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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. When is Cpk used?
Mean time to failure.
To do a capability study for a non-centered process.
The gap between what management thinks customers want and the process specifications.
The number of standard deviations some value is from the mean.

2. When either attribute or variable measures could be used for SPC - why might attribute measurement be preferred?
A scatterplot.
Lower skill requirements - faster - less chance for error.
Lean is waste reduction - Six Sigma is variation reduction.
Blame.

3. In the Service Quality Gap Model - what is Gap 3?
Vary two or more variables simultaneously - Multiple measurements are obtained under the same experimental conditions
The gap between specifications and how service is performed.
= yij - y(bar)i --> value minus sum of that treatment (of row)
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:

4. What is written on the "spines" of a fishbone diagram?
Linearity - normality - homoscedasticity - independence.
68%
Attribute.
Causes that lead to a particular effect.

5. What is the role of a green belt?
Inventory = throughput x flow time.
100%
To obtain a certain desirable outcome from the process
To be a member of a Six Sigma project team.

6. Explain the difference between technical and functional service quality.
Central Limit Theorem
Consumer risk.
Technical quality is the "what" of the service; functional quality is the "how."
10 for Hazardous without warning 1 for none

7. If a Cp shows that a process is not capable - should you calculate Cpk?
Define - measure - analyze - improve - control.
Kaoru Ishikawa.
Linearity - normality - homoscedasticity - independence.
No -- if it is not the same - it can only be worse!

8. What quality guru emphasizes management as a system?
No -- only if the process is also capable.
Defects Per Million Opportunities
Someone who is consistently against virtually everything.
Deming.

9. Pareto Analysis
The process of ranking opportunities to determine which of many potential opportunities should be pursued first.
Workers - machines - materials.
QFD
Taguchi

10. In a regression - what does R-square tell you?
The gap between what is promised and what is delivered.
The amount of variation in the dependent variable that is explained by the variation in the independent variable(s).
Stratify a particular defect type according to logical criteria
Concluding there has not been an effect/change when there has.

11. Daniel Test
Because the mean and standard deviation are independent of each other.
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
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:
Fishbone - cause-and-effect diagram.

12. When yields decrease - what are the two effects on contribution?
3.4 (assuming 1.5 sigma shift in the mean)
Fewer good units to sell - increased variable cost/unit.
Reliability - Assurance - Responsiveness - Tangibles - Empathy
Used to create frequency distribution tally sheets

13. In a regression - what does the standard error of the estimate tell you?
To be a member of a Six Sigma project team.
Consumer risk.
= y = Beta(0) + Beta(1)X + epsilon y=dependent variable (response) x=independent variable (predictor of y) - epsilon=error component - Beta(not)=intersection. If data include zero - it represents the mean of the distribution of y when - x=0. It does
How much variance you expect around the prediction; two SEs gives you a 95% confidence interval.

14. Non-random patterns (Run Charts)
Performance - features - conformance - reliability - durability - serviceability - aesthetics - perceived quality
Financial - customer - internal process - innovation and learning.
Fewer good units to sell - increased variable cost/unit.
Shifts - Trends - Repeating patterns - Correlation with known events

15. List two components of prevention cost.
Linearity - normality - homoscedasticity - independence.
To be a member of a Six Sigma project team.
Quality planning - design review - education and training - process control - IS costs - quality reporting - improvement project costs - working with suppliers before production.
Lean (or JIT).

16. What quality tool formally incorporates the voice of the customer?
Attribute
Yes - when there are opportunities to improve - when contribution margin is adequate - when achieving market share is important.
QFD
Performance - features - conformance - reliability - durability - serviceability - aesthetics - perceived quality

17. If your process is capable at two sigma - what percentage of the output will you have to inspect to find defectives?
Lean is waste reduction - Six Sigma is variation reduction.
Lean (or JIT).
100%
It's good -- but it's still out of control!

18. What is FMEA?
Failure Modes and Effects Analysis
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
Concluding there has been an effect/change when there has not.
Scrap - rework - retest - downtime - yield losses - disposition costs.

19. What does a project prioritization matrix do?
The primary operating characteristics of a product.
Assigns scores to weighted criteria for each project under consideration.
Fewer good units to sell - increased variable cost/unit.
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

20. FMEA
System to reduce waste and optimize productivity through maintaining an orderly workplace and using visual cues to achieve more consistent operational results.
It looks to minimize the probability of a failure - or to minimize its effects
A scatterplot.
Shifts - Trends - Repeating patterns - Correlation with known events

21. Approximately what percent of a normal distribution falls between ± 3 standard deviations from the mean?
It's good -- but it's still out of control!
99.73%
Walter A. Shewhart
It looks to minimize the probability of a failure - or to minimize its effects

22. In the Service Quality Gap Model - what is Gap 5?
An assertion or conjecture concerning one or more populations
The gap between what customers expect and the service they receive.
Actual drawings - layouts - maps - etc which show where a defect occurs
Kaoru Ishikawa.

23. When Crosby said - "Quality is free -" what dimension of quality was he referring to?
Conformance to specifications.
It's good -- but it's still out of control!
Pleasing to the senses.
1) Plot a Line chart of the data in time sequence 2) Draw a line at the median

24. Regression Analysis
The gap between what customers expect and the service they receive.
Technique used to relate through a model - one or more independent variables and a dependent variable (response)
A tool that shows where there is waste in a process.
Rapid improvement process.

25. Defect check sheets
To monitor a process when measurement by attribute is used.
The ratio of outputs to inputs; 1-scrap.
Different types of defects are listed (used for Pareto chart)
To mentor/coach (and sometimes train) black belts.

