Q&A Hero

Q: Studies on worker efficiency and time of day suggest that the greatest efficiency is at the end of the day when workers are "warmed up."

Q: The normal time in time study is obtained by multiplying the observed time by the performance rating.

Q: One factor in determining how many cycles to time in a time study is the degree of variation that is present in the observed times.

Q: For purposes of obtaining good time standards using a stopwatch time study, the analyst should try to avoid having the worker discover he or she is being observed.

Q: The most widely used method of work measurement is work sampling.

Q: Ergonomics is important for preventing common workplace injuries such as back injuries and repetitive-motion injuries.

Q: Work measurement concentrates on how long the tasks take to accomplish.

Q: We incorporate the average seriousness of accidents by measuring the number of lost-time accidents per million labor hours worked.

Q: Therbligs are basic elemental motions.

Q: Predetermined time standards are usually based on observing one very efficient worker performing the task.

Q: A flow process chart is helpful for visualizing the portions of a work cycle during which the operator and equipment are busy or idle.

Q: One therblig is the equivalent of one hour of sustained work by one average person.

Q: Methods analysis cannot be done for new jobs (ones that do not yet exist) since it requires observation of the process.

Q: Job design relates to people, therefore technology has little impact.

Q: One potential disadvantage of self-directed teams is higher training costs.

Q: One of the potential benefits of self-directed teams is higher quality.

Q: One of the potential benefits of self-directed teams is higher productivity and greater worker satisfaction.

Q: Ergonomics is an important part of job design to consider when we automate the system.

Q: One important factor that influences productivity is trust between workers and managers.

Q: Motivation influences quality and productivity, but not the work environment.

Q: Self-directed teams help other work groups make changes to their processes.

Q: Self-directed teams are allowed to make changes in the work processes under their control.

Q: Job enrichment involves an increase in the level of responsibility for planning and coordinating tasks.

Q: Many lower-level jobs are monotonous and boring.

Q: Trust is a factor influencing productivity.

Q: Job enrichment involves giving a workers a greater share of the total task, which is why they feel enriched.

Q: The quickest, most effective way to improve an employee's job satisfaction is to increase his or her compensation.

Q: One disadvantage of specialization is worker dissatisfaction.

Q: Specialization is one of the sources of disagreement between the efficiency and behavioral approaches to job design.

Q: Ergonomics is the use of computers and robots in the workplace.

Q: Given the information below, assign departments to locations in a 3 x 3 grid, with department F in the lower right-hand corner.

Q: Management wants to design an assembly line that will turn out 800 videotapes per day. There will be eight working hours in each day. The industrial engineering staff has assembled the information below: A) Determine the maximum and minimum cycle times. B) Determine the optimum cycle time. C) What is the minimum number of stations needed? D) Draw the precedence diagram. E) Assign tasks to stations in order of most following tasks first.

Q: Although they do not guarantee optimal solutions, ______________ are useful in finding reasonable solutions when the number of possible options is overwhelming. A. cellular layouts B. heuristics C. logistics D. CAM E. CAD

Q: What is it about repetitive processes that make them appropriate for products in the maturity phase of their life cycle? A. efficiency B. general-purpose technology C. possible variety D. low risk E. flexibility

Q: What is it about job shops that make them appropriate for products in the introductory phase of their life cycle? A. efficiency B. technology C. flexibility D. high volume capacity E. rigidity

Q: Which of the following process types would be most likely to be used in the maturity phase of a product's life cycle? A. repetitive B. intermittent C. project D. batch E. job shop

Q: Which of the following process types would be most likely to be used in the introductory phase of a product's life cycle? A. continuous B. intermittent C. project D. batch E. job shop

Q: A company needs to locate three departments (X, Y, and Z) in the three areas (I, II, and III) of a new facility. They want to minimize interdepartmental transportation costs, which are expected to be $.50 per load meter moved. An analyst has prepared the following flow and distance matrices: What are total weekly costs for an optimum layout? A. $2,600 B. $3,600 C. $6,200 D. $7,200 E. $8,200

