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Six Sigma

Subjects : certifications, six-sigma, business-skills

Instructions:

Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
Match each statement with the correct term.
Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.

1. To what does the Six in Six Sigma relate?
Yes - when there are opportunities to improve - when contribution margin is adequate - when achieving market share is important.
QFD
The target number of standard deviations from the mean for specifications.
A tool that shows performance along key dimensions all at once.

2. Who developed the fishbone diagram?
Kaoru Ishikawa.
Look to your customer - not to other firms. "You can always find someone shorter - fatter and balder!"
Is the way in which the failure is manifested.
Outside.

3. List two appraisal costs.
1) Obtain Residuals 2) Fill out table --> y coordinates: F = 100 (i-.5)/N x coordinates: Ordered Residual 3) Plot on Normal Probability Paper
Someone who is consistently against virtually everything.
Incoming materials inspection - inspection and testing - maintaining test equipment - materials/services consumed
Critical to quality.

4. Test for Independence
Hold all input variables constant except one. Observe the response as you vary the single input.
consists of plotting the residuals vs. the order of each experiment - If - as in the case of the constant variance a random horizontal band is obtained - the ______________ of the residuals is not rejected. (should be random above a below the line i
The primary operating characteristics of a product.
Data reduction to put a large number of qualitative inputs into a smaller number of major dimensions

5. What is CTQ?
Critical to quality.
A time series plot.
Kaoru Ishikawa.
Define - measure - analyze - design - verify.

6. Taguchi's experimental designs are of this type.
The gap between what management thinks customers want and the process specifications.
Workers - machines - materials.
Fractional factorial designs (orthogonal arrays)
Causes that lead to a particular effect.

7. Affinity Diagrams
Large enough to find two of the attribute - on average.
The secondary characteristics of a product; "bells and whistles."
The number of standard deviations some value is from the mean.
Organize ideas into meaningful categories by recognizing their underlying similarity

8. The data points on an SPC p-chart of defective percent plot below the mean. Is this good or bad?

9. What size should samples be for attribute SPC?
A scatterplot.
Workers - machines - materials.
The ability of a process to consistently meet customer specifications.
Large enough to find two of the attribute - on average.

10. What does the abbreviation LCL stand for?
Lower control limit.
A descending order-sorted bar chart with a cumulative percentage line.
Lower skill requirements - faster - less chance for error.
The House of Quality.

11. What is Type 1 Error?
Concluding there has been an effect/change when there has not.
Represent the errors which are random variables with an assumed normal distribution with mean zero and a constant variance σ2.
No -- if it is not the same - it can only be worse!
The gap between what is promised and what is delivered.

12. What inventory approach contributes to process quality by "lowering the river to find the rocks?"
Lean (or JIT).
Is what induces the failure
The gap between specifications and how service is performed.
The number of standard deviations some value is from the mean.

13. Pareto Analysis
The process of ranking opportunities to determine which of many potential opportunities should be pursued first.
No -- only if the process is also capable.
A chart that breaks the range of data into equal intervals and then shows the count of occurrences in each interval.
Producer risk.

14. What is a dashboard?
A tool that shows performance along key dimensions all at once.
Blame.
System to reduce waste and optimize productivity through maintaining an orderly workplace and using visual cues to achieve more consistent operational results.
5%

15. What quality tool formally incorporates the voice of the customer?
Blame.
Prevention - appraisal - internal failure - external failure.
A diagram that shows the relationships between activities in a project network.
QFD

16. In a regression - what does the p value of F tell you?
=sqrt(Σ(x-x-bar)^2)/(n-1))
What the value of the dependent variable is when the independent variable is zero.
How likely it is to have an F statistic of that value if there really is no relationship between the dependent variable and the independent variable(s).
Causes that lead to a particular effect.

17. Test for constant variance
Plot the residuals vs. the fitted values (mean of each group - y(hat) = y (bar)i ) - Assumption of ____________not rejected if the dispersion of every group is approximately the same.
3.4 (assuming 1.5 sigma shift in the mean)
A random variable that summarizes the information from the sample(s).
The degree to which a product meets pre-established standards.

