Lean Thinking Book By Daniel T. Jones And James P. Womack! Trivia Quiz

1. In "Lean Thinking" James Womack & Daniel Jones wrote that "The critical starting point for lean thinking is Value. Value can only be defined by the ultimate ________."

Customer

Staff

CEO

Marketing Department

This really is the fundamental principle in Lean - deliver value to the customer and the customer defines value.

Explanation

This really is the fundamental principle in Lean - deliver value to the customer and the customer defines value.

2. An organisation's most important asset is:

It’s inventory

It’s consultants

It’s CEO

It’s People

Employees are the foundation of the Lean process. They represent the talent in the organization. The staff doing the work are in the best position to identify opportunities for improvement.

Explanation

Employees are the foundation of the Lean process. They represent the talent in the organization. The staff doing the work are in the best position to identify opportunities for improvement.

3. Kaizen means making big, dramatic changes as fast as possible.

TRUE

FALSE

“Kai” means “change” and “zen” means “good” and together they mean continuous improvement and refer to gradual, incremental and never-ending improvement.

Explanation

“Kai” means “change” and “zen” means “good” and together they mean continuous improvement and refer to gradual, incremental and never-ending improvement.

4. Assigning work to someone that is non-value-added and not allowing them to improve the process is an example of what kind of waste?

Intellect

Re-work

Transportation

Inventory

The work also then probably leads to the other kinds of wastes, especially Overproduction, Processing and Waiting.

Explanation

The work also then probably leads to the other kinds of wastes, especially Overproduction, Processing and Waiting.

5. A patient having to give the same information over and over again in the emergency department is an example of _________ waste.

Motion

Processing

Transportation

Inventory

The waste of processing means too many steps – other examples would be multiple checks and rechecks, multiple sign-offs or authorisations, having to enter the same information into multiple IT systems.

Explanation

The waste of processing means too many steps – other examples would be multiple checks and rechecks, multiple sign-offs or authorisations, having to enter the same information into multiple IT systems.

6. A spaghetti chart is a tool that shows _________ waste.

Waiting

Kaizen

Food

Motion

It is a great visual tool to show the path of producing a product, including all the non-value added motion.

Explanation

It is a great visual tool to show the path of producing a product, including all the non-value added motion.

7. Which is not one of the eight wastes:

Re-work

Inventory

Money

Intellect

All the other wastes can lead to wasting money.

Explanation

All the other wastes can lead to wasting money.

8. Providing copies of reports to people who have not asked for them and will not read them is an example of which type of Muda?

Intellect

Overproduction

Waiting

Movement

This could also been seen as processing waste. And, this activity could lead to other wastes such as inventory and / or re-work.

Explanation

This could also been seen as processing waste. And, this activity could lead to other wastes such as inventory and / or re-work.

9. Lean is ____________.

A system to justify cutting staff to save money

A system focused on the identification and elimination of waste

A system to increase efficiency, productivity and quality

Just a set of tools

Lean is a business system focused on the identification and elimination of waste for increasing efficiency, productivity, and quality. -Based on the Toyota Production System (TPS). -Focuses on what the customer values. -Respect for people is essential. -The underlying philosophy is “Kaizen” – continuous improvement.

Explanation

Lean is a business system focused on the identification and elimination of waste for increasing efficiency, productivity, and quality. -Based on the Toyota Production System (TPS). -Focuses on what the customer values. -Respect for people is essential. -The underlying philosophy is “Kaizen” – continuous improvement.

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10. Lean is exclusively concerned with eliminating waste and increasing speed.

TRUE

FALSE

It is concerned with quality products and stable processes.

Explanation

It is concerned with quality products and stable processes.

11. This loom invented by Sackichi Toyoda was an early example of:

Gemba

5S

Jidoka

Kaizen

The loom stopped itself from making bad material – it was an example of Jidoka or autonomation – a machine with intelligence.

Explanation

The loom stopped itself from making bad material – it was an example of Jidoka or autonomation – a machine with intelligence.

12. Pick the statements that are INCORRECT:

Lean can only be applied in for-profit corporate environments.

A company’s product many be a service.

Lean can only be applied to companies that make “widgets”.

Every organisation – and every process within an organisation – has a customer.

Every company has a product – be it a service or a widget. Every organization – and every process within an organization – has a customer. Thus, Lean can be successfully applied in any organization, with any financial structure, of any size, in any sector.

Explanation

Every company has a product – be it a service or a widget. Every organization – and every process within an organization – has a customer. Thus, Lean can be successfully applied in any organization, with any financial structure, of any size, in any sector.

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13. Fujio Cho, Toyota Chairman, said: "First we build ______, then we build cars."

Engines

Processes

People

Metrics

Respect for people has always been a core element of the Toyota Production System.

Explanation

Respect for people has always been a core element of the Toyota Production System.

14. What questions can you ask to determine if a process is value-added or non-value added / waste?

Is this something that the customer would be willing to pay for?

Does this activity change the form, fit or function of the product or service?

Can the marketing department create a campaign to sell this service?

How much did we pay for the machine we use to do this?

The two questions provided in the answer are commonly used to determine if a process is value-added or non-value added/waste. By asking if the customer would be willing to pay for the activity and if it changes the form, fit, or function of the product or service, one can assess if the process adds value or not. If the customer is not willing to pay for it or if it does not affect the product/service, then it is likely non-value added or waste.

Explanation

The two questions provided in the answer are commonly used to determine if a process is value-added or non-value added/waste. By asking if the customer would be willing to pay for the activity and if it changes the form, fit, or function of the product or service, one can assess if the process adds value or not. If the customer is not willing to pay for it or if it does not affect the product/service, then it is likely non-value added or waste.

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15. Which of these are TLTC pillars of excellence:

Customer Focus

Technology

Operations

Supplier Focus

The others are People, Working Capital & Culture.

Explanation

The others are People, Working Capital & Culture.

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