Study Guide Focus Areas

Sort

each item is in the proper place

Set in order

arrange materials so that they are easy to find and use

Shine

clean work area

Standardize

formalize procedures and practices

Sustain

keep the process going through training, communication, and organizational strucutures

Flowcharts

identify the sequence of activities or flow of materials and information in a process.

Run chart

line graph with data plotted over time

Control charts

include upper and lower control limits

Checksheets

data collection forms where the results are interpreted directly on the forms without additional processing

Histograms

graphically represent the frequency of values within a specified group

Pareto diagrams

separate the vital few from the trivial many causes. provide direction for selecting projects for improvement

cause and effect (fishbone) diagrams

present a chain of causes and effects

scatter diagram

graphical component of regression analysis

ISO 9000: Standards

Set of international standards on quality management and quality assurance, critical to international business

ISO 14000

a set of international standards for assessing a company’s environmental performance

iSO 24700

pertains to the quality and performance of office equipment that contains reused components.

Lean Production vs. Six Sigma

Lean: addresses visible problems in processes, focuses on efficiency by reducing waste and improving process flow, tools are intuitive and easy to apply.

Six Sigma: concerned with less visible problems, focuses on effectiveness by reducing errors and defects, tools require advanced training and expertise of specialits.

Common cause variation

Result of complex interactions of variations in materials, tools, machines, information, workers, and the environment.

The “Human Element”

Accounts for 80-95% of observed variation in a process.

Reduced by: better tech, process design, or training.

Special (Assignable) Cause Variation

Arises from external sources that: are not inherent in the process, appear sporadically, disrupt random patters of common causes.

Results from: over adjusting a process that is already in control (output is not affected by special causes). Failing to correct a process that is out of control (output is affected by special causes).

Cost of quality

costs associated with avoiding poor quality of those incurred as a result of poor quality.

Helps operations managers: communication better between operations managers and senior-level managers. Identify and justify major improvement opportunities. Evaluate the importance of quality and improvement in operations.

Andon

This board hangs over the aisle between production lines and alerts supervisors to any problem. In assembly, the board normally indicates the line name in green at the top. When a team member pulls a cord on the line, the board lights up a number corresponding to the troubled station in yellow, which then changes to red when the line actually comes to a halt.

Heijunka

the idea of distributing volume and different specifications evenly over the span of production such as a day, a week, and a month. Under this practice, the plant’s output should correspond to the diverse mix of model variations that the dealers sell every hour.

Jidoka

automation; prevents defective items from being passed on to the next station, reduces waste, and most important, enables operations to build quality into the production process itself.

Kaizen

“changing something for the better.”; a process be first standardized and documented so that ideas for improvement can be evaluated objectively.

Kanban

The one used for a part supplied by an outside supplier indicates the name of the supplier, the receiving area at Toyota, the use-point inside the Toyota plant, the part number, the part name, and the quantity for one container. A bar code is used to issue an invoice based on actual part usage.