Which one of the following best describes the Six Sigma philosophy?

• Daily activity sustaining continuous improvement in which people do rapid experiments to learn how to eliminate waste in business processes.

• Teams working on short- to medium-term projects that solve problems which directly impact the bottom line, exposing the "hidden factories," and using statistical methods and data to drive their decisions.

• Regularly scheduled rapid improvement events in which the right people come together to find ways to eliminate waste in business processes and implement their solutions very quickly

• A structured management approach for the entire organization, centered on quality, based on the participation of everyone, and aimed at long-term success through customer satisfaction

Which one of the following statements best describes Six Sigma?

• Six Sigma is a formal improvement methodology using a statistically derived performance target.

• The potential gains from Six Sigma are equally significant in service organizations as they are in "technical" environments.

• Six Sigma is as much about people excellence as it is about technical excellence

• Six Sigma is a goal of near-perfection in meeting customer requirements.

Which one of the following statements best explains Six Sigma and lean tools?

• Six Sigma defines the project and quality levels and lean tools identify non-value added waste.

• Lean tools define the project and quality levels and Six Sigma identifies non-value added waste.

• Lean tools are applicable in manufacturing or transactional situations, whereas Six Sigma tools can be used throughout

• It is best to apply Six Sigma and lean separately with experts in each discipline working together on projects.

The responsibilities of Six Sigma process owners include which of the following?

• Execution of the Six Sigma project and delivering the identified benefits by working with the project team to apply Six Sigma tools and methods.

• Working part-time in specific areas of expertise to help the project team apply Six Sigma tools and methods

• Management of production through the process and ensuring that process changes are implemented and sustained. Collaboration with other line managers where improvements cross organizational boundaries.

• Identification, selection, and execution of Six Sigma projects by providing leadership, commitment, and guidance to the project team

In planning the implementation of a change that requires completely new skills and understanding, which of the following approaches will be most successful?

• Communicate the change well in advance, train all those involved, and ensure follow-up by line management to reinforce the change

• Communicate the change well in advance, provide on-the-job training and follow up coaching using one of the developers of the change

• Provide detailed work instructions for all those involved in the change and follow up by line management to reinforce the change.

• Provide the new tools and equipment and have line management make sure the change has been effectively implemented.

Which of the following activities should a change agent attempt frst when implementing change
in an organization?

• Change the way employees in the organization think

• Change the organization's systems and processes.

• Change the behavior of employees in the organization

• Change the norms and standards of the organization

Which of these statements best describes the origins of Six Sigma?

• The Six Sigma approach was an outgrowth of the "Toyota Way" which, in turn, was developed based upon the teachings of Dr. W. Edwards Deming.

• Dr. Joseph Juran formulated the Six Sigma methodology as an outgrowth of the application of statistical methods in World War II.

• The Six Sigma approach began at Motorola in the early 1980s and was an outgrowth of the application of statistical methods to problem solving.

• Six Sigma was started at General Electric under Jack Welch based upon the problem-solving principles espoused in the 1930s by Walter Shewhart.

Which one of the following statements best describes why companies find implementing lean to be valuable?

• Lean translates customer requirements into technical specifications to assure outstanding products or services are produced.

• Lean systematically identifies and eliminates or reduces waste, which creates value for the organization.

• Lean ensures that processes operate so that products or services meet or exceed customer requirements.

• Lean is a way that prevents errors or mistakes from producing waste in the production cycle.

The responsibilities of a Six Sigma black belt include which of the following?

• While retaining a regular position within the company, the Six Sigma black belt assists on the project by helping the team utilize Six Sigma tools and methods.

• The Six Sigma black belt coordinates the various functions and work activities at all levels of a process and has the authority or ability to make changes in the process as required.

• The Six Sigma black belt trains and mentors green belts as well as leads improvement projects using specified methodologies such as DMAIC.

• The Six Sigma black belt ensures projects are aligned with the organization's strategic goals and priorities, provides the Six Sigma team with resources, and removes organizational barriers for the team.

To overcome organizational roadblocks and manage change successfully, which one of the following is the first step top management needs to do?

• Form a powerful guiding council.

• Plan for and create short-term wins.

• Create a vision statement.

• Establish a sense of purpose and urgency