Business Process Improvement
Study Guide Questions
Course Introduction
Business Process Improvement explores methodologies and tools aimed at enhancing organizational efficiency, effectiveness, and adaptability. The course covers the analysis, evaluation, and redesign of existing business processes to achieve substantial improvements in performance metrics such as cost, quality, service, and speed. Students learn to apply frameworks like Lean, Six Sigma, and Total Quality Management, emphasizing the identification of value-adding activities, waste reduction, and process optimization. Case studies and practical exercises help students develop skills to lead process improvement initiatives, measure outcomes, and foster a culture of continuous improvement within various organizational settings.
Recommended Textbook
Quality and Performance Excellence 7th Edition by James R. Evans
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11 Chapters
877 Verified Questions
877 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/study-set/1357 Page 2
Chapter 1: Introduction to Quality and Performance Excellence
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79 Verified Questions
79 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) _____ introduced statistical quality control to Japanese workers after World War II as part of General MacArthur's rebuilding program.
A) Edwards Deming and Joseph Juran
B) F.W. Taylor
C) Malcolm Baldrige and Henry Ford
D) Noriaki Kano
Answer: A
Q2) Agency theory views the management system as one based on social and human values, whereas total quality is based on an economic perspective.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q3) Process time refers to the time it takes to accomplish one cycle of a process.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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Chapter 2: Frameworks for Quality and Performance Excellence
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80 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The origin of the term "Six Sigma" came from a statistical measure that equates to _____ or fewer errors or defects per million opportunities.
A) 4.5
B) 3.4
C) 6.8
D) 2.6
Answer: B
Q2) In the context of the factors related to the Baldrige Award evaluation process, _____ refers to the extent to which the approach is aligned with organizational needs identified in the Organizational Profile and other process items.
A) integration
B) suboptimization
C) process variance
D) fluctuation
Answer: A
Q3) In Deming's view, variation is the chief culprit of poor quality.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Chapter 3: Tools and Techniques for Quality Design and Control
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79 Verified Questions
79 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/27108
Sample Questions
Q1) _____ is the first step in building the house of quality.
A) Identifying customer attributes
B) Identifying technical features
C) Evaluating technical features and develop targets
D) Determining which technical features to deploy in the production process
Answer: A
Q2) _____ was the first to distinguish between common causes and special causes in process variation.
A) Edwards Deming
B) Walter Shewhart
C) Joseph Juran
D) Philip B. Crosby
Answer: B
Q3) _____ is the process of designing a product for efficient production at the highest level of quality.
A) QFD
B) DFM
C) DFMEA
D) DFE
Answer: B
Page 5
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Chapter 4: Tools and Techniques for Quality Improvement
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79 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Six Sigma methods are more intuitive than lean approaches and easier to apply by anybody in the workplace.
A)True
B)False
Q2) With respect to the types of quality-related data, ______ data are collected by numerical measurement on a continuous scale.
A) universal
B) variable
C) control
D) attribute
Q3) In which phase of the DMAIC process does statistical thinking play a critical role?
A) analyze
B) measure
C) define
D) control
Q4) Six Sigma is an alternate approach to lean production.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Explain the differences between lean approaches and Six Sigma.
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Chapter 5: Competitive Advantage and Strategic Management for Performance Excellence
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78 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The competitive advantage resulting from an organization's people can drive low cost and differentiation.
A)True
B)False
Q2) _____ refers to a firm's ability to achieve market superiority over its competitors.
A) Fitness for use
B) Value analysis
C) Competitive advantage
D) Deployment
Q3) With respect to the key dimensions of service quality, _____ refer(s) to the physical facilities and equipment, and the appearance of personnel.
A) responsiveness
B) empathy
C) tangibles
D) reliability
Q4) Describe the use of an interrelationship digraph.
Q5) Describe core competencies.
Q6) Describe outsourcing and vertical integration.
Page 7
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Chapter 6: Quality in Customer Supplier Relationships
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80 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is a key idea of integrative bargaining?
A) Integrate people and the problem
B) Focus more on positions than interests
C) Invent options for self-gain
D) Insist on using objective criteria
Q2) The Resource Dependence Perspective was developed by:
A) Philip B. Crosby and Jeffrey Pfeffer
B) Jeffrey Pfeffer and Gerald Salancik.
