Green Belt Training Glossary of Terms Flashcards
5S Workplace Streamlining
A lean-enterprise method of creating a clean and orderly workplace that exposes waste and errors. The term 5S stands for: Sort, Shine, Set in Order, Standardize, and Sustain.
Adaptation Phase
The fourth phase of resistance and characterized by the ability to accept
the truth, find meaning in the change and move forward to carry on.
Adaptive Change
A type of change where changes are implemented slowly through staged or interrelated initiatives over time. This type of change is also characterized as evolutionary and is often associated with culture change.
Affinity Diagram
A method that enables a team to generate a large number of ideas and then organize natural groupings among them to understand the essence of a problem and identify solutions.
Baseline
A current or historical level of performance that is used as a standard of comparison for future performance improvements.
Basic Needs
Unspoken needs of customers that are taken for granted by the customer. Expected features or characteristics. Also known as unspoken and expected customer needs.
Benchmarking
The practice of establishing performance targets and change projects based on how an organization’s processes compare with the industry’s best practices.
Betrayal Phase
The first phase of resistance and is characterized as shock and anger.
Bias
An inclination, predisposition, partiality, prejudice, preference, or predilection towards something. Bias is often described as either cognitive bias or systemic bias.
Business Impact Statements
A clear and common understanding of the financial benefits of achieving the goals of the project. Business impact statements are part of the project charter and are known as “BOB” statements. They should directly relate to the goal statements of the project charter and they should be reviewed and evaluated throughout the life of the project as factors about the process and problem are uncovered and eventually solved.
Business Process
An end-to-end sequence of activities that defines one or more business functions required to deliver goods or services to a customer. Processes serving external customers are considered core business processes; Those serving internal customers are considered support services.
Business-Value-Add (BVA)
Activities that are required by the business but add no real value from a customer standpoint. Examples of BVA could include processes steps necessary to obtain the order or provide a bill; safety activities or regulatory activities. From a customer’s perspective, business-value-add is fundamentally a form of non-value-add.
By Design Behavior
During change this behavior is defined as those that accept the change, have courage and conviction to make the change work and are open minded. During periods of change and within groups of people, there is usually 20% of the group that display this behavior.
Cause and Effect/Fishbone Diagram
A diagram that enables a team to identify, explore, and graphically display in detail, all possible causes of a problem in an effort to identify its root cause(s). Generally the diagram consists of an effect statement, and then relates that effect statement to specific cause categories. This artifact is also known as an Ishikawa Diagram.
Cellular Layouts
A solution that creates a work space in a common location, or so workers are close together. Ensures the most efficient layout for the workers and the equipment. Supports the lean principle of Flow and can be used as a process flow improvement solution.
Charter
A written commitment (or contract) that states the purpose and objectives of an improvement-project team. The charter will document the problem statement, goals and business impact statements, team resources, and project stakeholders. It is a living document and does not solve the problem.
Cognitive Bias
A preference for a particular manner of thinking. An inclination, predisposition, partiality, prejudice, preference, or predilection towards something.
Common Cause Variation
Creates fluctuations or patterns in data that are due to the system or process itself. This type of variation is also known as the heartbeat of a process based on how the process will fluctuate up and down within the control limits. This type of variation, when within the control limits of the process, is considered stable, and provides process consistency over time. To make the process predictable and reliable, the goal is to reduce this type of variation over time.
Component Complexity
Complexity that refers to individual process components which lead to more chance of errors, increased costs or increased overhead. Often characterized by the number of inputs into a process step or overall in the process.
Constraint
A time trap that is unable to produce at the exit rate required to meet customer demand (internal or external). Every constraint is also a time trap.
Continuous Improvement
A step-wise incremental, continuous effort to improve performance of a process or sequential improvement in the performance of a product’s feature’s over time. The idea that improvement is necessarily a continuous activity to ensure ongoing customer satisfaction and improved performance.
Control Chart
A graphical representation of process variation across time, in relation to natural limits and central tendency. It is used to evaluate whether a process is in a state of statistical process control and is measured using control limits.
Control Limits
The upper and lower measures which describe the degree of variation within a process. Depicts the level of common cause variation or displays special cause variation within a process. Usually described statically as +/-3 standard deviations from the mean.
Control Plan
A summary of the metrics used in minimizing process variation. Describes the critical points and inputs to the process in the context of data that will keep the process in a state of control. Helps us think about what input measures will control the process and what output measures will monitor the process. It is a living document reflecting current methods of control and measurement systems used.
