LSS Homework

Question 1

You have developed your project charter. You are using it to educate your team on the project objectives. Which of the following would not typically be part of the project charter?

Answer 1

Process Map

Note: A process map typically is not included in the project charter. They are constructed later as a tool within the project.

Question 2

Your team is developing the project schedule. You want to see the relationship between all of the project tasks. Which tool do you tell your team to use to show the relationship and sequence of the major activities using nodes and arrows?

Answer 2

Activity Network Diagram

Note: An activity network diagram shows the relationships of the major steps in the project in sequence using nodes and arrows.

Question 3

You are the Project Manager for an improvement project. Your organization’s goal is to improve the throughput of one of its most critical processes. You are explaining to your team the overall importance of the Theory of Constraints. What would you tell your team?

Answer 3

Identify the areas of bottlenecks in the process so they can be reduced/ eliminated.

Note: Theory of Constraints – a systematic approach to managing complex organizations by identifying and controlling key leverage points within the system or process. This includes identifying the system’s constraints (bottlenecks) and reducing/eliminating them so the throughput increases.

Question 4

You are developing your team charter. You have identified the primary metric for measuring your project’s success. You now want your team to identify metrics that quantify positive side effects that result from a process improvement after the accomplishment of the primary metric. What type of metrics are your team identifying?

Answer 4

Secondary Metric

Note: Secondary metrics quantify side effects that result from a process improvement after accomplishing a primary metric. They are positive in nature as opposed to consequential metrics which are negative in nature.

Question 5

Your project team is analyzing the links involved in a complex situation. They want to fully understand the cause-and-effect relationships. What tool would you tell your team to use for this purpose?

Answer 5

Interrelationship Digraph

Note: An interrelationship digraph is used to demonstrate cause-and-effect relationships to help a project team analyze the links involved in a complex situation.

Question 6

You are a Green Belt leading a complex process improvement project for your organization. You need some advice on some of the technical aspects of the project. Which Belt is the technical expert that is the “go to” person for mentoring other belts on the Six Sigma methodology?

Answer 6

Master Black Belt

Note: A Master Black Belt is a technical expert, a “go to” person for the Six Sigma methodology. Master Black Belts mentor Black Belts and Green Belts through their projects and support Champions. In addition to applying Six Sigma, Master Black Belts are capable of teaching others in the practices and tools. Being a Master Black Belt is a full-time position.

Question 7

Your team has heard of Lean Six Sigma but you are explaining to them that they are two separate methodologies. You explain that both methodologies are important to the success your organization. You tell your team the ideal relationship between Lean and Six Sigma methods can be best described as what?

Answer 7

Lean and Six Sigma should be integrated so that the overall improvements will be sustained and continually reinforced.

Note: The lean and Six Sigma methods will be more efficient and deliver the intended benefits when conducted together.

Question 8

You want your team to understand the benefit of your project to your organization, so they understand the importance of staying on budget. You are explaining it in terms of the payback period so they understand that any increase in costs will increase the amount of time it will take to payback the initial project cost. You use the following details to explain the concept: A project is projected to cost the organization $10,000 to finish. The project is expected to give the organization a gain of $2000 per month starting 3 months from project completion. What will you explain to your team is the payback period for this project?

Answer 8

8 months

Note: To calculate the payback period take the cost ($10,000) / gain ($2000) + number of months until a profit is realized (3 months). $10,000/$2,000 = 5 months + 3 months = 8 months.

Question 9

As a Project Manager you know that much of what you and your team will do is communications. You are having a discussion with your team about ways to communicate as you are developing your communications plan. You explain to them that this type of communication tends to be one-directional in nature and does not require a response from the recipient?

Answer 9

Top-Down Communications

Note: Top-Down Communications tends to be one-directional in nature and does not require a response from the recipient.

Question 10

Your project team is new to the project, and they are trying to find what is included in the deliverable. What document would you direct them to that defines the boundaries of the Six Sigma project, and sets limits on what is and is not included that will help keep the project team focused, motivated, and aligned?

Answer 10

Project Scope

Note: A Project Scope is the document that defines the boundaries of teh Six Sigma project and sets limits on what is and is not included in teh project, which helps to keep the project team focused, motivated, and aligned.

Question 11

You want to make sure your project team is successful. You want your team to look at the environment that may have an effect on your project. What analysis technique should you explain to your team as a way to look at their external environment?

Answer 11

PESTLE

Note: The PESTLE (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, Environmental) acronym identifies the external business environment factors that can affect the value and desired outcomes of a project.

Question 12

Your team has created a network diagram to serve as the project schedule. Through your experience you know that stakeholders will not understand the complex network diagram. You tell your team they need to create a version of the schedule that is easy for the stakeholders to visualize. Which chart will the team most likely create to represent your schedule to your project stakeholders?

Answer 12

Gantt Chart

Note: A Gantt chart is a type of bar chart that illustrates a project schedule. This chart lists the tasks to be performed on the vertical axis, and time intervals on the horizontal axis. The width of the horizontal bars in the graph shows the duration of each activity. Gantt charts illustrate the start and finish dates of the terminal elements and summary elements of a project. Terminal elements and summary elements constitute the work breakdown structure of the project. Modern Gantt charts also show the dependency (i.e., precedence network) relationships between activities. Gantt charts can be used to show current schedule status using percent-complete shadings and a vertical “TODAY” line.

Question 13

Your project team wants to break down a process into increasingly finer levels of detail for further analysis. They want to be able to use this to get to the root cause of a problem. You tell your team this would be the most appropriate tool for this purpose?

Answer 13

Tree Diagram

Note: A tree diagram is used to successively break down and analyze a process into increasingly finer levels of detail, and it can be used when working to get to a problem’s root cause.

Question 14

You are developing a strategy to look at your team’s performance. You want to use benchmarks to create performance metrics for the project. You want to develop a metric based on the gold standard no matter the industry. Which type of benchmarking would you use?

Answer 14

Best in Class

Note: Collaborative benchmarking take place as part of a group. Competitive looks at competitors in an industry; Best in class looks at the gold standard no matter what industry; and Best in Industry looks at the best within a specific industry.

Question 15

Your team is having some conflict, and you are starting to see that the conflict has begun to become detrimental to the team. You think you need some assistance from outside the team. Who would you call to assist the team when disputes arise in a Six Sigma project, and help the parties involved move beyond an impasse by collaborating effectively?

Answer 15

Facilitator

Note: A facilitator is the individual who assists the team when disputes arise, encourages members to voice their opinions, and aids the parties involved move beyond differences.

Question 16

You are discussing with your team a future tool of design of experiments. You want them to start thinking about how they will run tests to narrow down identified independent variables. You are familiarizing your team with some of the quality theorists that played a part in developing the foundations that Six Sigma is built on. Which quality pioneer is best known for developing engineering methods for robust product design and championed the fractional factorial design?