18. What graphical tool is used to show the relationship between two numerical variables?
Different types of defects are listed (used for Pareto chart)
A scatterplot.
Lean is waste reduction - Six Sigma is variation reduction.
Consumer risk.

19. Residual(eij)
= yij - y(bar)i --> value minus sum of that treatment (of row)
The Japanese national quality award.
100%
Prevention and appraisal costs are balanced against internal and external failure.

20. In the Service Quality Gap Model - what is Gap 2?
The US national quality award.
0.9^3 or 72.9%
3.4 (assuming 1.5 sigma shift in the mean)
The gap between what management thinks customers want and the process specifications.

21. What percentage of a normal distribution lies above the mean?
50%
Kaoru Ishikawa.
1) Identify the Range (Max Value - Min Value) 2) Determine # of bins 3) Determine the Width of each bin --> (Range / # Bins) 4) Put values in correct Bin
Inventory = throughput x flow time.

22. Uses of regression
Prediction and estimation. based on an unknown x value - estimation is based on a known x value
F_alpha - df(tr) - df (error)
99.73%
A chart that breaks the range of data into equal intervals and then shows the count of occurrences in each interval.

23. What is an affinity diagram?
Prevention and appraisal costs are balanced against internal and external failure.
A brainstorming tool that shows the connections between ideas.
100%
To manage the Six Sigma project.

24. Define product reliability.
Prevention - appraisal - internal failure - external failure.
Financial - customer - internal process - innovation and learning.
The ratio of outputs to inputs; 1-scrap.
Mean time to failure.

25. What is the role of a master black belt?
To do a capability study for a non-centered process.
Represent the errors which are random variables with an assumed normal distribution with mean zero and a constant variance σ2.
To mentor/coach (and sometimes train) black belts.
Attribute.

26. Your production process meets customer specifications. Is your process in control?
Brand image.
Not necessarily.
Lean is waste reduction - Six Sigma is variation reduction.
= yij - y(bar)i --> value minus sum of that treatment (of row)

27. What is a Gantt chart?
Shows the temporal flow of activities in a project network.
Supplier - input - process - output - customer.
Attribute.
p-bar - the long-run percent defective.

28. What does the abbreviation UCL stand for?
Upper control limit.
Variable.
= S x O x D S--> Severity O--> Occurrence D--> Detection Higher the number the worse it is
Kaoru Ishikawa.

29. Design of Experiments (DOE) approach
No -- if it is not the same - it can only be worse!
Vary two or more variables simultaneously - Multiple measurements are obtained under the same experimental conditions
1.Interactions can be detected and measured 2.Each value does the work of several values 3.Experimental error is quantified and used to determine the confidence the experimenter has in the conclusions
Blame.

30. What is a spaghetti diagram?
QFD
A systemized group of activities designed to 1. recognize and evaluate the potential failure of product/process and its effects 2. Identify actions which could eliminate or reduce the chance of potential failure ocurring 3. document the process
A tool that shows the physical flows through a space.
The gap between specifications and how service is performed.

31. What is process capability?
The ability of a process to consistently meet customer specifications.
Complaint adjustment - returned material - warranty charges - allowances - loss of future business.
Consumer risk.
It usually isn't possible to hold all other variables constant - There is no way to account for the effect of joint variation of independent variables - such as interaction - There is no way to account for experimental error - including measurement v

32. What is the Baldrige Award?
Incoming materials inspection - inspection and testing - maintaining test equipment - materials/services consumed
The US national quality award.
Actual drawings - layouts - maps - etc which show where a defect occurs
Shows the temporal flow of activities in a project network.

33. How does Juran define quality?
10 if Almost impossible to detect
p-bar - the long-run percent defective.
Before production starts
Fitness for use.

34. What quality guru emphasizes management as a system?
Deming.
To monitor a process when measurement by variables is used.
Mean time to replacement.
Speed - courtesy - competence - and ease of repair.