Core Team
A group of associates who understand the process in detail. They should have hands-on knowledge of how the process works today, including the process inputs and outputs. These team members are acquired from stakeholders and management. Management team members are generally not part of the core team; they are designated as stakeholders.
Cost-of-Conformance
Cost-of-conformance is known as the costs associated with providing quality to customers. These costs can be illustrated as the costs of or investments in training, maintaining documentation, gathering data to measure and manage processes, and implement mistake proofing measures.
Cost-of-Non-Conformance
Cost-of-non-conformance is known as the costs associated with poor quality and late delivery to customers. These costs included the costs associated with dealing with defects and rework. These costs can also manifest in lost customers and lost revenue due to poor quality and dissatisfied customers. Examples of these costs include discounts provided to customers, warranty claims, costs of disposal of defective product or time spent on rework.
Countermeasure
A stop gap solution or process change that will improve the process short term until long term solutions which address the root cause of the problem can be implemented. Generally, a countermeasure will add steps and cost to a process and should be acknowledged and implemented with caution.
Critical-to-Quality (CTQ)
Describes product or service characteristics that are considered by customers as being most important and represent a basic need. Or, from a customer’s perspective a need that must be met. Generally, a good customer requirement is specific and quantifiable
Customer Focus
The concept that top priority must be given to working on factors that satisfy short- and long-term customer needs. All decisions must be made in full understanding of their impact on external customers. Some organizations also extend this principle to their internal customers.
Critical-to-Satisfaction (CTS)
Describes characteristics that are critical to the way customers use, apply, or consume an organization’s products or services.
Customer-Value-Add (CVA)
Any activity in a process that is essential to deliver a service to the customer. Must be performed to meet external customer needs. Those tasks which the customer would be willing to pay for if he/she knew they were being done. (ie., has value to the customer).
Cycle Time
The total time required to successfully complete all the tasks that are required for a business (work) process. Includes all touch time and idle time in a process.
Dashboard
A compilation of standardized performance measures designed to provide feedback, enable learning and create visibility into process performance.
Defects Per Million Opportunities (DPMO)
A form of a sigma quality level (SQL) calculation used when the data is attribute or discrete data, This calculation can be used to measure process capability.
Default Behavior
During change this behavior is defined those who remain uncommitted. They are waiting to see what will happen next and haven’t determined if they are in agreement with the change. During periods of change and within groups of people, there is usually 50% of the group that display this behavior.
Defiant Behavior
During change this behavior is defined as those who want to protect the old way of doing things regardless of the change. During periods of change and within groups of people, there is usually 30% of the group that display this behavior.
Denial Phase
The second phase of resistance and is characterized by the perception of disbelief and suffering
DMADV
An innovation process that ensures that an organizations products, processes, or services consistently meet current customer requirements. The term DMADV is an acronym for the process’s five sequential steps: Define, Measure, Analyze, Design, and Verify.
DMAIC
Six Sigma’s approach to problem solving. It is an acronym for the process’s five sequential steps: Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control.
Effect Statement
Effect statements are quantifiable statements that describe a particular problem or a problem with critical input of the process. The effect statement is part of the fishbone diagram and is commonly referred to as the head of the fish.
Effectiveness
Quality of the output of the process. Level of output, defect, and customer satisfaction. (Six Sigma)
Efficiency
Time and cost associated with executing the process. Cycle time and cost. (The amount of resources that need to be input into it.) (Lean)
Executive Advisory Group (EAG) Gate Review
One of two formal events that the project must pass through. EAG gate reviews occur at the end of the Improve and Sustain Phases of the project. It includes formal power point presentation(s) followed by review questions and discussion. The gate review ends with a “go/no go” decision by the Executive Advisory Group. At the Sustain Phase, this gate serves as the project close out. The other formal gate review events occur with the project stakeholders.
Executive Project Champion
Typically an executive or director that serves as the visible leader supporting the practitioner and the core team during a process improvement project. Typically, this leader has been instrumental in identifying the process improvement opportunity. They will assist in removing barriers or impediments, including resource constraints. They will participate in the monthly status updates and the Gate Reviews.
Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA)
A method of identifying specific ways in which a product, process, or service might fail, estimates the risk associated with the specific causes and prioritizes the actions that should take place to reduce risk. The Risk Priority Number (RPN) is used to apply objectivity to this analysis.
Gantt chart
A program-planning method used to indicate the projected start and completion times for scheduled activities of a project. Its horizontal bars show which tasks can be done simultaneously over the life of the project.
