supply chains strive to reduce: the number of employees. worker flexibility. the need for working capital. inventory turns.
the need for working capital. Lean supply chains strive to reduce the need for working capital.