35. What does DMAIC stand for?
No -- only if the process is also capable.
Define - measure - analyze - improve - control.
Causes that lead to a particular effect.
They move closer to the center line.

36. In a regression - what does the coefficient of the intercept tell you
Outside.
F_alpha - df(tr) - df (error)
Lower control limit.
What the value of the dependent variable is when the independent variable is zero.

37. What does a project prioritization matrix do?
The process of ranking opportunities to determine which of many potential opportunities should be pursued first.
The Japanese national quality award.
Studying firms with the best performance in a particular area.
Assigns scores to weighted criteria for each project under consideration.

38. For what is a p-chart used?
To mentor/coach (and sometimes train) black belts.
A simple graph between two variables - visualize the type - degree of strength and shape of the relationship between two variables
To monitor a process when measurement by attribute is used.
How much variance you expect around the prediction; two SEs gives you a 95% confidence interval.

39. What is poka yoke?
Mistake-proofing.
Lower control limit.
Sort - Set in Order - Shine - Standardize - Sustain
To do a capability study for a non-centered process.

40. What is FMEA?
To manage the Six Sigma project.
Failure Modes and Effects Analysis
Vary two or more variables simultaneously - Multiple measurements are obtained under the same experimental conditions
Supplier - input - process - output - customer.

41. Non-random patterns (Run Charts)
No -- the variation also has to be random and "expected."
Shifts - Trends - Repeating patterns - Correlation with known events
The manager in charge of a process being improved in a Six Sigma project.
Sampling for SPC is done real time.

42. Daniel Test
Attribute
50%
Quality planning - design review - education and training - process control - IS costs - quality reporting - improvement project costs - working with suppliers before production.
Another way to assess the significance of the analyzed factors is through a graphic procedure developed by C. Daniel when only one replicate (a single observation) was obtained:

43. When is Cpk used?
To manage the Six Sigma project.
To do a capability study for a non-centered process.
The amount of variation in the dependent variable that is explained by the variation in the independent variable(s).
Controlling quality at the source.

44. In your major - courses are pass-fail. Would you monitor performance using attribute or variable SPC?
Fractional factorial designs (orthogonal arrays)
A chart that breaks the range of data into equal intervals and then shows the count of occurrences in each interval.
Attribute
No -- the variation also has to be random and "expected."

45. An SPC chart shows no points outside the control limits. Does this mean the process is in control?
A systemized group of activities designed to 1. recognize and evaluate the potential failure of product/process and its effects 2. Identify actions which could eliminate or reduce the chance of potential failure ocurring 3. document the process
No -- the variation also has to be random and "expected."
Failure Modes and Effects Analysis
Used to create frequency distribution tally sheets

46. List two components of prevention cost.
Quality planning - design review - education and training - process control - IS costs - quality reporting - improvement project costs - working with suppliers before production.
Studying firms with the best performance in a particular area.
= S x O x D S--> Severity O--> Occurrence D--> Detection Higher the number the worse it is
Fitness for use.

47. Define yield.
The ratio of outputs to inputs; 1-scrap.
Inventory = throughput x flow time.
Mean time to replacement.
False - because each machine will have different natural tolerances.

48. Define performance quality.
Reliability - Assurance - Responsiveness - Tangibles - Empathy
Complaint adjustment - returned material - warranty charges - allowances - loss of future business.
The primary operating characteristics of a product.
The degree to which a product meets pre-established standards.

49. Process check sheets
Used to create frequency distribution tally sheets
Define - measure - analyze - design - verify.
Yes - when there are opportunities to improve - when contribution margin is adequate - when achieving market share is important.
A diagram that shows the relationships between activities in a project network.

50. In the Service Quality Gap Model - what is Gap 5?
The gap between what customers expect and the service they receive.
To obtain a certain desirable outcome from the process
An interaction is defined as a dependence relationship between the response and the levels of two or more variables
Studying firms with the best performance in a particular area.