C) Joseph Juran and Philip B. Crosby.
D) Edwards Deming and Joseph Juran.
Q3) "Implication" refers to the collection of associations and emotions unconsciously linked to a word, concept, or experience.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Describe the role of customer engagement in performance excellence.
Q5) With respect to customer satisfaction attributes, _____ is an image attribute.
A) exception handling
B) reliability
C) on-time delivery
D) usability
8
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Chapter 7: Designing Organizations for Performance Excellence
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is a characteristic of a mechanistic organization?
A) Strict division of labor
B) Decentralization
C) Few rules
D) Informal coordination across departments
Q2) What are the benefits of a flat organization?
Q3) One of the four elements of leadership teams involves developing long-term goals and near-term priorities. Which of the following elements of leadership teams does this represent?
A) Planning
B) Implementation
C) Review
D) Monitoring
Q4) What is the difference between an institutional and a structural contingency theory?
Q5) A drawback of flatter organizations is the widening of the communication gap between top managers and frontline employees.
A)True
B)False
Q6) List some of the challenges of a functional structure.
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Chapter 8: Quality Teamwork
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80 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is true of problem-solving teams?
A) Problem-solving teams can be departmental or cross-functional.
B) Problem-solving teams are typically formed to solve a particular problem, and are then dissolved.
C) Problem-solving teams can suggest improvements, but not implement them.
D) Problem-solving teams are typically interorganizational.
Q2) Many organizations view team development as an important business process and manage it accordingly.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The steering committee has overall responsibility for the progress and success of the entire performance excellence effort.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The likelihood of "boundary spanning" leading to devaluation of inputs from "outsiders" is greater when the team becomes more cohesive.
A)True
B)False
Q5) List the 10 ingredients for a successful team suggested by Peter Scholates.
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Chapter 9: Engagement, Empowerment, and Motivation
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Sample Questions
Q1) What impact does empowerment have on individuals with various needs?
Q2) _____ refers to the extent of employee commitment, both emotional and intellectual, to accomplishing the work, mission, and vision of the organization.
A) Intellectual labor
B) Aesthetic labor
C) Workforce engagement
D) Workforce adaptation
Q3) What role does the middle management have in organizations with empowered workforces?
Q4) Which of the following statements about empowerment is false?
A) It is a natural extension of employee involvement.
B) It should be deployed selectively; to a segmented workforce.
C) It resembles Juran's concept of "self-control."
D) It allows employees to make decisions themselves.
Q5) For empowerment to succeed, it is not necessary for employees to be provided with business information.
A)True
B)False
Q6) Discuss the role of compensation in motivation and employee satisfaction.
Page 11
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Chapter 10: Leadership for Performance Excellence
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Sample Questions
Q1) Consideration involves:
A) being approachable to subordinates.
B) getting people organized.
C) enforcing deadlines.
D) instituting standard operating procedures.
Q2) What are leadership systems?
Q3) Initiating structure is also known as socioemotional orientation.
A)True
B)False
Q4) List the leadership styles associated with the different levels of readiness.
Q5) According to situational leadership, leadership styles might vary from one person to another, depending on the "readiness" of subordinates.
A)True
B)False
Q6) Which of the following statements about the "readiness" of an employee is not true?
A) It is characterized by the employee's skills and abilities.
B) It is characterized by the employee's tenure in the organization.
C) It is characterized by the employee's commitment.
D) It is characterized by the employee's motivation.
Page 12
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Chapter 11: Performance Excellence and Organizational Change
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Sample Questions
Q1) In the Baldrige Roadmap to Performance Excellence, the _____ stage features 'project mentality, characterized by various tactical improvement activities.'
A) integration
B) sustaining
C) false starts
D) traction
Q2) Organizations at the Integration stage of the Baldrige journey typically reach a plateau.
A)True
B)False
Q3) In the _____ stage of the Baldrige Roadmap to Performance Excellence, organizations opt to wait for mandates and regulations, and they implement change when required to maintain compliance.
A) integration
B) false starts
C) status quo
D) traction
Q4) Compare organizational culture and organizational climate.
Q5) Differentiate between strategic change and process change.
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