26. How does Juran define quality?
Consumer risk.
Fitness for use.
The gap between specifications and how service is performed.
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

27. Design of Experiments (DOE) approach
Quality planning - design review - education and training - process control - IS costs - quality reporting - improvement project costs - working with suppliers before production.
Organize ideas into meaningful categories by recognizing their underlying similarity
Vary two or more variables simultaneously - Multiple measurements are obtained under the same experimental conditions
Fitness for use.

28. DOE
Concluding there has not been an effect/change when there has.
A tool that shows performance along key dimensions all at once.
Prevention - appraisal - internal failure - external failure.
An experiment where one or more variables believed to have an effect on an experimental outcome are identified and manipulated according to a plan

29. What is a dashboard?
Vary two or more variables simultaneously - Multiple measurements are obtained under the same experimental conditions
0.9^3 or 72.9%
Someone who is consistently against virtually everything.
A tool that shows performance along key dimensions all at once.

30. In a regression - what does the coefficient of the intercept tell you
What the value of the dependent variable is when the independent variable is zero.
Central Limit Theorem
Consumer risk.
Prediction and estimation. based on an unknown x value - estimation is based on a known x value

31. What is DMADV?
To do a capability study for a non-centered process.
The secondary characteristics of a product; "bells and whistles."
If the Response vs. Levels graph if the response lines are not parallel (crossing)
Define - measure - analyze - design - verify.

32. What is a Gage R&R?
68%
The gap between specifications and how service is performed.
A random variable that summarizes the information from the sample(s).
A tools that is used to measure the amount of variation in the measurement system arising from the measurement device (repeatability) and the people taking the measurement (reproducibility).

33. Who is a process owner?
Reliability - Assurance - Responsiveness - Tangibles - Empathy
=sqrt(Σ(x-x-bar)^2)/(n-1))
The manager in charge of a process being improved in a Six Sigma project.
An interaction is defined as a dependence relationship between the response and the levels of two or more variables

34. Which quality guru developed the concept of loss to society?
Scrap - rework - retest - downtime - yield losses - disposition costs.
If the Response vs. Levels graph if the response lines are not parallel (crossing)
The target number of standard deviations from the mean for specifications.
Taguchi

35. What is a histogram?
Conformance to specifications.
A chart that breaks the range of data into equal intervals and then shows the count of occurrences in each interval.
A tool that shows the physical flows through a space.
To manage the Six Sigma project.

36. What size should samples be for attribute SPC?
Upper control limit.
Vary two or more variables simultaneously - Multiple measurements are obtained under the same experimental conditions
Define - measure - analyze - improve - control.
Large enough to find two of the attribute - on average.

37. In the Service Quality Gap Model - what is Gap 4?
Defects Per Million Opportunities
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.
The gap between what is promised and what is delivered.
Is what induces the failure

38. Failure Mode
Not necessarily.
A time series plot.
Is the way in which the failure is manifested.
The secondary characteristics of a product; "bells and whistles."

39. What is the center line of a p-chart?
Hold all input variables constant except one. Observe the response as you vary the single input.
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
p-bar - the long-run percent defective.
The cycle time required to meet demand.

40. Where should specifications fall in relation to ± 3 sigma for the process in order for a process to be capable.
The target number of standard deviations from the mean for specifications.
Complaint adjustment - returned material - warranty charges - allowances - loss of future business.
The gap between specifications and how service is performed.
Outside.

41. What does the abbreviation UCL stand for?
Studying firms with the best performance in a particular area.
= yij - y(bar)i --> value minus sum of that treatment (of row)
Upper control limit.
=sqrt(Σ(x-x-bar)^2)/(n-1))

42. What does the abbreviation LCL stand for?
Lower control limit.
Fractional factorial designs (orthogonal arrays)
Incoming materials inspection - inspection and testing - maintaining test equipment - materials/services consumed
Fishbone - cause-and-effect diagram.

43. Affinity Diagrams
A tool that shows where there is waste in a process.
Consumer risk.
Organize ideas into meaningful categories by recognizing their underlying similarity
Not necessarily.

44. What type of risk is associated with Type 1 Error?
Data reduction to put a large number of qualitative inputs into a smaller number of major dimensions
Conformance to specifications.
Producer risk.
10 if Almost impossible to detect

45. What are the four regression assumptions?
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
=sqrt((p*(1-p)/n)
Linearity - normality - homoscedasticity - independence.
The process of ranking opportunities to determine which of many potential opportunities should be pursued first.

46. In the Service Quality Gap Model - what is Gap 2?
The gap between what management thinks customers want and the process specifications.
To monitor a process when measurement by variables is used.
The number of standard deviations some value is from the mean.
Hold all input variables constant except one. Observe the response as you vary the single input.

47. What are the three main categories of assignable cause?
How much variance you expect around the prediction; two SEs gives you a 95% confidence interval.
Assigns scores to weighted criteria for each project under consideration.
Workers - machines - materials.
5%

48. PFMEA
Conformance to specifications.
99.73%
5%
Before production starts

49. Cause and Effect Diagrams
Method developed by Ishikawa to graphically display the causes of any given problem
=sqrt(Σ(x-x-bar)^2)/(n-1))
Represent the errors which are random variables with an assumed normal distribution with mean zero and a constant variance σ2.
The gap between what management thinks customers want and what customers really want.

50. What inventory approach contributes to process quality by "lowering the river to find the rocks?"
No -- only if the process is also capable.
Taguchi
No -- the variation also has to be random and "expected."
Lean (or JIT).