Terms Flashcards
Learn Six Sigma Terms (142 cards)
1
Q
What is an affinity diagram?
A
An analytical tool that allows a group of people to physically organize large volumes of data into groups based on their natural relationships or affinities.
2
Q
What is alpha risk (α risk)?
A
The most risk someone is willing to take in rejecting the H0 when it’s actually true. This situation is usually related to a Type I error.
3
Q
What is the alternative hypothesis (Ha)?
A
Assumes that any differences in the observed data are due to a real effect.
4
Q
What are analytical statistics?
A
Statistical methods for analyzing and interpreting data to enable inferences, generalizations, estimates, predictions, or decisions.
5
Q
What is an attribute?
A
A skill, quality, or characteristic that a person or system should possess in order to perform effectively.
6
Q
What is attribute data?
A
Data that can be counted. Also known as attributes data or discrete data.
7
Q
What is a bar chart?
A
A chart utilizing a series of bars to compare characteristics of two or more items at a specific point in time.
8
Q
What is a bell curve?
A
The graphic representation of Gaussian normal probability distribution, shaped like a bell.
9
Q
What is beta risk (β risk)?
A
The risk of failing to reject the H0 when it’s actually false and should be rejected. This situation is related to a Type II error.
10
Q
What is bias?
A
The difference between the average measured value and a reference value.
11
Q
What is a Black Belt?
A
A professional trained in Six Sigma methodologies and principles.
12
Q
What is calibration?
A
The process of comparing a measurement device to a standard of known accuracy.
13
Q
What is causation?
A
Something that brings about or increases the likelihood of an effect.
14
Q
What is a cause-and-effect diagram?
A
A graphical presentation of the potential causes of a recognized problem, also called a fishbone or Ishikawa diagram.
15
Q
What is a center line?
A
The line on a control chart of the long-term average or a standard value of the measure being plotted.
16
Q
What is the central limit theorem?
A
A statistical concept that states that as the sample size increases, the distribution of the sample means approaches a normal distribution.
17
Q
What is central tendency?
A
- The average value of a dataset. Measures include mean, median, and mode.
18
Q
What is a Champion in Six Sigma?
A
An executive or manager who supports a Six Sigma initiative and ensures the team has the organizational support required.
19
Q
What is a Checksheet?
A
Tables, forms, and worksheets used for data collection.
20
Q
What is a confidence interval?
A
A pair of values within which it can be determined, with a certain level of confidence, that a population parameter value will fall.
21
Q
What is a Constraint?
A
The limiting element in a system that restricts production.
22
Q
What is continuous data?
A
Data that can take any value within a range.
23
Q
What is a control chart?
A
A run chart with statistically calculated control limits placed above and below the process average line.
24
Q
What are control limits?
A
The boundaries of a process within specified confidence levels.
25
What does COQ stand for?
Abbreviation for cost of quality, often used synonymously with cost of poor quality.
26
What is correlation?
The measurement of the association between two variables.
27
What is a correlation coefficient?
A statistical measure that represents the linear relationship between two variables.
28
What does critical to quality (CTQ) mean?
Factors important to customers in a given process, leading to distinct and measurable requirements.
29
What is customer segmentation?
The process of categorizing customers in a way that focuses on who produces the most value for the product being improved.
30
What is cyclical variation?
Variation from piece to piece or unit to unit, or from one operator to another.
31
What is a Dataset?
Any organized collection of data.
32
What is degrees of freedom?
Abbreviated as df, it is the number of independent data values used in estimating the value of a population parameter. It is calculated as the number of independent observations minus the number of parameters estimated.
33
What is a dependent variable?
A variable that can be affected by another variable's output, also called a response variable. It is always plotted on the vertical or y axis.
34
What does Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) refer to?
A systematic methodology that utilizes tools, training, and measurements to enable the design of products and processes that meet customer expectations and can be produced at Six Sigma quality levels.
35
What does DMADV stand for?
A core methodology for implementing DFSS that runs through the phases: Define – Measure – Analyze – Design – Validate.
36
What is DMAIC?
Acronym for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control process, commonly used to improve existing processes using Six Sigma.
37
What does DPMO stand for?
Defects per million opportunities, calculated by dividing the actual number of defects by the total number of opportunities for a defect and multiplying by one million.
38
What is the empirical rule?
States that in a normal distribution, all values will fall within three standard deviations of the population mean. Also known as the 68-95-99.7% rule.
39
What are enumerative statistics?
Statistical methods for summarizing or describing the data collected, also known as descriptive statistics.
40
What is a flow chart?
A graphical representation of a process that shows the sequence of events in that process.
41
What is FMEA?
