CLL Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield CLL facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) prohibits U.S. companies from doing which of the following? → Bribing foreign government officials to obtain or retain business
2. An organization uses a kanban card system between two workstations. If the number of kanban cards in circulation is reduced, the most likely outcome is: → Faster identification of process problems due to less buffer
3. In 5S, what is the correct action taken with items tagged during the 'Sort' step that are deemed unnecessary? → Move tagged items to a red-tag area for evaluation and disposition decision
4. A team is using a Pugh matrix to evaluate data collection methods. What is the primary function of this tool? → Rank and compare alternatives against criteria systematically
5. Which Lean tool is specifically designed to make waste visible by mapping every step, delay, and information flow in a process? → Value Stream Mapping (VSM)
6. What lean tool is used to map all value-adding and non-value-adding steps across the entire supply chain from supplier to customer? → Extended value stream map
7. Which data element in a VSM process data box indicates how long a machine is unavailable due to breakdowns or maintenance? → Uptime %
8. Which lean supply chain metric measures the time from raw material receipt to finished goods delivery to the customer? → Supply chain lead time
9. Which tool is specifically designed to display how a continuous output variable changes in response to changes in one or two input variables? → Response surface plot
10. Which of the following is a benefit of Value Stream Mapping? → Process visualization and waste identification
11. How does shadow boarding (shadow boards) support the 5S 'Set in Order' step? → It uses silhouette outlines so missing or misplaced tools are immediately obvious
12. In lean project planning, what does a 'pull planning' session primarily accomplish? → Engages the team to work backward from milestones to identify handoffs
13. What is the primary purpose of a control chart's upper and lower control limits (UCL/LCL)? → Indicate when a process has shifted to special cause variation
14. What does a negative correlation coefficient (r = -0.87) between defect rate and inspection frequency indicate? → As inspection frequency increases, defect rate decreases
15. In a control chart, a 'run of eight' consecutive points on one side of the centerline indicates: → A potential special cause that should be investigated
16. In lean quality, 'escaping defects' refers to: → Defects that pass through the process and reach the customer
17. What is the purpose of a supplier scorecard in lean procurement? → To track and communicate supplier performance on quality, delivery, and cost metrics
18. In a lean data presentation to stakeholders, what is the recommended approach when actual performance falls short of the target? → Present the gap transparently along with a corrective action plan
19. What is a 'bottleneck' in process improvement? → A constraint slowing down workflow
20. Which project execution indicator signals that Work in Process (WIP) is too high in a lean project? → Long average wait times and tasks sitting idle between steps
21. A lean team wants to identify the root cause of recurring equipment failures using historical sensor data. Which type of digital tool best supports this? → Predictive maintenance analytics software
22. A 5 Whys analysis is best used when: → A quick drill-down to a single root cause is needed for a straightforward problem
23. What metric is most directly used to measure the success of a Kaizen event focused on cycle time reduction? → Before-and-after cycle time comparison
24. Under OSHA's General Duty Clause, employers are required to provide a workplace free from which type of hazard? → Recognized hazards likely to cause death or serious physical harm
25. In food manufacturing, which federal regulation requires a Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls (HARPC) plan? → FDA 21 CFR Part 117 (Food Safety Modernization Act Preventive Controls)
26. Which waste is created when a hospital transports patient files between floors because the admissions office and treatment area are on different levels? → Transportation
27. A process improvement team is building a current-state value stream map and notes a 'push arrow' between two processes. This symbol indicates: → Products are pushed to the next step regardless of whether it is ready
28. A Lean Leader's improvement proposal is rejected by the finance department due to unclear ROI communication. What should the leader do first? → Reframe the proposal using financial metrics aligned with finance's priorities
29. Which lean tool is MOST useful for identifying and prioritizing risks before a project launches? → Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA)
30. Which statistical measure is most useful for identifying the spread of process data around its mean? → Standard deviation