Chapter 5: Process Focus
TRUE/FALSE
1. A process is a sequence of linked activities that is intended to achieve some result, such as producing a
good or service for a customer within or outside the organization.
2. The design aspect of process management focuses on continually seeking to achieve higher levels of
performance, such as reduced variation, higher yields, fewer defects and errors, and smaller cycle
times.
3. Processes must be measurable and repeatable in order to apply the techniques of process management.
4. Support processes generally require a higher level of attention than do value-creation processes.
5. Assembly of products in a manufacturing plant is an example of a support process.
6. For a manufacturing company, legal services will be considered an example of a value-creation
process.
7. Projects generally cut across organizational boundaries and require the coordination of many different
departments and functions.
8. Support processes generally add value directly to a product or service.
9. Value-creation process requirements are driven by internal customer needs.
10. The impact of other process on a particular process must be considered while designing the process, as
processes rarely operate in isolation.
11. Flowcharts enable management to study and analyze processes prior to implementation.
12. The outputs of service processes are not as well defined as manufactured products.
13. Services that emphasize on professional judgement of the employees often succeed in providing good
solutions to customer problems.
14. Identifying potential defects and errors and stopping a process before they occur is the best approach
to avoid mistakes in a process.
15. Process control is the responsibility of those who directly accomplish the work.
16. Control is the activity of ensuring conformance to the requirements and taking corrective action when
necessary to correct problems and maintain stable performance.
17. Control in manufacturing starts with purchasing and receiving processes.
18. Reduction in cycle time of a process leads to improvement in quality of products as it reduces the
potential for mistakes and errors.
19. The Kaizen philosophy requires a significant cultural change from all employees in the organization
including the top management.
20. A kaizen blitz is an improvement initiative that is gradual and continuous and is performed on a
part-time basis.
21. Breakthrough improvement refers to discontinuous change, as opposed to the gradual, continuous
improvement philosophy of kaizen.
22. Benchmarking encourages employees to continuously innovate.
23. Reengineering focuses on improving the existing procedures rather than eliminating them and
reinventing the process.
24. Suppliers include only those companies that provide materials and components that are required for
manufacturing a product.
25. The materials supplied by a certified supplier do not require manufacturers to conduct routine testing
on all the lots supplied.
26. Supplier certification processes can be time-consuming and expensive to administer.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which of the following is a reason why process management is important for organizations?
a.
It assists organizations in recruiting the most suitable employees whose values match the
culture of the organization.
b.
It helps organizations to segment customers into natural groups in order to customize
products that are better able to meet customers’ needs.
c.
It assists organizations in identifying opportunities for improving quality and operational
performance.
d.
It helps organizations to increase employee morale and commitment to the organization.
2. The design activity of process management focuses on:
a.
identifying new markets and product opportunities.
b.
ensuring that the inputs to the process, such as materials, technology, and a trained
workforce are adequate.
c.
maintaining consistency in output by assessing performance and taking corrective action
when necessary.
d.
continually seeking to achieve higher levels of performance.
3. Which of the following is one of the three major activities in process management that focuses on
maintaining consistency in output by assessing performance and taking corrective action when
necessary?
a.
Design
b.
Improvement
c.
Process mapping
d.
Control
4. Which of the following is one of the three major activities in process management that focuses on
achieving higher yields of products with reduced variation and fewer defects and errors?
a.
Design
b.
Control
c.
Improvement
d.
Process mapping
5. Which of the following statements best describes process owners?
a.
They have the authority to certify the processes used by the suppliers of their organization.
b.
They have the authority to design the processes that will be used by the top management
team in their organization.
c.
They test the accuracy of the processes used in the marketing management.
d.
They are accountable for process performance and have the authority to control and
improve their process.