Q: A company needs to rebalance a product layout for producing new plastic license plates. They plan to use the assembly line six hours in order to meet projected demand of 2,160 license plates each day. The following table describes the tasks involved in the production of this product: For output to equal projected demand, what will be the idle time at the second workstation of the assembly line that uses the minimum number of workstations? A. 0 seconds B. 1 second C. 2 seconds D. 3 seconds E. 5 seconds

Q: The maker of the world-famous Chocolate Chip Cookies needs to design a product layout for a new product, Mint Chocolate Chip. The company plans to use this new production line eight hours a day in order to meet projected demand of 1,440 cases per day. The following table describes the tasks involved in the production of a Mint Chocolate Chip Cookie. For output to equal projected demand, what will be the first task performed at the third workstation of the production line which uses the minimum number of stations? A. u B. v C. w D. x E. y

Q: QRS Corp. is designing a product layout for a new product. They plan to use this production line 10 hours a day in order to meet forecasted demand of 900 units per day. The following table describes the tasks necessary to produce this product: For output to equal forecasted demand, what will be the second task performed at the second workstation of the production line that uses the fewest number of stations? A. a B. b C. c D. d E. e

Q: A company is designing a product layout for a new product. It plans to use this production line eight hours a day in order to meet projected demand of 480 units per day. The tasks necessary to produce this product are: If the company wants the output rate to be equal to demand, what is the last task performed at the second workstation in the balance which uses the minimum number of workstations? A. u B. v C. w D. x E. y

Q: Which of the following is not a primary concern for process selection? A. variety in products/services B. flexibility of equipment C. volume of output D. pricing strategy E. changeover costs

Q: Which one of these is a tool used to tell a machine the details of the operations to be performed? A. CNC B. CIM C. CAD D. CAM E. automation

Q: A product-focused, single-piece flow, pull production system would be called a: A. cellular layout. B. job shop. C. assembly line. D. nonrepetitive process. E. continuous flow.

Q: Which of these items would be most likely to be made with a fixed-position layout? A. a Boeing 777 jet aircraft B. applesauce C. a computer chip D. toothpaste E. all of these

Q: An advantage of a U-shaped production line is that: A. it is less compact. B. communication is reduced among employees. C. workers are specialists. D. work assignments are more rigid. E. it is more efficient than a traditional product layout.

Q: Heuristic rules are usually applied when: A. an optimum is necessary. B. a computer program is unavailable. C. a problem has a small number of alternatives. D. a problem has a large number of alternatives. E. other approaches have failed.

Q: Heuristic rules are used primarily in which of these types of layouts? (I) Product (II) Process (III) Fixed-position A. I B. II C. I and III D. I and II E. II and III

Q: Which closeness rating reflects indifference on the nearness or lack of nearness of two departments? A. A B. E C. I D. U E. X

Q: Which closeness rating reflects the highest importance for two departments being close to each other? A. A B. E C. I D. U E. X

Q: Which closeness rating reflects the undesirability of having two departments located near each other? A. A B. E C. I D. U E. X

Q: In the use of closeness ratings for process layouts, the code U means the closeness between two departments is: A. (U)nknown. B. (U)nusually important. C. of (U)sual importance. D. (U)nimportant. E. (U)ndesirable.

Q: A common goal in designing process layouts is: A. minimizing the number of workers. B. minimizing idle time. C. minimizing transportation costs. D. maximizing workstation productive time. E. maximizing transportation distances.

Q: Which of the following is not an approach that companies use to achieve a smooth flow of production? A. line balancing heuristics B. parallel workstations C. dynamic line balancing (cross-training workers) D. mixed model line E. Companies use all of these.

Q: Which of the following is not an information requirement for the design of a process layout? A. a list of departments or work centers B. a projection of work flows between the work centers C. the distance between locations D. the cost per unit of distance to move loads E. a list of product cycle times for every product manufactured

Q: The main issue in the design of process layouts for service operations concerns the relative positioning of: A. workstations. B. processing components. C. departments. D. entrances, loading docks, etc. E. manufacturing cells.

