MGSC 485 Exam 2: Lean Operations, VSM, and Six Sigma Define Tools

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering lean manufacturing formulas, production capacity, value stream mapping concepts, inventory models, and Six Sigma Define tools for MGSC 485 Exam 2.

Takt Time

available production time per day divided by daily customer demand.

Pitch

Required production time per finished-goods pack or tray, calculated as takt time multiplied by finished-goods tray or pack size.

Inventory Days

A measure of inventory calculated as inventory units divided by the daily usage of that inventory item.

BOM-Adjusted Inventory Days

Calculated as component inventory divided by the quantity of finished demand multiplied by components per unit.

Total Inventory Flow Time

The sum of raw materials (RM), all work in process (WIP), and finished-goods (FG) inventory days.

Department Capacity Formula

Promised New-Order

Plant Bottleneck Rule

The operational principle that the department with the lowest daily capacity limits plant output.

Adjusted Step

$$\text{Cycle time} \times (1 + \text{rework fraction}) / \text{operators}$$

Setup Allowance Per Unit

$$\text{Setup time per batch} / \text{batch quantity}$$

Cell Capacity (Kaizen 6)

$$\text{Available time} \times \text{product of cell uptimes} / [\text{sum adjusted step times} / \text{total operators} + \text{max setup} / \text{max batch}]$$

Maximum Followers Rule

An assembly line balancing rule that prioritizes the task with the most downstream followers among eligible fitting tasks.

Ranked Positional Weight (RPW)

The sum of a task's own task time plus the time of every unique downstream follower.

One-Worker Throughput

$$\text{Available time} / \text{sum of all task times}$$

Target Cycle Time

$$\text{Available production time} / \text{target production rate}$$

Theoretical Minimum Stations

The rounded-up integer value of $\text{total task time} / \text{target cycle time}$.

Common Cycle Without Setup

The least common repeating period of product batch intervals.

Common Cycle With Setup (Years)

$$\text{Total setup hours per cycle} / (\text{annual available hours} - \text{annual run hours})$$

Economic Order Quantity (EOQ)

$$\sqrt{\frac{2 \times \text{daily demand} \times \text{operating days} \times \text{order cost}}{\text{annual unit holding cost}}}$$

Safety Stock (Variable Demand and Lead Time)

$$z \times \sqrt{L \times (\text{daily-demand SD})^2 + (\text{daily demand})^2 \times (\text{lead-time SD})^2}$$

Reorder Point (ROP)

$$\text{Daily demand} \times \text{lead time} + \text{safety stock}$$

Inventory Position (Q,R System)

$\text{On-hand} + \text{on-order} - \text{backlogs}$; triggers a reorder of EOQ when inventory position is less than or equal to ROP.

Kaizen

Continuous, incremental improvement of processes.

Kaizen Event

A focused effort to identify and implement process improvements.

Value Stream

All activities and flows required to deliver a product or service.

Value Stream Mapping (VSM)

A visual mapping of material and information flows, processing, waiting, and inventory.

Current-State VSM

A value stream map depicting a picture of how the process operates now.

Future-State VSM

A redesigned process map showing targeted improvements.

Bottleneck

The lowest-capacity resource or stage limiting overall throughput.

Cycle Time

The time elapsed between successive units leaving a process or workstation.

Uptime

The fraction of scheduled time that a machine is available for production.

Scrap or Rework

Defective work requiring correction or replacement, which directly consumes capacity.

Raw Materials (RM)

Inventory of materials held prior to entering production.

Work in Process (WIP)

Inventory located between or within active production steps.

Finished Goods (FG) Inventory

Completed goods awaiting customer delivery or consumption.

Pull System

A production approach that produces items strictly in response to downstream use or actual demand.

Push Production

A production approach that produces goods based on forecasts or plans rather than downstream consumption.

Just-in-Time (JIT)

An operational strategy to supply or produce items near the time they are needed.

Jidoka

Quality at the source: the practice of detecting defects and stopping or correcting them promptly.

Poka-Yoke

Mistake-proofing devices or methods designed to prevent errors from occurring.

Andon

A signal or stop mechanism used to call attention to a production problem.

Single-Minute Exchange of Dies (SMED)

A lean methodology focused on drastically reducing changeover and setup time.

Cellular Layout / Line Flow

An arrangement where related processing steps are grouped together to enable smoother flow and lower WIP.

Level Loading

Smoothing workloads or production rates consistently across time and workstations.

Standardized Work

Consistent, documented methods established to improve process reliability and quality.

Preventive Maintenance

Planned upkeep scheduled to reduce unexpected breakdowns and capacity losses.

Continuous-Flow Cell

A combined set of process steps operating with minimal inventory between them.

Production Control

The entity on a Value Stream Map responsible for coordinating production schedules and information flow.

VSM Inventory Triangle

A symbol on a value stream map indicating inventory or WIP waiting between process steps.

DMAIC

A structured Six Sigma problem-solving methodology standing for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control.

Define Phase

The initial stage of DMAIC used to set the project objective, scope, stakeholders, and customer requirements.

SMART

An acronym defining criteria for goal setting: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-Bound.

SIPOC

A high-level process map and acronym representing Suppliers, Inputs, Process, Outputs, Customers.

In-Scope / Out-of-Scope Tool

A project charter tool that clarifies which specific activities the project will and will not address.

X-Y Map

A preliminary mapping tool listing process inputs (Xs) and process outcomes (Ys).

Critical to Quality (CTQ) Tree

A tool that translates broad customer needs into specific, measurable quality requirements across three levels: broad requirements, specific CTQs, and CTQ specifications.

Kano Analysis

A quality tool that classifies product and service deliverables into dissatisfiers, satisfiers, or delighters.

Kano Dissatisfier

A basic customer requirement whose absence creates dissatisfaction.

Kano Satisfier

A performance requirement where better results generally increase customer satisfaction.

Kano Delighter

An unexpected feature that creates delight when present in a product or service.

Affinity Diagram

A brainstorming and organizing tool that groups many related ideas or complaints into themes or clusters.

Multivoting / Nominal Group Technique

A structured voting method used by teams to narrow options and develop group consensus.

Silent Brainstorming

An idea generation technique where individuals write ideas quietly before group evaluation.

Negative Brainstorming

A brainstorming technique where participants imagine ways to worsen a problem and then reverse those concepts into improvements.

Operational Definition

A precise, consistent definition specifying exactly how a process variable is measured.

Voice of Customer (VOC)

The stated needs, expectations, and concerns expressed by customers.