6. To apply the techniques of process management, processes must be _____.
a.
costly and time consuming
b.
repeatable and measurable
c.
centrally controlled and random
d.
simple and lengthy
7. The quality team at Nigre, a cosmetics company, is continuously involved in monitoring the
production process to ensure that the products are meeting specifications. They are also responsible for
taking corrective measures when they identify variations in the products. In the context of the three
major activities involved in process management, the quality team at Nigre, is engaged in the _____
activity of process management.
a.
improvement
b.
design
c.
mapping
d.
control
8. The management team at Kyra Electronics, is looking for ways to achieve higher levels of
performance. It is trying to obtain higher yields and reduce cycle times. In the context of the three
major activities involved in process management, the management team at Kyra, is engaged in the
_____ activity of process management.
a.
mapping
b.
improvement
c.
design
d.
control
9. Value-creation processes are sometimes called _____ processes.
a.
core
b.
support
c.
job enrichment
d.
quality circle
10. Which of the following is true of support processes?
a.
They align closely to an organization’s core competencies and strategic objectives.
b.
They are sometimes called core processes.
c.
They require lesser attention from the employees compared to value-creation processes.
d.
They add value directly to the product or service being produced.
11. In the case of a manufacturing company, which of the following is an example of a value-creation
process?
a.
Product designing
b.
Human resource services
c.
Public relations
d.
Legal services
12. For a manufacturing company, which of the following is an example of a support process?
a.
Product designing
b.
Legal services
c.
Testing of products
d.
Product manufacturing
13. Value-creation processes differ from support processes in that value-creation processes:
a.
provide the infrastructure for production or deliver processes to create or deliver the actual
product.
b.
rarely align with the organization’s core competencies and strategic objectives.
c.
generally do not add value directly to the product or service.
d.
are driven by external customer needs.
14. A _____ is a temporary work structure that starts up, produces products or services, and then shuts
down.
a.
kaizen program
b.
poka-yoke program
c.
project
d.
quality circle
15. Value-creation services that take the form of “projects”:
a.
are typically completed by individuals rather than by groups.
b.
do not add value directly to the product or service.
c.
tend to deliver unique products that are tailored to the specific needs of an individual
customer.
d.
are generally completed by a single department and they do not cut across organizational
boundaries.
16. Which of the following is the first step involved in designing a manufacturing process?
a.
Defining the sequence of steps that need to be performed
b.
Documenting the procedures and requirements in a flowchart
c.
Analyzing the processes prior to implementation to improve quality
d.
Conducting a detailed technical analysis of the characteristics of the product
17. A(n) _____ is a design tool that enables management to study and analyze processes prior to
implementation in order to improve quality and operational performance.
a.
Likert’s scale
b.
flowchart
c.
quality manual
d.
affinity diagram
18. The organizations that emphasize more on the behavior of the employees rather than the processes and
procedures involved are aiming to:
a.
improve the efficiency and timing of their service.
b.
improve the reliability of their service.
c.
provide a friendly and personable environment to their customers.
d.
minimize variations in their service standards.
19. When a service ranks low on the dimensions of customer contact, labor intensity, and customization,
the service providers need to emphasize on _____ to provide a high quality service to the customers.
a.
training provided to the employees
b.
employee behavior
c.
professional judgement of the employees
d.
physical facilities and procedures
20. As customization of services increases, _____ become(s) a bigger factor in the ability to provide high
quality service to the customers.
a.
professional judgement of the employees
b.
processes and procedures
c.
employee behavior
d.
physical facilities
21. Which of the following is regarded as the best approach to prevent mistakes in a process because of its
ability to avoid rework and wastage of time and resources?
a.
Identifying potential defects and errors and stopping a process before they occur
b.
Conducting a cost-benefit analysis to determine the impact of stopping a process
c.
Designing potential defects and errors out of the process
d.
Identifying defects and errors soon after they occur and quickly correcting the process
22. _____ is an approach for mistake-proofing processes, developed by Shigeo Shingo, that involves using
automatic devices or simple methods to avoid human error.
a.
Kaizen
b.
Poka-yoke
c.
Process mapping
d.
Job enrichment
23. Which of the following is true of the poka-yoke approach used for mistake-proofing processes?
a.
It was developed by Kaoru Ishikawa.
b.
It is ineffective in providing immediate feedback to the employees regarding the error in
the process.
c.
It helps to engage workers in continuous improvement activities.
d.
Most of the techniques of poka-yoke are expensive and extremely complex to implement.
