Test your basic knowledge |

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. Taguchi's experimental designs are of this type.
The Japanese national quality award.
Variable.
Fractional factorial designs (orthogonal arrays)
100%

2. In the Service Quality Gap Model - what is Gap 1?
1) Plot a Line chart of the data in time sequence 2) Draw a line at the median
The gap between what management thinks customers want and what customers really want.
The gap between what is promised and what is delivered.
Look for the assignable cause of non-random variation.

3. Define durability.
Is what induces the failure
A tool that shows performance along key dimensions all at once.
Mean time to replacement.
Large enough to find two of the attribute - on average.

4. What graphical tool is used to show the relationship between two numerical variables?
A scatterplot.
Variable.
Assigns scores to weighted criteria for each project under consideration.
Attribute.

5. In a regression - what does the standard error of the estimate tell you?
Performance - features - conformance - reliability - durability - serviceability - aesthetics - perceived quality
Not necessarily.
=sqrt(Σ(x-x-bar)^2)/(n-1))
How much variance you expect around the prediction; two SEs gives you a 95% confidence interval.

6. Define benchmarking.
How much variance you expect around the prediction; two SEs gives you a 95% confidence interval.
Studying firms with the best performance in a particular area.
Through producer/consumer negotiation.
The gap between specifications and how service is performed.

7. Define serviceability.
Stratify a particular defect type according to logical criteria
Speed - courtesy - competence - and ease of repair.
Outside.
The gap between what is promised and what is delivered.

8. What is DPMO?
A diagram that shows the relationships between activities in a project network.
Used to create frequency distribution tally sheets
Defects Per Million Opportunities
Performance - features - conformance - reliability - durability - serviceability - aesthetics - perceived quality

9. What is a spaghetti diagram?
The process of ranking opportunities to determine which of many potential opportunities should be pursued first.
Is the consequence of the failure.
Mistake-proofing.
A tool that shows the physical flows through a space.

10. What are the four perspectives of the Balanced Scorecard?
Prevention - appraisal - internal failure - external failure.
A diagram that shows the relationships between activities in a project network.
Financial - customer - internal process - innovation and learning.
Through producer/consumer negotiation.

11. What is a CAVE man?
Failure Modes and Effects Analysis
Speed - courtesy - competence - and ease of repair.
Is the consequence of the failure.
Someone who is consistently against virtually everything.

12. What is muda
Waste.
It's good -- but it's still out of control!
A random variable that summarizes the information from the sample(s).
Consumer risk.

13. Detection Criteria Ranking
A tool that shows where there is waste in a process.
10 if Almost impossible to detect
Before production starts
Fishbone - cause-and-effect diagram.

14. Which type of SPC measurement is more precise - variable or attribute?
Variable.
What the value of the dependent variable is when the independent variable is zero.
= 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
They move closer to the center line.

15. Define performance quality.
Lower control limit.
It's good -- but it's still out of control!
10 if Almost impossible to detect
The primary operating characteristics of a product.

16. Histogram by Hand
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
Is the way in which the failure is manifested.
Financial - customer - internal process - innovation and learning.
The manager in charge of a process being improved in a Six Sigma project.

17. What does a project prioritization matrix do?
Deming.
The primary operating characteristics of a product.
Assigns scores to weighted criteria for each project under consideration.
A time series plot.

18. Name the structure associated with Quality Function Deployment.
The House of Quality.
Look for the assignable cause of non-random variation.
Before production starts
Technique used to relate through a model - one or more independent variables and a dependent variable (response)

19. In a Z table - what is Z?
Complaint adjustment - returned material - warranty charges - allowances - loss of future business.
The House of Quality.
The gap between what is promised and what is delivered.
The number of standard deviations some value is from the mean.

20. Definition of Interaction
An interaction is defined as a dependence relationship between the response and the levels of two or more variables
Organize ideas into meaningful categories by recognizing their underlying similarity
No -- if it is not the same - it can only be worse!
The number of standard deviations some value is from the mean.

21. How are LQL and AQL determined in an acceptance sampling plan?
Because the mean and standard deviation are independent of each other.
The House of Quality.
Through producer/consumer negotiation.
Prevention - appraisal - internal failure - external failure.

22. Which quality guru developed the concept of loss to society?
Defects Per Million Opportunities
A tool that shows performance along key dimensions all at once.
Complaint adjustment - returned material - warranty charges - allowances - loss of future business.
Taguchi

23. Pareto Analysis
The process of ranking opportunities to determine which of many potential opportunities should be pursued first.
The number of standard deviations some value is from the mean.
A tool that shows the physical flows through a space.
Decomposing the total variation of data into: (a) the internal or "natural" or "within" groups variation - and (b) the "between" groups variation in such a way that when these two types of variation are compared - it's possible to determine if there

24. What is process capability?
How much variance you expect around the prediction; two SEs gives you a 95% confidence interval.
The ability of a process to consistently meet customer specifications.
Waste.
The gap between what customers expect and the service they receive.

25. List Garvin's eight dimensions of product quality.
Quality planning - design review - education and training - process control - IS costs - quality reporting - improvement project costs - working with suppliers before production.
Decomposing the total variation of data into: (a) the internal or "natural" or "within" groups variation - and (b) the "between" groups variation in such a way that when these two types of variation are compared - it's possible to determine if there
Performance - features - conformance - reliability - durability - serviceability - aesthetics - perceived quality
Fitness for use.

