Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Certification Advanced Lean and Enterprise 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In an enterprise lean transformation, what does 'hoshin kanri' primarily align?
- Daily production schedules with shift supervisors
- Strategic objectives with operational improvement activities (Correct answer)
- Supplier contracts with procurement timelines
- Quality audits with ISO certification requirements
Correct answer: Strategic objectives with operational improvement activities
Hoshin kanri (policy deployment) cascades strategic goals down through the organization so daily improvement activities are aligned with long-term objectives.
Question 2: Which metric best captures the overall effectiveness of a manufacturing process in lean enterprise thinking?
- First pass yield
- Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) (Correct answer)
- Takt time utilization
- Defects per million opportunities
Correct answer: Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE)
OEE combines availability, performance, and quality into a single metric that reflects how effectively equipment and processes are being used.
Question 3: A company implements single-piece flow but cycle time exceeds takt time. What is the most appropriate lean response?
- Increase batch sizes to buffer the gap
- Add overtime to meet demand
- Conduct a kaizen to reduce cycle time or rebalance the line (Correct answer)
- Accept the gap and adjust delivery schedules
Correct answer: Conduct a kaizen to reduce cycle time or rebalance the line
When cycle time exceeds takt time, a kaizen event targeting waste elimination or line rebalancing is the lean response to restore flow to the pace of customer demand.
Question 4: In value stream mapping, what does a 'push' arrow indicate?
- Material is pulled by downstream demand signals
- Material is pushed to the next process regardless of downstream need (Correct answer)
- Information flows electronically between processes
- A supermarket replenishment trigger is in place
Correct answer: Material is pushed to the next process regardless of downstream need
A push arrow in a VSM indicates that material is produced and moved forward based on schedules or forecasts rather than actual downstream demand.
Question 5: What is the primary purpose of an A3 report in lean enterprise management?
- Document financial budgets for lean projects
- Structure problem-solving and communicate issues on a single sheet (Correct answer)
- Record employee performance reviews
- Summarize monthly production output
Correct answer: Structure problem-solving and communicate issues on a single sheet
An A3 report structures the PDCA problem-solving cycle on a single page, promoting clear communication and disciplined thinking.
Question 6: Which lean concept describes the strategy of producing only what is needed, when it is needed, in the amount needed?
- Jidoka
- Just-in-Time (JIT) (Correct answer)
- Genchi genbutsu
- Yokoten
Correct answer: Just-in-Time (JIT)
Just-in-Time is a core pillar of the Toyota Production System, aiming to eliminate overproduction and reduce inventory by producing to actual demand.
Question 7: An enterprise lean leader wants to spread lessons learned from a successful kaizen across multiple plants. Which lean practice supports this?
- Andon
- Yokoten (Correct answer)
- Poka-yoke
- Nemawashi
Correct answer: Yokoten
Yokoten is the lean practice of laterally sharing and replicating best practices and improvements across the organization.
Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Certification Advanced Lean and Enterprise 2
In an enterprise lean transformation, what does 'hoshin kanri' primarily align?