Lean Manufacturing Process Improvement Tools — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which Lean tool is commonly used to identify root causes of problems?
- Gantt Chart
- Histogram
- Fishbone Diagram (Correct answer)
- Pareto Chart
Correct answer: Fishbone Diagram
The Fishbone Diagram (or Ishikawa Diagram) helps teams visually organize potential causes of a problem.
Question 2: What is the purpose of the PDCA cycle?
- To develop new product designs
- To manage HR policies
- To continuously improve processes (Correct answer)
- To train sales teams
Correct answer: To continuously improve processes
The PDCA cycle (Plan-Do-Check-Act) is a continuous loop used to test and implement improvements.
Question 3: What does a Pareto Chart help prioritize?
- Customer names
- Most frequent or impactful issues (Correct answer)
- Employee birthdays
- Training attendance
Correct answer: Most frequent or impactful issues
A Pareto Chart ranks issues by frequency or impact, helping teams focus on the most significant problems.
Question 4: Which Lean tool visually tracks progress and limits work-in-process?
- Control Chart
- Affinity Diagram
- Kanban Board (Correct answer)
- Flowchart
Correct answer: Kanban Board
A Kanban Board helps teams manage workflow by visualizing tasks and limiting work in progress.
Question 5: Which method involves asking 'why' multiple times to find a root cause?
- DMAIC
- Root Charting
- 5 Whys (Correct answer)
- Scatter Plot
Correct answer: 5 Whys
The 5 Whys technique helps identify the underlying cause of a problem by repeatedly asking 'why'.
Question 6: What is the main use of a process flowchart in Lean?
- To track employee shifts
- To visualize process steps and spot inefficiencies (Correct answer)
- To prepare marketing plans
- To document equipment specs
Correct answer: To visualize process steps and spot inefficiencies
Flowcharts map out each step in a process, helping teams identify inefficiencies or redundancies.
Lean Manufacturing Process Improvement Tools
Which Lean tool is commonly used to identify root causes of problems?