Answer 16

Genichi Taguchi

Note: Genichi Taguchi is best known for his engineering techniques. One aspect of his methods uses the loss function and signal-to-noise ratio as a way of measuring the cost of not meeting an expected value. Methods also involve the use of statistical methods for the design of a product’s systems, parameters, and tolerances. Methods all focus on creating a robust product in the design phase by ensuring consistency.

Question 17

You and your team are creating a plan that is large, must be completed on time, and has a high cost of failure. You want them to identify and be able to look at what elements could go wrong. What tool is most appropriate?

Answer 17

Process Decision Program Chart

Note: A process decision program chart is used to identify elements that can go wrong in a proposed plan that is large, must be completed on schedule, and has a high price of failure.

Question 18

You have an accepted deliverable for your project. You have completed the administrative, financial, and legal aspects of project closure. What is the final step in the project closure process?

Answer 18

Conduct a post implementation review (PIR)

Note: Conducting a post implementation review (PIR) is the final step in the project closure process.

Question 19

Your team is beginning to work on a process improvement project. You tell your team they cannot look at the process as a standalone process. You explain that processes are part of a collection of interacting forces within the organization. What type of mindset do you tell your team they need to have?

Answer 19

System Mindset

Note: A system mindset looks at systems in an organization. Systems are a collection of interacting forces that implement processes and coordinate resources and supporting services to help processes succeed and improve.

Question 20

Projects take money and resources within an organization. Projects should only be selected that add value to the organization. You want your team to look at the true value of your current project. Who do you tell them ultimately defines a product’s value?

Answer 20

Customers

Note: The customer ultimately defines the value of a product. Customers are interested in specific products, with specific features, at specific prices. If these expectations are not met, the product has less value to the customer. Companies should always be striving to find new ways of communicating with the customer to determine their wants and needs.

Question 21

There are a number of quality theorists that created concepts that formed the foundations that Six Sigma is built upon. The quality pioneer Joseph Juran created the concept that 80% of the defects can be addressed through focusing on 20% of the issues. This concept is referred to as?

Answer 21

Pareto Principle

Note: Pareto Principle describes the technique that helps to identify the top portion of causes that need to be addressed to resolve the majority of problems. Commonly referred to as “80/20” rule, under the assumption that, in all situations, 20% of causes determine 80% of problems.

Question 22

You want your team to focus on process level metrics to ensure overall project success within the organization. Your team is confused on what process level metrics are. What would you tell your team?

Answer 22

Measurements made by workers and machinery to ensure normal operation

Note: Measurements made by workers and machinery to ensure normal operations are process level metrics. Once an improvement project has been selected and defined, process level metrics are vital to the measure, analyze, improve, and control (MAIC) phases of Six Sigma.

Question 23

The team is trying to rank the failures identified in the Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA). You tell them to look at the criticality which they do not know how to calculate. How do you describe to your team how criticality is assigned in a failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA)?

Answer 23

Criticality is assigned based on how the failure will affect the system as a whole.

Note: A FMEA is a detailed analysis of a system. FMEAs examine the system down to the component level and classify items into three categories: failure mode, effect of the failure, and probability of the failure’s occurrence. After an item is categorized, it is assigned a criticality value based on how the failure will affect the system as a whole. Higher criticality values indicate a serious effect on the system.

Question 24

One of the hallmarks of lean is a pull system. You want your team to learn from some of the industry leaders. You want them to research the lean system developed by Toyota Management Systems which allowed Toyota to meet customer demand at the time of need. What is the system you tell your team to research?

Answer 24

JIT

Note: Just In Time (JIT) is a production management system that determines that everything must be produced, transported or purchased at the exact time. It can be applied in any organization to reduce inventories and the costs arising. With this system, the product or raw material arrives at the place of use only at the exact moment it is necessary. Products are only manufactured or delivered in time to be sold or assembled.

Question 25

An organization has to stay competitive to survive. With this in mind you explain to your team why it is important to use Six Sigma processes. What do you tell your team?

Answer 25

To consistently develop near-perfect products and services

Note: Using statistical tools and project work, Six Sigma processes allow companies to deliver near-perfect products and services. Six Sigma as a management strategy has proven to increase profitability and enhance product quality.

Question 26

Your team knows that cost reduction and profitability are important to your organization. You tell your team they can reduce costs by focusing on making systems, processes and products as close to perfect as possible eliminating defects. What are these costs called?

Answer 26

COPQ

Note: Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ) or poor quality costs (PQC), are costs that would disappear if systems, processes, and products were perfect. COPQ was popularized by IBM.

Question 27

You tell your team that metrics should not focus on a single individual measure. You want to make sure the team choices the right performance metrics. What consideration do you tell them must be made regarding effective process performance metrics?

Answer 27

Determine metrics after you have completed your measurements.

Note: Metrics should not focus on a single individual measure. To create an effective measurement system, metrics should be balanced across all areas of the business. For example, focus should not only be on quality, but also on shareholder value, customers, and employees.

Question 28

The Black Belt defines business strategy, steers the team and enables its success. True or False?

Answer 28

False

Note: This is the role of the Champion.

Question 29

There are two types of Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA). Which type of Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) is used to study and evaluate manufacturing and assembly?

Answer 29

Process

Note: Process FMEAs (PFMEAs) are concerned with manufacturing and assembly processes. PFMEAs examine and attempt to minimize the causes of failures by operations performed in the manufacturing and assembly process. A PFMEA is typically done before or after the feasibility stage of development and prior to the tooling of machines used in the manufacturing process.

Question 30

You are explaining to your team that it is important to narrow the trivial many independent variables to the vital few independent variables. There is an important concept in Six Sigma concerned with reducing variation in the “Xs” which will improve the quality of the “Y”. What is the formula that explains this important concept?

Answer 30

Y = f(X)

Note: Y = f(x) is a fundamental principle to the Six Sigma methodology. In its simplest form it is called “cause and effect”. In its more robust mathematical form it is called “Y is equal to a function of X”. In the mathematical sense it is data driven and precise, as you would expect in a Six Sigma approach. Six Sigma will always refer to an output or the result as a Y and will always refer to an input that is associated with or creates the output as an X.

Question 31

You want to know if your process is capable enough to meet customer demand. You tell your team they need to understand the heartbeat of the lean organization. What metric should the team be looking at?

Answer 31

Takt Time

Note: Takt Time regulates the production of products. Takt time refers to the amount of time it takes to complete a single product. It is calculated by dividing the available production time by the rate of customer demand. Takt time is often referred to as the heartbeat of the lean organization.

Question 32

Deming created a model use for continuous improvement. Later he worked with Shewhart on an updated model known as the Deming-Shewhart cycle. What is this model?

Answer 32

PDSA

Note: The Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) project methodology is also known as the Deming-Shewhart cycle. This methodology consists of planning an improvement-oriented change, implementing the change on a small scale, studying the results of the change, and finally, adopting the change on a large scale.