24. Which of the following can be regarded as a task error in a service process?
a.
Lack of courteous behavior
b.
Failure to acknowledge a customer
c.
Unclean facilities
d.
Working on the wrong order
25. In the context of service errors, which of the following is an example of a treatment error?
a.
Working on the wrong order
b.
Unclean facilities
c.
Lack of courteous behavior
d.
Doing work incorrectly
26. After using an ATM machine, Deborah forgets to remove her card from the machine. This is an
example of:
a.
a treatment error between the server and the customer.
b.
a customer error in preparation.
c.
a customer error at the resolution stage of a service.
d.
a customer error during an encounter.
27. Which of the following is a type of customer error that results during an encounter?
a.
Failure to follow the instructions provided
b.
Failure to signal service inadequacies
c.
Failure to bring the necessary materials for the encounter
d.
Failure to understand the role in the service transaction
28. Strategically placed tray-return stands and trash receptacles remind customers to return trays in
fast-food facilities. This is an example of a poka-yoke technique designed to prevent:
a.
customer errors in preparation.
b.
customer errors during an encounter.
c.
customer errors at the resolution stage of a service.
d.
treatment errors between the server and the customer.
29. After-action review or debrief is a process control approach used by organizations to:
a.
reduce the cost of conducting a process.
b.
improve the process by increasing the efficiency of the manufacturing systems.
c.
decrease the time required for completing a process.
d.
prevent the errors in a process from occurring again in the future.
30. Process control in manufacturing starts with the _____ process.
a.
assembly
b.
delivery
c.
purchasing
d.
production
31. Which of the following statements is true regarding kaizen?
a.
It involves only the top management of the organization.
b.
It focuses on small, gradual, and frequent improvements.
c.
It requires very large financial investments.
d.
It attempts to achieve radical improvements in a very short time period.
32. The process of measuring a company’s performance against best–in-class companies and using that
information as a basis to define the company’s targets, strategies, and implementation is known as
_____.
a.
total quality management
b.
process mapping
c.
benchmarking
d.
reengineering
33. _____ is defined as the fundamental rethinking and radical redesign of business processes to achieve
dramatic improvements in critical, contemporary measures of performance, such as cost, quality,
service, and speed.
a.
Process mapping
b.
Total quality management
c.
Reengineering
d.
Benchmarking
34. Supply chains help organizations to create a competitive advantage in _____.
a.
workforce engagement
b.
process mapping
c.
flexibility
d.
benchmarking
ESSAY
1. Define process management and list the major activities involved in process management.
2. Differentiate between value-creation processes and support processes.
3. Why do organizations focus on improving the agility and flexibility of their processes?
ANS:
4. Describe the various elements of a control system.
5. What is a supplier certification process? What is the purpose of this process?
ANS:
CASE
1. What is K&N’s terminology for its employees?
a. Grand-aides
b. Representative members
c. Friendly team members
d. Group partners
2. Which of the following is considered during the design/redesign process in K&N’s comprehensive
system for process management framework?
a. Cycle time
b. Operating procedures
c. Measuring to specifications
d. Auditing to specifications
3. In K&N’s process management framework, which of the following is considered during process
control and improvement?
a. Equipment needs
b. Training team members
c. Operating procedures
d. Design of workstations
4. What is the last step in K&N’s process management framework?
a. Measuring and auditing to specifications
b. Evaluation and improvement
c. Mapping and documenting the process
d. Replicating the process to all applicable areas
5. Briefly discuss the K&N process management framework.
ANS:
6. What is meant by operational steps?
7. How are team members empowered at K&N?
8. How does K&N identify work process improvements?
9. How does K&N deal with a formal new process or a process change?
10. How has the problem-solving process helped K&N?
11. How is the kaizen philosophy implemented at the Lexus plant in Cambridge, Ontario?
12. How does the cleanliness process at the Lexus plant in Cambridge support the achievement of high
product quality?
13. Explain the concept of “quality gates” at the Cambridge plant of Lexus with an example.
ANS:
14. What are shipping quality audits at the Lexus plant in Cambridge?