26. What is the Deming Prize?
The Japanese national quality award.
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).
An interaction is defined as a dependence relationship between the response and the levels of two or more variables
= 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

27. What is a network diagram?
A diagram that shows the relationships between activities in a project network.
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).
The cycle time required to meet demand.
Reliability - Assurance - Responsiveness - Tangibles - Empathy

28. TWO-DIMENTIONAL SCATTER PLOT
0.9^3 or 72.9%
Actual drawings - layouts - maps - etc which show where a defect occurs
Different types of defects are listed (used for Pareto chart)
A simple graph between two variables - visualize the type - degree of strength and shape of the relationship between two variables

29. What type of risk is associated with Type II Error?
Consumer risk.
Prediction and estimation. based on an unknown x value - estimation is based on a known x value
Studying firms with the best performance in a particular area.
Define - measure - analyze - design - verify.

30. DFMEA
Mean time to replacement.
Prevention and appraisal costs are balanced against internal and external failure.
Causes that lead to a particular effect.
Initiated before or at design concept finalization

31. In a regression - what does R-square tell you?
The amount of variation in the dependent variable that is explained by the variation in the independent variable(s).
Is the way in which the failure is manifested.
Lower control limit.
Mean time to replacement.

32. Test for constant variance
The secondary characteristics of a product; "bells and whistles."
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.
Observed variation in response is caused by the input
To monitor a process when measurement by attribute is used.

33. If your process is capable at two sigma - what percentage of the output will be defective (assuming the process is in control)?
Scrap - rework - retest - downtime - yield losses - disposition costs.
5%
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:
Walter A. Shewhart

34. What is CTQ?
Critical to quality.
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
Method developed by Ishikawa to graphically display the causes of any given problem
Vary two or more variables simultaneously - Multiple measurements are obtained under the same experimental conditions

35. Who first studied randomness in industrial processes
The US national quality award.
Performance - features - conformance - reliability - durability - serviceability - aesthetics - perceived quality
Pleasing to the senses.
Walter A. Shewhart

36. If you have calculated a Cpk - should you also calculate a Cp?
Lower skill requirements - faster - less chance for error.
No; if the process is centered - Cp will be the same; if not - Cpk is what you need to determine capabilty.
Taguchi
Kaoru Ishikawa.

37. Defect check sheets
Concluding there has not been an effect/change when there has.
Different types of defects are listed (used for Pareto chart)
Financial - customer - internal process - innovation and learning.
The Japanese national quality award.

38. What does the abbreviation UCL stand for?
The US national quality award.
Upper control limit.
1) Obtain Residuals 2) Fill out table --> y coordinates: F = 100 (i-.5)/N x coordinates: Ordered Residual 3) Plot on Normal Probability Paper
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).

39. Define features.
The secondary characteristics of a product; "bells and whistles."
Shows the temporal flow of activities in a project network.
To mentor/coach (and sometimes train) black belts.
Variable.

40. What does DMAIC stand for?
Technical quality is the "what" of the service; functional quality is the "how."
Define - measure - analyze - improve - control.
If the Response vs. Levels graph if the response lines are not parallel (crossing)
A chart that breaks the range of data into equal intervals and then shows the count of occurrences in each interval.

41. Approximately what percent of a normal distribution falls between ± 1 standard deviations from the mean?
Concluding there has not been an effect/change when there has.
A tool that shows performance along key dimensions all at once.
68%
Performance - features - conformance - reliability - durability - serviceability - aesthetics - perceived quality

42. List two appraisal costs.
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
Incoming materials inspection - inspection and testing - maintaining test equipment - materials/services consumed
The target number of standard deviations from the mean for specifications.
Attribute

43. One factor at a time (OFAT)
Linearity - normality - homoscedasticity - 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
Pleasing to the senses.

44. Stratified defect check sheets
Large enough to find two of the attribute - on average.
68%
Data reduction to put a large number of qualitative inputs into a smaller number of major dimensions
Stratify a particular defect type according to logical criteria

45. Define perceived quality (Garvin's framework).
Fishbone - cause-and-effect diagram.
Brand image.
A chart that breaks the range of data into equal intervals and then shows the count of occurrences in each interval.
Complaint adjustment - returned material - warranty charges - allowances - loss of future business.

46. When either attribute or variable measures could be used for SPC - why might attribute measurement be preferred?
No -- the variation also has to be random and "expected."
Lower skill requirements - faster - less chance for error.
68%
= S x O x D S--> Severity O--> Occurrence D--> Detection Higher the number the worse it is

47. Affinity Diagrams
Data reduction to put a large number of qualitative inputs into a smaller number of major dimensions
A chart that breaks the range of data into equal intervals and then shows the count of occurrences in each interval.
How much variance you expect around the prediction; two SEs gives you a 95% confidence interval.
What the value of the dependent variable is when the independent variable is zero.

48. List two components of external failure.
Stratify a particular defect type according to logical criteria
Kaoru Ishikawa.
Complaint adjustment - returned material - warranty charges - allowances - loss of future business.
A tool that shows where there is waste in a process.

49. What is the center line of a p-chart?
p-bar - the long-run percent defective.
No -- if it is not the same - it can only be worse!
A time series plot.
Upper control limit.

50. Simple Regression Analysis (one factor regression model)
Look to your customer - not to other firms. "You can always find someone shorter - fatter and balder!"
Inventory = throughput x flow time.
= 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
Mean time to failure.