Question 33

It is important to keep workstations organized and clean to help gain process efficiencies. Which lean manufacturing tool improves workplace efficiency and eliminates wastes?

Answer 33

5S

Note: 5S is a lean manufacturing tool that improves workplace efficiency and eliminates wastes. IT does this through the 5S’s of Sort, Straighten, Shine, Standardize and Sustain.

Question 34

Which lean manufacturing tool improves workplace efficiency and eliminates wastes?

Answer 34

5S

Note: 5S is a lean manufacturing tool that improves workplace efficiency and eliminates wastes. IT does this through the 5S’s of Sort, Straighten, Shine, Standardize and Sustain.

Question 35

Which project methodology is also known as the Deming-Shewhart cycle?

Answer 35

PDSA

Note: The Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) project methodology is also known as the Deming-Shewhart cycle. This methodology consists of planning an improvement-oriented change, implementing the change on a small scale, studying the results of the change, and finally, adopting the change on a large scale.

Question 36

What are process level metrics?

Answer 36

Measurements made by workers and machinery to ensure normal operation

Note: Measurements made by workers and machinery to ensure normal operations are process level metrics. Once an improvement project has been selected and defined, process level metrics are vital to the measure, analyze, improve, and control (MAIC) phases of Six Sigma.

Question 37

How is criticality assigned in a failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA)?

Answer 37

Criticality is assigned based on how the failure will affect the system as a whole.

Note: A FMEA is a detailed analysis of a system. FMEAs examine the system down to the component level and classify items into three categories: failure mode, effect of the failure, and probability of the failure’s occurrence. After an item is categorized, it is assigned a criticality value based on how the failure will affect the system as a whole. Higher criticality values indicate a serious effect on the system.

Question 38

A lean system developed by Toyota Management Systems which was a pull system driven by the pull of the manufacturer or customer is called ______________________?

Answer 38

JIT

Note: Just In Time (JIT) is a production management system that determines that everything must be produced, transported or purchased at the exact time. It can be applied in any organization to reduce inventories and the costs arising. With this system, the product or raw material arrives at the place of use only at the exact moment it is necessary. Products are only manufactured or delivered in time to be sold or assembled.

Question 39

Why would an organization use Six Sigma processes?

Answer 39

To consistently develop near-perfect products and services

Note: Using statistical tools and project work, Six Sigma processes allow companies to deliver near-perfect products and services. Six Sigma as a management strategy has proven to increase profitability and enhance product quality.

Question 40

What consideration must be made regarding effective process performance metrics?

Answer 40

Determine metrics after you have completed your measurements.

Note: Metrics should not focus on a single individual measure. To create an effective measurement system, metrics should be balanced across all areas of the business. For example, focus should not only be on quality, but also on shareholder value, customers, and employees.

Question 41

Which metric is an appropriate measure of a profit performance goal?

Answer 41

Return on Investment

Note: To determine if a specified performance goal has been reached, an appropriate metric must be defined. A metric is a numerical measurement of performance relating to a goal. Each performance goal you wish to achieve should have multiple performance metrics. For example, if you wish to achieve a performance goal relating to profit, you would measure metrics such as stockholder value, capital investments, return on investment, sales dollars, and profit margins on sales.

Question 42

If the first step in a process has a daily yield of 70%, the second step has a daily yield of 80%, and the third step has a yield of 75%, what is the Rolled Throughput Yield (RTY)?

Answer 42

42%

Note: The Rolled Throughput Yield (RTY) is calculated by multiplying together the daily yields of the three individual processes (.80 x .70 x .75) = .42 or 42%.

Question 43

Ultimately, who defines a product’s value?

Answer 43

Customers

Note: The customer ultimately defines the value of a product. Customers are interested in specific products, with specific features, at specific prices. If these expectations are not met, the product has less value to the customer. Companies should always be striving to find new ways of communicating with the customer to determine their wants and needs.

Question 44

This business document captures the reasoning for initiating a project or task?

Answer 44

Business Case

Note: A business case captures the reasoning for initiating a project or task. It is often presented in a well-structured written document, but may also come in the form of a short verbal agreement or presentation. The logic of the business case is that, whenever resources such as money or effort are consumed, they should be in support of a specific business need.

Question 45

Which type of Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) is used to study and evaluate manufacturing and assembly?

Answer 45

Process

Note: Process FMEAs (PFMEAs) are concerned with manufacturing and assembly processes. PFMEAs examine and attempt to minimize the causes of failures by operations performed in the manufacturing and assembly process. A PFMEA is typically done before or after the feasibility stage of development and prior to the tooling of machines used in the manufacturing process.

Question 46

Semi-finished products are an example of which category of muda?

Answer 46

Inventory

Note: Inventory is one of the seven categories of muda (waste) widely used in industry. Inventory is considered waste as it does not add value to a product or to the consumer and requires extra space, transportation, and materials. Examples of inventory include parts, raw material, semi-finished goods (also known as work-in-progress), supplies, and finished goods.

Question 47

A Belt is evaluating the Critical to Quality (CTQ) characteristics as part of their latest project. What must the Belt understand to fully understand the CTQ characteristics?

Answer 47

Voice of the Customer

Note: CTQ are the key measurable characteristics of a product or process whose performance standards or specification limits must be met in order to satisfy the customer. They align improvement or design efforts with customer requirements.

Question 48

Which lean concept is also known as the heartbeat of the lean organization?

Answer 48

Takt Time

Note: Takt Time regulates the production of products. Takt time refers to the amount of time it takes to complete a single product. It is calculated by dividing the available production time by the rate of customer demand. Takt time is often referred to as the heartbeat of the lean organization.

Question 49

The quality pioneer Joseph Juran created the concept that 80% of the defects can be addressed through focusing on 20% of the issues. This concept is referred to as?

Answer 49

Pareto Analysis

Note: Pareto Analysis is a technique that helps to identify the top portion of causes that need to be addressed to resolve the majority of problems. Commonly referred to as “80/20” rule, under the assumption that, in all situations, 20% of causes determine 80% of problems.

Question 50

You want to understand if there is a correlation between an independent and dependent variable. Which graphical method do you tell your team to develop that will display this possible correlation?

Answer 50

Scatter diagram

Note: Scatter diagrams, also known as correlation charts, display XY-coordinate data points to show a relationship between two variables. Once data points are plotted, a correlation between the variables can be determined if a center line can easily be fitted between the data points. If the fitting center line is straight, it may indicate a positive or negative relationship between the variables, while curved lines indicate non-linear relationships. If a center line cannot be easily drawn between the data points, it typically indicates no correlation.

Question 51

You want your team to choose a measurement device that will maintain its accuracy over time. You told your team to focus on what aspect of the measurement system?