Abbreviation for failure modes and effects analysis, a tool that provides a structured method for analyzing potential failure modes and effects.
42
What does Frequency refer to in statistics?
The number of occurrences or observed values in a specified subgroup, sample, or population.
43
What is a functional deployment map?
A process map that visually represents the who, what, where, and when information about a process.
44
What is a Green Belt in Six Sigma?
Typically full-time employees who play a vital role in Six Sigma project teams, spending about 25-30% of their time on projects and often leading small-scale improvement projects.
45
What is a header card?
A card used to express a general idea that connects a group of ideas in an affinity diagram.
46
What does Heterogeneity mean?
1. The condition of a population when all units are not identical with respect to the characteristic of interest. 2. The degree to which a characteristic is evenly distributed within a population.
47
What is a Histogram?
A graphic representation of variation in a dataset.
48
What does Homogeneity refer to?
1. The condition of a population when all units are identical with respect to the characteristic of interest. 2. The degree to which a characteristic varies between units in a population.
49
What is hypothesis testing?
Determines if observed differences between two or more samples are due to random chance or a real effect.
50
What does in-control mean in process management?
A process where the statistical measure being evaluated is influenced only by common cause variation.
51
What is an independent event?
An event that has no effect on the occurrence of other events.
52
What is an independent variable?
A variable that can be changed to achieve a desired output, also known as the explanatory variable, input variable, or predictor, plotted on the horizontal or x axis.
53
What is an input variable?
An attribute whose value may vary over the course of an experiment, across samples, or during the operation of a system.
54
What is an interrelationship digraph?
A planning and management tool used to discover and depict the causal relationships between different aspects of a complex problem.
55
What are interval estimates?
Represent a range within which the true value of a population parameter is likely to fall with a predetermined probability based on sampling statistics.
56
What does JIT stand for?
Just-in-time, a production and material-requirements planning methodology used in Lean systems.
57
What is Kaizen?
A rapid project-based method of continuous improvement and waste elimination.
58
What is a kaizen blitz?
A kaizen event conducted over a period of three to five days.
59
What is Kano analysis?
Graphically represents how customer satisfaction is impacted by a problem.
60
What is a key input variable (KIV)?
Any process input that has the potential to impact process outputs.
61
What is a key output variable (KOV)?
Any process output that fulfills or leads to fulfillment of Six Sigma deployment goals.
62
What is a key performance indicator?
A business performance measurement that reflects an organization's goals and measures progress toward those goals.
63
What does LCL stand for?
Lower control limit.
64
What is a least-squares regression model?
A model used to determine the line that is closest to all the data points simultaneously.
65
What is Linearity?
Accuracy over different values.
66
What is a margin of error?
A term used to explain the uncertainty about how well a sample represents the population.
67
What is a Master Black Belt?
A professional trained in Six Sigma methodologies who teaches individuals the principles and acts as a mentor.
68
What is the Mean?
The average value of all values in a dataset, calculated by adding all values and dividing by the number of values.
69
What is measurement error?
The difference between the measured value and the true value, represented by the accepted reference standard.
70
What is the Median?
The middle value when a set of data is arranged in order from smallest to largest.
71
What is the Mode?
The number that occurs most frequently in a set of data.
72
What is multiple linear regression?
A model used to determine the relationship between one output and multiple inputs.
73
What is multi-vari analysis?
A graphical technique that provides a way to view and analyze the effects of multiple sources of process variation.
74
What is a multi-vari chart?
A chart that graphically displays the effect that two or more input variables have on an output variable.
75
What is a nominal variable?
A variable that describes a name or category.
76
What is a normal distribution?
The distribution of data is normal when most values are close to the mean, and the standard deviation is small.
77
What is the null hypothesis (H0)?
Assumes that any observed difference in data is not real and happens due to random chance.
78
What is a one-sample test for means?
Compares the mean of a sample from a population against a hypothesized value.
79
What are opportunity costs?
The costs associated with pursuing one opportunity over another.
80
What is an ordinal variable?
A categorical variable for which the possible categories can be placed in a specific order.
81
What is an output variable?
In multi-vari analysis, the output variable is denoted as 'y.'
82
What is a Pareto chart?
A chart used to evaluate the frequency of occurrence of risks, based on the Pareto principle.
83
What is the Pareto principle?
A rule of thumb stating that 80% of effects are generated by 20% of causes.
84
What does PDCA cycle stand for?
Plan-do-check-act cycle, a four-step cycle aimed at continual process improvement.
85
What are point estimates?
Statistics used to find a single value to estimate a population parameter.
86
What is a Population in statistics?
A complete set of items that share at least one common measurable characteristic subject to statistical analysis.
87
What is a population parameter?
