Chapter 6 Review Questions Quality & Performance Execllence

Jennifer E. Shute

QMS 101

Chapter 6 Review Questions

9/28/2009

1) How do organizational structure and management philosophy at Jenks Public Schools in the Performance Excellence Profile support its continuous improvement efforts? What challenges might such a school system face in trying to “control” quality? Organizational structure and management philosophy at Jenks Public Schools supports continuous improvement by means of many improvement processes. One being the Deming Cycle, with PDSA, it also uses the seven steps for accelerated continuous improvement, as well as a strong incorporation of teamwork. All of these point together allows JPS to operate much like a business, instead of a public school system. At the same time their record of excellence is phenomenal. A school system like JPS, would encounter plenty of challenges in trying to integrate control into their organization but I think the majority of it would come from lack of cooperation, and difficulty with organizing such a large number of people.

3) What is process management? What are three types of activities that it comprises? Process management involves design, control, and improvement; these are the key activities necessary to achieve a high level of performance in key value creation, support processes, and identifying opportunities for improving quality and operational performance, and ultimately, customer satisfaction. Good process management helps to prevent defects and errors, eliminate waste and redundancy, and in turn, leads to better quality and improved company performance through shorter cycle times, improved flexibility, and faster customer response.

4) Describe Motorola’s approach to process design. How does this application help to ensure high quality and performance? Motorola approaches process design by using a series of questions incorporated to assess the purpose of the process, how it creates customer satisfaction, and its essential inputs and outputs. Next the company focuses on the actual process design by identifying the precise task performed in converting the inputs and outputs. After that the focal point turns to making the process proficient and competent in delivering high quality. Last, Motorola moves to ensure that

the process will be monitored and controlled to the level of required performance. This observation involves collecting in-process measurements and/or customer feedback on a routine basis and using this information to manage and develop the process.

5) How does service process design differ from manufacturing? What implications does it mean for both control and performance? The essential differences between manufacturing and service processes warrant special attention in process design. This aspect is especially important because support processes are basically services. Common examples include checking out of a hotel, processing a credit card, and preparing invoices. Outputs of service processes are not well defined, where manufactured products are. Credit cards are virtually all the same, however, their distinguishing dynamic among the charge companies are the features they offer. Another dissimilarity most service processes entail a greater interaction with customers, making it much less complicated in recognizing their needs and expectations. With the extensive customer relations associated with service organizations the three basic components of service, physical facilities, processes, and procedures; employee s’ behavior; and employees’ judgment are vital in the design of service processes. On the other hand, manufacturing processes are more focused on product performance, reduction in defects, and conformance to specifications.

7) What is the difference between control and improvement? Control is the activity of maintaining a level of quality. If something is affecting the quality of a process, that problem is assessed and corrected. Improvement is a change in the process to make it better. This change must be consistently repeatable and measureable.

8) Provide some examples of standardized processes with which you are familiar. How are they controlled? Can you identify any improvements? As I’ve said in the past, I work as the in office accountant and bookkeeper, as well as with records management. One of my responsibilities is to maintain the reconciliation of the main account where all income from store sales is deposited. The challenging aspect of this is the credit cards. When I took the job the process consisted of comparing the credit card statement to the bank statement, and in turn comparing the credit card statement to our company

records. They were controlled by making necessary changes to our records to ensure accuracy, however with ten stores this had the tendency to be become extremely time consuming. So I developed a process improvement. Instead of having to make changes, I created a daily credit card log. It does take a few minutes of my morning, every morning, but it allows me to ensure that the totals being posted in our records are correct the first time. In addition if there is any kind of issue with a store’s credit cards for a certain day, I’m aware of them immediately instead of two or three weeks later, when I’m doing the reconciliation.

9) Can you think of any company that has been successful for a long time without improving its product? What conditions have made this possible? The administrative process of college at WKCTC, and I think that it’s been so successful for so long because it has become an art to those who are in charge of it. You know exactly what to expect after your first semester. You know that you have to do financial aid first, wait for approval, register for classes and then get your books. I’ve been to WKCTC, three times over a period of ten years and it has always been the same. I think the staff at the college strive to maintain that level of simplicity for their students.