Answer 51

Stability

Note: Stability: Ability of a measurement system to produce the same measurement values when assessing the same sample over time. Stability just looks for changes in the accuracy or Bias over time.

Question 52

Sensitivity is defined as “the ability to detect the variance of a measurement as small as one-tenth of the smallest value between the specification for total tolerance or process range”?

Answer 52

True

Note: The ability to detect the variance of a measurement as small as one-tenth of the smallest value between the specification for total tolerance or process range is known as sensitivity. The lack of sensitivity by the measurement instrument will affect both the precision and accuracy of the data values.

Question 53

The project team is concerned with whether the gage has the same accuracy for all sizes of objects being measured. Which aspect of accuracy is your team most concerned with?

Answer 53

Linearity

Note: Linearity: Is the consistency of the bias throughout the measurement range of the device.

Question 54

Given a standard deviation of 3 and a specification limit range from 50 to 120, what is the ratio of the precision distribution to the precision total?

Answer 54

0.26

Note: The ratio of the precision distribution to the precision total, also known as the precision/tolerance ratio, is 0.26 in this example.
This value was calculated by using the following formula:

• 6*standard deviation / (USL - LSL)
• 6*3 / (120 - 50)
• 18 / 70 = 0.257

Question 55

You are discussing with your team some of the components of data distribution. You show the team some examples to demonstrate the various concepts. Given the following Data Set below, which measure of central tendency is equal to 5?

9 6 2 7 8 2 4 1 5

Answer 55

Median

Note: The median of a set of data is also known as the midpoint. It is the middle value when the data is sorted in an ascending or descending order. In cases where there is an even number of values in the data set, the median is the average of the middle two values. The data set given has nine values when sorted in an ascending order. When sorted in this manner, the following Sorted Data Set table is presented. Data 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 In this case, the middle value (or median) of the data set is 5.

Question 56

As the Project Manager you want to make sure your team is performing its analysis on a process with a predictable pattern of statistically stable behavior. You want them to then be able to compare engineering specifications to chance causes of variations to make sure the process spread is narrower than the tolerance range. What Six Sigma tool should the team be using?

Answer 56

Process Capability Study

Note: A predictable pattern of statistically stable behavior in a process is referred to as process capability. A process capability study compares engineering specifications to chance causes of variations. Processes that have a spread on a bell-shaped curve narrower than the tolerance range are said to be capable.

Question 57

In probability theory, this establishes that, in many situations, when independent random variables are summed up, their properly normalized sum tends toward a normal distribution (informally a bell curve) even if the original variables themselves are not normally distributed?

Answer 57

Central Limit Theorem

Note: In probability theory, the central limit theorem (CLT) establishes that, in many situations, when independent random variables are summed up, their properly normalized sum tends toward a normal distribution (informally a bell curve) even if the original variables themselves are not normally distributed. As the sample size increases the distribution becomes more normal.

Question 58

You are educating your team on the types of data they will be working with. You tell them that they will be focused mostly on “a distribution based on counted data”. What type of distribution are you referencing?

Answer 58

Discrete Distribution

Note: A discrete distribution is a type of distribution based on counted data. A discrete distribution has a finite number of data points. Examples of discrete distributions include binomial and Poisson distribution

Question 59

You want to see the location of defects within a product. Which type of check sheet is used to show defect locations using a schematic of the product?

Answer 59

Measles chart

Note: Measles charts are a locational form of a check sheet. They are used to display the location of a defect by marking it on a schematic of the product. Measles charts are also used to map injury data on a human shaped schematic.

Question 60

You tell your team they have to look past just the process they are improving. To understand true value, you tell your team to look at “all activities involved in bringing a product from the raw material state to a finished product”. What is this value called?

Answer 60

Value Stream

Note: A value stream is a set of activities, both value added and non-value added, used to transform raw material into a finished product and deliver that product to the customer. It is also sometimes referred to as a value chain.

Question 61

A bag contains 25 black rocks, 30 white rocks, and 20 red rocks. What is the probability of pulling out a black rock, followed by a white rock, followed by a red rock if no rock is returned to the bag?

Answer 61

3.70%

Note: The events in this situation are dependent. This is known as conditional probability, and the multiplicative law will be employed when finding the probability. It is calculated by multiplying together the probabilities of each event occurring given that the sample space is reduced at each step.

Calculations

Given that there are 25 black rocks, 30 white rocks, and 20 red rocks the sample space is 75. To calculate the probability of pulling out a black rock, followed by a white rock, followed by a red rock, begin with the probability of pulling out a black rock.

• P(black) = 25 / 75 = 0.333 = 33.3%
  Next, calculate the probability of pulling out a white rock given that the entire sample space has been reduced by one.
• P(white) = 30 / 74 = 0.4054 = 40.54%
  Next, calculate the probability of pulling out a red rock given that the entire sample space has now been reduced by two.
• P(red) = 20 / 73 = 0.2740 = 27.40%
  Finally, multiply the previously calculated probabilities to find the probability of pulling out a black rock, followed by a white rock, followed by a red rock.
• P(black then white then red) = P(black) x P(white) x P(red)
• = 0.333 x 0.4054 x 0.2740 = 0.0370 or 3.70%

Question 62

You are educating your team on the types of data they will be working with. You tell them that they will be focused mostly on “a distribution based on counted data”. What type of distribution are you referencing?

Answer 62

Discrete Distribution

Note: A discrete distribution is a type of distribution based on counted data. A discrete distribution has a finite number of data points. Examples of discrete distributions include binomial and Poisson distribution

Question 63

When doing a measurement system analysis, you want to understand what the deviation of a measurement is from the actual value. What is a statistical term which means a systematic deviation from the actual value?

Answer 63

Bias

Note: Bias is a statistical term which means a systematic deviation from the actual value.

Question 64

Your project team is collecting data about the current process. What phase of DMAIC are you currently executing?

Answer 64

Measure

Note: During the Measure step of the DMAIC cycle, the performance of the current process is measured. This is accomplished by creating a data collection plan, and then collecting the data from as many disparate sources as possible.

Question 65

You want you project team to fully understand continuous and variable data as they are looking at their data collection plan. You want to give them some examples so they can visualize the data types. What is an example you could give them of variable data?

Answer 65

Depth of a cut

Note: Variable data is measured and continuous. Variable data includes measurements of length, volume, time, or area. The depth of a cut is an example of variable data that can be collected.

Question 66

Root cause analysis is an important component of Six Sigma projects. Which quality pioneer created the fishbone diagram to help look at the root cause of the problem?

Answer 66

Kaoru Ishikawa

Note: Kaoru Ishikawa created the cause-and-effect diagram (also known as the fishbone diagram). He also believed in company-wide quality control (CWQC) and the concept of “next operation as customer”.