Q: If a line is balanced with 80 percent efficiency, the "balance delay" will be: A. 20 percent. B. 80 percent. C. 100 percent. D. unknown, since balance delay is not related to efficiency. E. depends on the next operation.

Q: The maximum allowable cycle time is computed as: A. daily operating time divided by the desired output. B. desired output divided by the daily operating time. C. daily operating time divided by the product of the desired output and the sum of job times. D. the product of desired output and the sum of job times divided by daily operating time. E. 1.00 minus station time.

Q: Daily capacity of a product layout is determined by: A. cycle time divided by operating time. B. operating time divided by cycle time. C. operating time divided by total task time. D. total task time divided by cycle time. E. cycle time divided by total task time.

Q: A production line is to be designed for a job with three tasks. The task times are .3 minutes, 1.4 minutes, and .7 minutes. The minimum cycle time in minutes is: A. .3. B. .7. C. 1.4. D. 2.4. E. .8.

Q: A production line is to be designed for a job with three tasks. The task times are .4 minutes, 1.2 minutes, and .5 minutes. The maximum cycle time in minutes is: A. .3. B. .7. C. 1.4. D. 2.1. E. .8.

Q: The minimum possible cycle time in a product layout is determined by the: A. longest task time. B. shortest task time. C. average task time. D. total task time. E. per-unit setup time.

Q: In a product layout, the task of deciding how to assign work to specific stations is referred to as: A. process balancing. B. task allocation. C. line balancing. D. work allocation. E. station balancing.

Q: A service organization (for example, a hospital) is likely to use a(n) ________ layout because of variability in customer processing requirements. A. project B. process C. flow D. assembly E. nonrepetitive

Q: Which phrase most closely describes flexible manufacturing systems? A. a variation of CAD B. a more fully automated version of cellular manufacturing C. manufacturing resource planning D. a process layout with a manufacturing overlay E. an approach that allows workers to begin work at a time of their choosing

Q: Layout design has many objectives, one of which is: A. reduce bottlenecks. B. move materials and workers simultaneously. C. use workers and space efficiently. D. hold material handling costs to 27 percent or less. E. install computer terminals every 500 feet.

Q: Product profiling links key product or service requirements to: A. market conditions. B. order sizes. C. pricing strategies. D. schedule changes. E. process capabilities.

Q: Laser technology used in surgical procedures is an example of technological advances in: A. product. B. facility layout. C. process. D. information. E. reverse engineering.

Q: Which term is most closely associated with cellular manufacturing? A. part families B. assembly line C. robotics D. CAD E. CAM

Q: The grouping of equipment by the operations needed to perform similar work for part families is: A. product layout. B. cellular manufacturing layout. C. functional layout. D. fixed-position layout. E. process layout.

Q: The type of layout in which workers, materials, and equipment are moved to the product as needed is: A. process. B. product. C. fixed-position. D. batch. E. mass.

Q: Which of the following is not true about process layouts when they are compared to product layouts? A. higher in-process inventories B. lower span of supervision C. lower rates of output D. more involved cost accounting E. lower unit costs

Q: The type of layout which features departments or other functional groupings in which similar activities are performed is: A. process. B. product. C. fixed-position. D. mass. E. unit.

Q: Which one of the following is not considered an important factor in service layout design? A. cost minimization and product flow B. frequency of orders C. customer attitude and image D. intensity of contact with the customer E. customer preferences with regard to variety

Q: Which one of the following is not common to product layouts? A. a high rate of output B. specialization of labor C. low unit costs D. ability to adjust to changes in demand E. special-purpose technology

Q: An example of automated services is: A. online banking. B. build your own pizza. C. haircuts. D. massage parlors. E. financial advising.

Q: Which of the following is not a characteristic of layout decisions in system design? A. substantial investment of both money and effort B. long-term commitment C. significant impact on short-term efficiency D. usually well received by operative personnel E. can affect supplier or customer processes

Q: In which type of processing system would gasoline be produced from crude oil? A. job shop B. batch C. assembly D. continuous E. project

Q: Which type of processing system tends to produce the most product variety? A. assembly B. job shop C. batch D. continuous E. project