NYL Continuous Improvement (CI) Certification Flashcards

Vocabulary study cards covering continuous improvement disciplines, principles, wastes, problem-solving methodologies, analytical tools, metrics, and change management from the NYL CI Certification deck.

Four CI Disciplines

The foundational disciplines of continuous improvement: Connect, Deliver, Enable, and Discover.

Connect

A CI discipline that links strategy to goals so people understand their role and why it matters.

Deliver

A CI discipline that focuses processes and resources on customer satisfaction and service levels.

Enable

A CI discipline that builds people's potential through coaching, training, learning, and teamwork.

Discover

A CI discipline that solves problems at all levels to improve work, increase capacity, and reduce costs.

Balanced Scorecard Dimensions

Four performance dimensions: employee engagement, customer experience, quality (effectiveness), and productivity (efficiency).

Cultural Enablers

Core CI principles focused on people and behaviors: lead with humility and respect each individual.

Continuous-Improvement Principles

Five specific operational principles: seek perfection, focus on process, adopt scientific thinking, improve flow and sequence (pull & flow), and quality assurance at source.

Organizational-Alignment Principles

Three principles ensuring strategic coherence: create customer value, create constancy of purpose, and think systemically.

Target Condition

A defined near-term state to work toward from the current condition; reset after attainment to continue improvement toward the challenge and aspiration.

Waiting Waste

Time lost waiting for another process step to occur.

Inventory Waste

Excess materials, work in progress (WIP), or finished goods.

Overproduction Waste

Waste caused by processing too soon or producing too much.

Overprocessing Waste

Performing more processing than is required when a simpler step would suffice.

Motion Waste

Unnecessary physical or operational movements of people.

Transportation Waste

Unnecessary movement of products, materials, or files between locations or units.

Rework Waste

Corrective effort and time caused by rejects, defects, or returns.

Intellect Waste

Underuse and failure to tap into people's skills, talents, and capabilities.

ECRS

An improvement sequence framework representing Eliminate, Combine, Rearrange, and Simplify.

Current-State VSM

A value stream map that captures actual work today, including customer, demand, process steps, data, inventory/WIP, information flow, timing, and pain points.

Future-State VSM

A value stream map showing the redesigned process and work flow after improvement.

VSM Time Measures

Key timing metrics on a value stream map, specifically processing time (P/T), lead time (L/T), and P/T expressed as a share of L/T.

RCPS (Root Cause Problem Solving)

A six-step methodology: 1) Identify Problem, 2) Find Root Cause, 3) Develop Solutions, 4) Create & Execute Action Plan, 5) Evaluate Results, and 6) Sustain.

Root Cause Analysis (RCA)

A structured approach to systematically identify underlying causes of problems rather than treating symptoms.

5 Whys

A problem-solving technique using repeated why-questions following evidence to drill down to the root cause.

Fishbone Diagram

A structured analytical diagram used for exploring and organizing different categories and aspects of possible causes.

Issue Tree

A visual tool that systematically breaks a broad problem down into smaller, manageable component parts.

Pareto Analysis

A prioritization method associated with the $80/20$ rule that ranks causes by frequency or impact to focus on key contributors.

Gauge R&R

A measurement system evaluation checking repeatability (same person/instrument) and reproducibility (different people).

FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis)

A proactive methodology that identifies possible process failures, effects, and risks to guide preventive actions.

Histogram

A statistical chart of adjacent bars showing the frequency distribution of numerical values grouped into bins.

Control Chart

A quality tool that tracks process performance over time against a center line and statistical control limits.

Common-Cause Variation

Natural, predictable fluctuations inherent in a stable process.

Special-Cause Variation

Unexpected, identifiable disruptions and unusual events outside normal process behavior.

Quartile Analysis

A data analysis method that sorts ordered values into four equal groups of $25\%$ to evaluate spread and identify outliers.

Process Capability Analysis

A technique comparing process variation against specification limits to determine whether a process consistently complies with standards.

ANOVA (Analysis of Variance)

A statistical technique assessing variation within and between groups to identify significant differences across categories.

Cascaded Metrics Qualities

Five criteria that guide cascaded metrics: actionable, impactful, focused, feasible, and balanced.

Qualitative VoC

Voice of Customer captured through customer stories and team experiences shared and reviewed during team routines such as huddles.

Quantitative VoC

Voice of Customer measured via customer satisfaction survey results used to identify statistical trends and shifts.

Standard Work Principles

Four core guiding principles: accessibility, focused impact, ease of use, and being user-driven.

Process Confirmations

A routine practice to observe work, document findings, provide feedback, and follow up on procedural adherence or improvement.

Process Confirmation Activities

The five stages of confirmation: Prepare, Observe, Document, Provide feedback, and Reflect/follow up.

Kata Coaching Questions

A standard coaching dialogue asking about the target condition, actual condition, obstacles, the next step, and when to review learning.

Change Curve Sequence

The psychological four-stage sequence people experience during change: Denial, Resistance, Exploration, and Commitment.

Four Influencing Quadrants

The four levers required to embed new behaviors: Role Modeling, Understanding & Conviction, Talent & Skills, and Formal Mechanisms.

SBI Feedback Model

A feedback structure consisting of Situation (when and where), Behavior (observable action), and Impact (the resulting effect).

Leader's Communication Roles

Three distinct roles a leader performs during change: Motivator, Translator, and Responder.

EPIC Framework

A structured communication model for change discussions standing for Empathy, Purpose, Insight, and Conversation.

MECE and Parallel Groupings

A structuring method where categories are Mutually Exclusive and Collectively Exhaustive (MECE), and statements are formulated in the same parallel style.