Question 67

You are working with your team on an accurate way to quantify measurement errors. You want them to be able to separate repeatability, reproducibility, part variance, and variability in interactions between appraisers and the parts being measured. What method should you steer the team toward?

Answer 67

Analysis of Variance method

Note: The Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) method separates repeatability, reproducibility, part variance, and variability in the interactions between appraisers and the parts being measured. ANOVA is the most accurate method for quantifying measurement errors.

Question 68

You want to understand if there is a correlation between an independent and dependent variable. Which graphical method do you tell your team to develop that will display this possible correlation?

Answer 68

Scatter diagram

Note: Scatter diagrams, also known as correlation charts, display XY-coordinate data points to show a relationship between two variables. Once data points are plotted, a correlation between the variables can be determined if a center line can easily be fitted between the data points. If the fitting center line is straight, it may indicate a positive or negative relationship between the variables, while curved lines indicate non-linear relationships. If a center line cannot be easily drawn between the data points, it typically indicates no correlation.

Question 69

When doing a measurement system analysis, you want to understand what the deviation of a measurement is from the actual value. What is a statistical term which means a systematic deviation from the actual value?

Answer 69

Bias

Note: Bias is a statistical term which means a systematic deviation from the actual value.

Question 70

As the Project Manager you want to make sure your team is performing its analysis on a process with a predictable pattern of statistically stable behavior. You want them to then be able to compare engineering specifications to chance causes of variations to make sure the process spread is narrower than the tolerance range. What Six Sigma tool should the team be using?

Answer 70

Process Capability Study

Note: A predictable pattern of statistically stable behavior in a process is referred to as process capability. A process capability study compares engineering specifications to chance causes of variatio

Question 71

You are educating your team on the types of data they will be working with. You tell them that they will be focused mostly on “a distribution based on counted data”. What type of distribution are you referencing?

Answer 71

Discrete Distribution

Note: A discrete distribution is a type of distribution based on counted data. A discrete distribution has a finite number of data points. Examples of discrete distributions include binomial and Poisson distribution

Question 72

A sample of 25 tires is randomly taken from a continuous process where the population is 500 tires. Past studies have demonstrated that 10% of the tires contain defects. Which option represents the probability of finding four defective tires?

Answer 72

13.84%

Note: The binomial distribution is used to model discrete data in the situation with two possible outcomes. The two possible outcomes are defective tires and non-defective tires. The binomial distribution is generally applied in situations where the sample size is less than 10% of the population. Therefore, we can use the binomial probability distribution function to determine the probability of finding four defective tires within the sample. Review the following Binomial Probability Calculation for a detailed explanation of how it is applied in this scenario.

The binomial probability distribution function is stated as follows:

P(r) = n!/(r! * (n-r)!) * p^r*(1 - p)^(n-r)
n = Size of the given sample
r = Occurrences of the number of defective units
p = Probability of defective units

• n = 25
• r = 4
• p = 0.10

The calculation using this formula is as follows:
* P(4) = 25!/(4! * (25-4)!) * (0.10)^4*(1 - 0.10)^(25 - 4)
* P(4) = 0.1384 = 13.84%

Question 73

In probability theory, this establishes that, in many situations, when independent random variables are summed up, their properly normalized sum tends toward a normal distribution (informally a bell curve) even if the original variables themselves are not normally distributed?

Answer 73

Central Limit Theorem

Note: In probability theory, the central limit theorem (CLT) establishes that, in many situations, when independent random variables are summed up, their properly normalized sum tends toward a normal distribution (informally a bell curve) even if the original variables themselves are not normally distributed.

Question 74

Which method of quantifying measurement errors is the most accurate?

Answer 74

Analysis of Variance method

Note: The Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) method separates repeatability, reproducibility, part variance, and variability in the interactions between appraisers and the parts being measured. ANOVA is the most accurate method for quantifying measurement errors.

Question 75

Given a standard deviation of 3 and a specification limit range from 50 to 120, what is the ratio of the precision distribution to the precision total?

Answer 75

0.26

Note: The ratio of the precision distribution to the precision total, also known as the precision/tolerance ratio, is 0.26 in this example.
This value was calculated by using the following formula:

• 6*standard deviation / (USL - LSL)
• 6*3 / (120 - 50)
• 18 / 70 = 0.257

Question 76

A comparison of engineering specifications to chance causes of variations is done using which Six Sigma tool?

Answer 76

Process capability study

Note: A predictable pattern of statistically stable behavior in a process is referred to as process capability. A process capability study compares engineering specifications to chance causes of variations. Processes that have a spread on a bell-shaped curve narrower than the tolerance range are said to be capable.

Question 77

What is known as “all activities involved in bringing a product from the raw material state to a finished product”?

Answer 77

Value Stream

Note: A value stream is a set of activities, both value added and non-value added, used to transform raw material into a finished product and deliver that product to the customer. It is also sometimes referred to as a value chain.

Question 78

Which method of quantifying measurement errors combines repeatability and reproducibility together in the analysis system?

Answer 78

Range method

Note: The range method is the simplest of the three methods for quantifying measurement errors. The range method does not separate reproducibility and repeatability in its quantification.

Question 79

What is known as “a distribution based on counted data”?

Answer 79

Discrete Distribution

Note: A discrete distribution is a type of distribution based on counted data. A discrete distribution has a finite number of data points. Examples of discrete distributions include binomial and Poisson distribution

Question 80

Given the following Data Set below, which measure of central tendency is equal to 5?

9 6 2 7 8 2 4 1 5

Answer 80

Median

Note: The median of a set of data is also known as the midpoint. It is the middle value when the data is sorted in an ascending or descending order. In cases where there is an even number of values in the data set, the median is the average of the middle two values. The data set given has nine values when sorted in an ascending order. When sorted in this manner, the following Sorted Data Set table is presented. Data 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 In this case, the middle value (or median) of the data set is 5.

Question 81

Sensitivity is defined as “the ability to detect the variance of a measurement as small as one-tenth of the smallest value between the specification for total tolerance or process range.” True or False?

Answer 81

True

Note: The ability to detect the variance of a measurement as small as one-tenth of the smallest value between the specification for total tolerance or process range is known as sensitivity. The lack of sensitivity by the measurement instrument will affect both the precision and accuracy of the data values.

Question 82

Which quality pioneer created the fishbone diagram?

Answer 82

Kaoru Ishikawa

Note: Kaoru Ishikawa created the cause-and-effect diagram (also known as the fishbone diagram). He also believed in company-wide quality control (CWQC) and the concept of “next operation as customer”.

Question 83

Your team needs to test if the variances of two samples are equal. They ask you for advice on which test would be best for them to use. What test would you advise them to use?

Answer 83

F Test

Note: The precisions of measuring devices are often compared to each other by testing the variances in their measurements. To facilitate this test, the variances of two samples are compared for equality. This is done using the F test paired-comparison test.