10) How could you apply to continuous improvement methods to the job of being a student? I will use myself as the example for this question; first I identified my goal, which is graduating with an A.A.S. in accounting. I had to examine the course requirements, and chose the appropriate classes. As the semester has progressed, I have to identify my challenges and/or weaknesses as a student. Overall, my biggest challenge is time management, I have a hard time managing my responsibilities as a senior level management associate of the company where I’m employed, managing my time at the part time job, as a special needs care giver, managing my responsibilities of being a full time single mom of two, and managing my responsibilities as a proficient student at the college I attend. Now I want to examine ways to improve the process, and create a plan to implement these improvements, which is difficult because “life” in general constitute my weakness. My short term plan for improvement is more efficient planning and organization. I must decide what time frame needs to be established for each responsibility and how any “variables” or unexpected bumps in the road can be overcome and the original plan can be reinstated. Long term plans include more in depth investigation into the classes I take and their requirements, at registration time, and/or someone who might help with the children if they become sick or have to be out of school.

13) What is the Deming Cycle? Explain the activities that comprise each step. The Deming Cycle is a methodology for improvement based on the premise that improvement comes from the application of knowledge. There are four steps to the cycle and they include: Plan: The Plan stage is comprised of studying the current situation, gathering data, and planning for improvement. Do: The Do stage is where the plan is implemented on a trial basis in a laboratory, pilot production process, or with a small group of customers. Study: The Study stage is designed to decide if the trial plan is working correctly and to see if any further problems or opportunities can be found. Act: The Act stage is the implementation of the final plan to ensure that the improvements will be standardized and practiced continuously.

17) What is lean thinking? Describe some of the popular tools used in learned production. Lean thinking is a production practice that considers the expenditure of resources for any other goal other than the creation of value for the end customer to be wasteful, and as a result, a target for elimination. Basically, lean thinking is centered on creating more value with less work. There are many tools used in lean production some of the most popular are: Visual Controls: Visual controls are indicators for tools, parts, and production activities that are placed in plain sight of all workers, so that everyone can understand the status of the system at a glance. For example, if a machine goes down, or a part is defective or delayed, immediate action can be taken. Pull Production: I this system (also described as kanban or just-in-time) upstream suppliers do not produce until the downstream customer signals a need for parts. Single Minute Exchange of dies (SMED): Refers to rapid changeover of tooling and fixture in machine shops so that multiple products in smaller batches can be run on the same equipment. Reducing setup time adds value to the operation and facilitates smoother production flow. Total Productive Maintenance: Total productive maintenance is designed to insure that equipment is operational and available when needed.

Source Inspection: Inspection and control by process operators guarantees that product passed on to the next production stage conforms to specifications. Continuous Improvement: Continuous improvement provides the link to Six Sigma. In order to make lean production work, one must get the root causes of problems and permanently remove them. Teamwork is an integral part of continuous improvement in lean environment.

18) Explain how Six Sigma can complement lean thinking. Six Sigma is a useful and complementary approach to lean production. For example, a cycle time reduction project might involve aspect of both. Lean tools might be applied to streamline an order entry process. This application leads to the discovery that significant rework occurs because of incorrect addresses, customer numbers, or shipping charges and results in high variation of processing time. Six Sigma might then be used to drill down to the root cause of the problems and identify a solution. Because of these similarities, many industry training programs and consultants have begun to focus on “Lean Six Sigma,” drawing upon the best practices of both approaches. Both are driven by customer requirements, focus on real dollar savings, have the ability to make significant financial impacts on the organization, and can be used in nonmanufacturing environments.

19) Give some examples of breakthrough improvement. How can the notion motivate workers? What must management do to ensure success? A breakthrough improvement is a company aiming at improvement, but aiming extremely high. The notion would motivate workers from the underdog sense. The idea that what they are aim for is perceived as impossible, and proving that they can reach the exceptional goal. Management must ensure that all employees involved are geared in the direction of success.

20) Explain the concepts of benchmarking and best practice. How might these be used by students to improve learning.

Benchmarking is the search for best practices that will lead to superior performance. It helps a company learn its strengths and weaknesses, as well as those of other leading organizations, and incorporates the best practices its own operations. The best practices refer to approaches that produce exceptional results, are usually innovative in terms of the use of technology or human resources, and are recognized by customers or industry experts. Best practice have already been incorporated by students. The idea of best practice is the same concept that students use on a day to day basis. Note taking techniques, test taking tips, study procedures, etc. These are all examples of best practice. Benchmarking would be useful to student in the aspect of identifying their strengths and weaknesses. This opens the door for improvement in their studies.