An entire group of units that share at least one common measurable characteristic.
88
What is Precision?
1. The reproducibility of a single measurement. 2. How closely two or more measurements agree.
89
What is a probability event?
An outcome or collection of outcomes that is a subset of the sample space.
90
What is Process FMEA?
A tool used to analyze transactional processes to identify failure modes and their effects.
91
What is a process map?
A tool used to analyze processes, essentially a detailed flow chart showing all tasks, activities, and decisions.
92
What is a process model?
A visual representation of a process.
93
What is proportion defective?
Number of defective units divided by total number of units.
94
What is a p-value?
The probability of getting a result as extreme as or more extreme than that observed if the null hypothesis is true.
95
What is quality function deployment (QFD)?
A structured method in which customer needs are translated into technical requirements.
96
What does r represent?
The symbol for range.
97
What is a RACI chart?
A graphical representation that assigns one of four levels of responsibility to individual team members.
98
What is Range?
The spectrum between the highest and lowest numbers in a set of data.
99
What is Regression?
The determination of a statistical relationship between factors.
100
What is a relational matrix?
A tool to compare the importance of process outputs with the contributions of their inputs.
101
What is Repeatability?
The precision of measurements of the same units by the same measurer.
102
What is Replication?
Occurs when an entire experiment is performed more than once to quantify experimental error.
103
What is a Residual?
The difference between the values obtained from samples and the values predicted by the regression model.
104
What is a responsibility matrix?
A matrix mapping roles to assigned tasks, clarifying roles and responsibilities.
105
What is a run chart?
A graphic plot of some parameter of process performance.
106
What does s represent?
The symbol for standard deviation.
107
What is a Sample?
A subset collected from a complete population to represent that population in statistical analysis.
108
What is a sample attribute?
A quality of a sample such as representativeness or variance.
109
What is a sample set?
The collection of outcomes in each event.
110
What is a sample space?
The set of all possible outcomes, both event and nonevent outcomes.
111
What does sigma represent?
The standard deviation of a statistical population.
112
What is a simple linear regression?
A model used to determine the relationship between one output and one input.
113
What is a SIPOC diagram?
A high-level process map that depicts the suppliers, inputs, processes, outputs, and customers of a process.
114
What is Six Sigma?
A quality management approach that aims to reduce variation, cycle time, and waste.
115
What is Skew?
The measure of the degree by which the sample population deviates from symmetry.
116
What is standard deviation?
Represented by s, a measure of dispersion indicating the spread of dataset values around the mean.
117
What is Statistical Process Control (SPC)?
A statistical methodology for analyzing and controlling the variation of a process.
118
What is statistical significance?
Ensures that the observed difference or relationship in the dataset is real and not by mere chance.
119
What does T represent?
Throughput, the rate of production or processing.
120
What is temporal variation?
Time-related variation that can indicate changes and help identify root causes.
121
What is a test statistic?
Indicates whether sample data is consistent with the population parameter.
122
What is Throughput?
Represented by T, the rate of production or processing.
123
What is Tolerance?
The permissible range of variation in a particular measurement.
124
What is a tolerance interval?
Estimates a range within which a certain percentage of each individual measurement in the population should fall.
125
What is a tollgate review?
A review that takes place at the end of each DMAIC phase to evaluate the project's deliverables.
126
What is Traceability?
The ability to prove that a measuring system gives measurements that are calibrated to reference standards.
127
What is a tree diagram?
A planning and management tool used to break projects down into specific details.
128
What is a t-test?
Used to calculate a test statistic when the variance of the larger population is unknown and the sample size is less than 30.
129
What is Type I error?
Occurs when a null hypothesis that is actually correct is rejected.
130
What is Type II error?
Occurs when a person fails to reject a null hypothesis that is actually incorrect.
131
What does u represent?
The symbol for defects per unit.
132
What does UCL stand for?
Upper control limit.
133
What is an unbiased estimator?
When the mean of all possible sample values is equal to the corresponding population parameter.
134
What is a Variable?
A symbol used to represent an input value in a mathematical equation.
135
What is Variance?
The square of the standard deviation.
136
What is Variation?
A change of condition as observed within certain limits.
137
What is Voice of the Customer (VOC)?
Describes the process of capturing customer requirements.
138
What does Xbar represent?
The mathematical symbol for average.
139
What is a Yellow Belt?
Typically full-time employees who play a supporting role during Six Sigma projects.
140
What is a z-score?
A statistical calculation for estimating the standard deviation of the sampling distribution around the population mean.
141
What is a z-test?
Used when the standard deviation is known or the sample is large (≥ 30).
142
What is 5S?
A methodology of waste elimination through workspace organization.