Question 84

A Six Sigma project has reduced the variability in a process. You want to ensure that you can continue to gather data so you can continue to monitor the process. What should be done to facilitate further reductions in variability?

Answer 84

Perform a measurement system capability re-analysis.

Note: The sensitivity of the measurement system in place plays a large part in detecting variability. If a Six Sigma initiative has already reduced the variability of a process, the measurement system in place may not be sensitive enough to facilitate further improvement efforts. A measurement system capability re-analysis will help determine if more precise measuring instruments are required.

Question 85

Your team is looking at an effect graph. They are seeing effects that are significant. You explain to the team that the larger the effect, the more likely that the effect is significant. What would that mean to our null hypothesis?

Answer 85

The null hypothesis should be rejected

Note: When effects are significant, they are not purely the result of experimental error, and the null hypothesis must be rejected.

Question 86

Your team has sample data from three sources. The data is looking at the performance of three employees that the team want to compare. Why would they choose a chi-squared test?

Answer 86

To compare the observed and expected frequencies of test outcomes.

Note: Chi-squared test is used to determine whether there is a statistically significant difference between the expected frequencies and the observed frequencies in one or more categories of a contingency table.

Question 87

You are studying a multi-variate chart. You are examining whether the same functions performed by different machines produce different results. Which type of variation are you looking for on the multi-variate chart?

Answer 87

Cyclical

Note: Cyclical variation refers to variation from piece to piece or unit to unit. It can also be variation from one operator to another or from machine to machine. When the same functions performed by different machines produce different results, cyclical variation can be indicated on a multi-vari chart.

Question 88

You are working with your project team on the best way to reduce large inventories and carrying costs. What do you tell your team they should focus on reducing to meet this objective?

Answer 88

Quantity of work-in-process (WIP)

Note: Lean reduces WIP inventory, which reduces inventories and carrying costs.

Question 89

The team has data that consists of two equal sized samples. They are working on doing a hypothesis test on the data. Which hypothesis tests would you advise them to use because it uses equal sample sizes?

Answer 89

Paired t-test

Note: Paired t-test matches each data point in one sample with a data point in another sample to determine the difference. Equal sample sizes are necessary.

Question 90

You create a scatter diagram of the amount of sunshine against the number of visitors to the beach. A correlation coefficient of 0.9 is calculated. What can be inferred by this result?

Answer 90

When the amount of sunshine increases, the number of visitors to the beach increases.

Note: Correlation is the measurement of the relationship between variables. One such measurement in correlation analysis is the correlation coefficient (r). Correlation coefficients range from -1 to 1. In this scenario, there is a correlation coefficient of 0.9. This can be translated into the following:

• When the amount of sunshine increases, the number of visitors to the beach increases.

Correlation does not always represent causation.

Question 91

You are performing a Six Sigma study for a glass manufacturer. During the study, you record the thickness of the glass in three places: the top, the middle, and the bottom. You have noticed that the thickness at the top is always 0.2 mm less than the middle, regardless of the machine being used to form the glass sheet. This accounts for the only variation in the end product. Which type of variation is indicted by the results?

Answer 91

Positional

Note: Positional variation is variation that can occur within a piece, batch unit, part, or lot. Since the variation occurs within each piece, the variation indicated is positional variation.

Question 92

A Six Sigma improvement project has reduced the risk associated with a critical portion of a production process. The project team must now focus on the next highest priority risk in the process. How can the next highest priority risk be found?

Answer 92

Perform a failure modes and effects analysis.

Note: Performing a failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) will assist in finding the next target for improvement based on criticality of failure modes. An FMEA identifies issues and their probability of occurrence, severity, and the effectiveness of control measures currently in place to catch the issue. An index of these values is created for each issue. To determine which issue needs to be assessed next, a risk priority number (RPN) must be calculated. RPN is calculated by multiplying the values of the previously generated indices. The issue with the highest RPN, or the issue with the highest severity, would then be the next to be addressed.

Question 93

Your team has run a hypothesis test. They are looking at the data and have made a decision. They are now afraid they may have made a Type I error. What would represent a Type I error?

Answer 93

Rejecting the null hypothesis when it is true.

Note: When performing a hypothesis test, rejecting the null hypothesis when it is true is considered a Type I error. The symbol for alpha is used to denote the probability of making this type of error. Also referred to as the producer risk.

Question 94

You have designed an experiment and now graphed the interaction. You are now analyzing the graph. What does the angle of the slope indicate in a plot graph for an input factor?

Answer 94

Main effect

Note: Influence on the response variable. In a plot graph for an input factor, the angle of the slope indicates the main effect of that factor on the response variable. The steeper the slope of the line drawn between the plot points, the greater the main effect of the input factor.

Question 95

A null hypothesis can only be rejected or accepted?

Answer 95

False

Note: The null hypothesis can be rejected or failed to be rejected. For example, if you want to test for the difference of two means and determine they are different, then the null hypothesis that states they are the same is rejected.

Question 96

If the significance level is .05 and the p-value is .03, then the test is considered to be statistically significant.

Answer 96

True

Note: Statistical significance means you would reject the null hypothesis. It correlates to teh probability of a relationship existing between the variables and samples rather than being due to sampling error or chance.

Question 97

Continuous Flow is the total amount of time from the last piece of a product made by a process to be the first good piece of a product made by another process. True of false?

Answer 97

False

Note: Setup Time is the total amount of time from the last piece of a product made by a process to be the first good piece of a product made by another process.

Question 98

The 5S method is used to clean the work environment as part of waste elimination. True or false?

Answer 98

True

Note: The 5S method is a simple and practical process for eliminating waste in the workplace. It consists of five steps. One of the steps of 5S is scrub or shine. The scrub, or shine, step involves cleaning the work environment or work area.

Question 99

A Six Sigma improvement initiative failed to sufficiently improve a process. New ideas must be generated for continued improvement efforts. Which improvement method should be employed?

Answer 99

Hold a brainstorming session.

Note: When an improvement project fails to improve a product or process, or the improvement is not as significant as first hoped, new approaches to the problem must be discovered. Brainstorming is a team tool used to generate ideas. A group of individuals will gather to submit ideas. Each idea submitted is recorded and no one in the group is inhibited.

Question 100

You explain to a process owner that a process is all about adding value for the customer. You want them to help you identify activities that add no value for the customer. What lean concept are your trying to get the process owner to understand?

Answer 100

Muda

Note: Muda is a Japanese term for waste that exists in a process. Any activity that consumes resources, but does not add value to the product for the consumer is considered muda. There are eight (Transportation, Inventory, Motion, Waiting, Overproduction, Over processing, Defects, and Skills)

Question 101

Which of the following describes a tool utilized for testing the variables for relationships in either direction, and divides the alpha error into two equal parts within the distribution when testing for statistical significance?

Answer 101

Two-tail test

Note: A two-tail test, also known as a non-directional hypothesis, tests the variables for relationships in either direction. With the two-tail test, the alpha error is divided into two equal parts at both tails of the distribution when testing for statistical significance. If the significance level was .05 then the alpha would equal .025. Relationship is tested in both directions.

Question 102

Counter measures are actions taken to eliminate waste, unevenness, and unreasonableness. True or false?

Answer 102

True

Note: Countermeasure activities eliminate waste (muda), unevenness (mura), and unreasonableness (muri).

Question 103

You tell your team we are focused on implementing lean into our process. You are explaining to your team the various tools that are part of lean. What do you tell them is the ultimate goal of lean?

Answer 103

Pull System

Note: Pull is the concept that one step in a process should be completed only when the subsequent steps are ready.

Question 104

Your team is looking at an effect graph. They are seeing effects that are significant. You explain to the team that the larger the effect, the more likely that the effect is significant. What would that mean to our null hypothesis?

Answer 104

The null hypothesis should be rejected

Note: When effects are significant, they are not purely the result of experimental error, and the null hypothesis must be rejected.

Question 105

You are conducting a hypothesis test to evaluate a null hypothesis. You do not want to make the wrong decision, so you want to make sure you get your analysis correct. Which term refers to “probably true” or “not due to chance” when it comes to the test findings?

Answer 105

Significant

Note: In statistics, “significant” means probably true or not due to chance. It has nothing to do with the importance or usefulness of research being conducted. When testing statistical significance, a calculation is done based on sample information. This calculated value is compared to a critical value, p, to determine statistical significance. Critical values of 1% or 5% are generally used in this comparison. If the calculated value is less than the critical value, the findings are considered statistically significant.

Question 106

A car dealer receives cars that are defective but considered good. What is the probability of making this type of error called?

Answer 106

Beta

Note: Beta refers to the probability of making a Type II error. An example of making a Type II error would be a car dealer that receives cars that are defective but considered good.

Question 107

When looking for areas where improvements can be implemented the team needs to find the root cause that can be addressed. What tools should the team use to discover the root cause of an issue?

Answer 107

Fishbone and 5 whys methods

Note: Root cause can be discovered through a number of methods. Two of these methods are fishbone and 5 whys methods.

Question 108

You are studying the process of producing dog food. You want to find out if making a change to one of the pieces of equipment will change the daily mean output for that process by 15,000 pounds. Historically, the standard deviation of the daily production of chicken feed is 30,000 pounds. Which option represents the minimum sample size required to confirm the significance of a shift for the mean output that is more than 15,000 pounds at a 95% confidence level (Z=1.96), assuming a normal distribution?

Answer 108

16

Note: n = Z^2 * sigma^2 / E^2
* Z = 1.96
* Sigma = 30,000
* E = 15,000

• n = (1.96)^2 * (30,000)^2 / (15,000)^2
• = 3457440000/225000000
• = 15.37 (which rounds up to 16)

Question 109

You know that changes have to be made in a process. You are not sure what the difference between Kaizen blitz and Kaizen is so you ask the Master Black Belt (MBB) to explain it to you? What would the MBB tell you?

Answer 109

A Kaizen blitz focuses on correcting one issue quickly, while Kaizen focuses on small changes to improve processes.

Note: The major difference between a Kaizen blitz and Kaizen is teh fact that a Kaizen blitz is designed to rapidly produce results for a process issue within a few days, while Kaizen is more of an ongoing philosophy of continuous improvement.

Question 110

There are a number of types of waste all process experience. All of these various wastes have an effect on the efficiency and effectiveness of a process. What type of waste do you tell your team is the type of waste associated with inconsistency?

Answer 110

Mura

Note: Mura refers to the waste element of inconsistency. Eliminating mura often requires a comprehensive redesign of the process.

Question 111

Your team has plotted data on a scatter diagram. They have found the independent and dependent variables are highly correlated. They think this independent variable is the causation. What do you tell the team they need to do next?

Answer 111

Investigate the independent variable through testing to determine if it is the root cause of the variation.

Note: Correlation does not equal causation. Further tests need to be run to determine the true cause (root cause) of the relationship.

Question 112

Your team has two independent samples with a small sample size (n<30) and the data is not normally distributed. You advise your team to use the Mann-Whitney Test but they are confused on what the test would tell them. Which is the best example of a Mann-Whitney Test?

Answer 112

Determine if process A and process B have different median cycle times.

Note: Mann-Whitney Test is a statistical test of the difference between the distributions of data collected in two experimental conditions applied to unmatched groups of subjects but comparing the distributions of the ranks of the scores. It is used to compare the differences between two independent samples when the sample distributions are not normally distributed and the sample sizes are small (n <30).

Question 113

You want a process to include poka-yoke wherever it makes sense. You want your team to look for these opportunities, but they are not sure what poke-yoke is. What is an example you can use to demonstrate to you team the poka-yoke concept?

Answer 113

Limiting or restricting ways to complete a task to ensure accuracy and compliance.

Note: Mistake proofing (poka-yoke) is achieved by limiting or restricting ways to complete a task to ensure accuracy and compliance.

Question 114

Takt time is the ratio of available work time to customer demand and is tracked as the desired pace needed to avoid potential backlogs prior to process completion. True or False?

Answer 114

True

Note: Takt time is the ratio of available work time to customer demand and is tracked as the desired pace needed to avoid potential backlogs prior to process completion.

Question 115

Kaizen, is the Japanese term for “radical change”. In business, it is concerned with making fundamental and radical changes to a production system. True or False?

Answer 115

False

Note: Kaikaku, is the Japanese term for “radical change”. In business, Kaikaku is concerned with making fundamental and radical changes to a production system, unlike Kaizen which is focused on incremental changes.

Question 116

Which of the following describes a tool utilized for testing the variables for relationships in either direction, and divides the alpha error into two equal parts within the distribution when testing for statistical significance?

Answer 116

Two-tail test

Note: A two-tail test, also known as a non-directional hypothesis, tests the variables for relationships in either direction. With the two-tail test, the alpha error is divided into two equal parts at both tails of the distribution when testing for statistical significance. If the significance level was .05 then the alpha would equal .025. Relationship is tested in both directions.

Question 117

Hypothesis testing can help establish a statistical difference among factors from different distributions. True or False?

Answer 117

True

Note: A statistical hypothesis test is a method of statistical inference used to determine a possible conclusion from two different, and likely conflicting, hypotheses. In a statistical hypothesis test, a null hypothesis and an alternative hypothesis is proposed for the probability distribution of the data.

Question 118

A regression analysis has been performed on the study for Returns versus Experience Level of the Worker. The p-value is calculated to be 0.04. What does this indicate about the Experience Level of the Worker assuming a 95% confidence level?

Answer 118

It is a statistically significant factor contributing to the returns.

Note: A p-value of 0.04 indicates experience level of the worker is a statistically significant factor contributing to the returns. In statistics, “significant” means probably true or not due to chance. When testing statistical significance, a calculation is carried out based on sample information. In regression analysis, the slope of the line (known as beta) relates to the coefficient, which is Experience Level of the Worker in this scenario. The p-value of 0.04 suggests that the Experience Level of the Worker coefficient is a statistically significant factor.

Question 119

Your team has sample data from three sources. The data is looking at the performance of three employees that the team want to compare. Why would they choose a chi-squared test?

Answer 119

To compare the observed and expected frequencies of test outcomes.

Note: Chi-squared test is used to determine whether there is a statistically significant difference between the expected frequencies and the observed frequencies in one or more categories of a contingency table.

Question 120

Which inference test would you use to test if the variances of two samples are equal?

Answer 120

F Test

Note: The precisions of measuring devices are often compared to each other by testing the variances in their measurements. To facilitate this test, the variances of two samples are compared for equality. This is done using the F test paired-comparison test.

Question 121

A regression analysis has been performed on the study for Returns versus Experience Level of the Worker. The p-value is calculated to be 0.04. What does this indicate about the Experience Level of the Worker?

Answer 121

It is a statistically significant factor contributing to the returns.

Note: A p-value of 0.04 indicates experience level of the worker is a statistically significant factor contributing to the returns. In statistics, “significant” means probably true or not due to chance. When testing statistical significance, a calculation is carried out based on sample information. In regression analysis, the slope of the line (known as beta) relates to the coefficient, which is Experience Level of the Worker in this scenario. The p-value of 0.04 suggests that the Experience Level of the Worker coefficient is a statistically significant factor.

Question 122

Which hypothesis tests require equal sample sizes?

Answer 122

Paired t-test

Note: Paired t-test matches each data point in one sample with a data point in another sample to determine the difference. Equal sample sizes are necessary.

Question 123

The sample size crossover point between the t-test and the Z-test for normally distributed populations, with lower sample sizes using the Student’s t-test to make inferences about a population mean , is

Answer 123

30

Note: A sample size of 30 is normally the crossover point between the t-test and the Z-test.

Question 124

Which of the following describes a tool utilized for testing the variables for relationships in either direction, and divides the alpha error into two equal parts within the distribution when testing for statistical significance?

Answer 124

Two-tail test

Note: A two-tail test, also known as a non-directional hypothesis, tests the variables for relationships in either direction. With the two-tail test, the alpha error is divided into two equal parts at both tails of the distribution when testing for statistical significance. If the significance level was .05 then the alpha would equal .025. Relationship is tested in both directions.

Question 125

Which is the best example of a Mann-Whitney Test?

Answer 125

Determine if document A and document B have different median cycle times.

Note: Mann-Whitney Test is a statistical test of the difference between the distributions of data collected in two experimental conditions applied to unmatched groups of subjects but comparing the distributions of the ranks of the scores. It is used to compare the differences between two independent samples when the sample distributions are not normally distributed and the sample sizes are small (n <30).

Question 126

When performing a one-way ANOVA, how is the treatment sum of squares calculated?

Answer 126

By finding the sum of the squared deviations of each treatment average from the grand average.

Note: In a one-way analysis of variances (ANOVA), the treatment sum of squares (SST) must be calculated to find the total sum of squares. To calculate SST, find the sum of the squared deviations of each treatment average from the grand average.

Question 127

What is the purpose of a chi-squared test?

Answer 127

To compare the observed and expected frequencies of test outcomes.

Note: Chi-squared test is used to determine whether there is a statistically significant difference between the expected frequencies and the observed frequencies in one or more categories of a contingency table.

Question 128

Kaizen, is the Japanese term for “radical change”. In business, it is concerned with making fundamental and radical changes to a production system. True or false?

Answer 128

False

Note: Kaikaku, is the Japanese term for “radical change”. In business, Kaikaku is concerned with making fundamental and radical changes to a production system, unlike Kaizen which is focused on incremental changes.

Question 129

Continuous Flow is the total amount of time from the last piece of a product made by a process to be the first good piece of a product made by another process. True or false?

Answer 129

False

Note: Setup Time is the total amount of time from the last piece of a product made by a process to be the first good piece of a product made by another process.

Question 130

Counter measures are actions taken to eliminate waste, unevenness, and unreasonableness. True or false?

Answer 130

True

Note: Countermeasure activities eliminate waste (muda), unevenness (mura), and unreasonableness (muri).

Question 131

The best way to reduce large inventories and carrying costs is to reduce:

Answer 131

The quantity of work-in-process (WIP) inventory.

Note: Lean reduces WIP inventory, which reduces inventories and carrying costs.

Question 132

A Six Sigma improvement initiative failed to sufficiently improve a process. New ideas must be generated for continued improvement efforts. Which improvement method should be employed?

Answer 132

Hold a brainstorming session.

Note: When an improvement project fails to improve a product or process, or the improvement is not as significant as first hoped, new approaches to the problem must be discovered. Brainstorming is a team tool used to generate ideas. A group of individuals will gather to submit ideas. Each idea submitted is recorded and no one in the group is inhibited.

Question 133

Which tool can be used to resolve upstream delays that cascade through a system?

Answer 133

Continuous flow manufacturing

Note: Continuous flow manufacturing (CFM) is a time-based methodology that focuses on reducing defects by improving logistics. In a complicated process, upstream delays can cascade through the system, causing multiple time-delay problems. Continuous flow manufacturing can help solve this type of production problem with the use of right-size batching, the right layout for productions steps, and buy in by the workers and process owners.

Question 134

Poka-Yoke is achieved by:

Answer 134

Limiting or restricting ways to complete a task to ensure accuracy and compliance.

Note: Mistake proofing (poka-yoke) is achieved by limiting or restricting ways to complete a task to ensure accuracy and compliance.

Question 135

A root cause tree supports analyzing interactions among causes by combining:

Answer 135

Fishbone and 5 whys methods.

Note: Root cause tree diagrams support fishbone and 5 whys methods.

Question 136

What is the major difference between Kaizen blitz and Kaizen?

Answer 136

A Kaizen blitz focuses on correcting one issue, while Kaizen focuseson small changes to improve processes.

Note: The major difference between a Kaizen blitz and Kaizen is teh fact that a Kaizen blitz is designed to rapidly produce results for a process issue within a few days, while Kaizen is more of an ongoing philosophy of continuous improvement.

Question 137

A Six Sigma project has reduced the variability in a process. What should be done to facilitate further reductions in variability?

Answer 137

Perform a measurement system capability re-analysis.

Note: The sensitivity of the measurement system in place plays a large part in detecting variability. If a Six Sigma initiative has already reduced the variability of a process, the measurement system in place may not be sensitive enough to facilitate further improvement efforts. A measurement system capability re-analysis will help determine if more precise measuring instruments are required.