Introduction to Operations Management Answer Key Part 3

Product Design True / False Questions 1. Phased reviews for new product projects are intended to delay changes until close to the launch of new products so all changes needed can be dealt with at the same time. FALSE 2. Core teams are teams of operations personnel that are empowered to plan and lead product development projects. FALSE 3. A structured development process involves use of project management techniques. TRUE 4. Production process design involves translating the "voice of the customer" into technical product or service specifications. TRUE 5. Designing production processes includes building prototypes of processes and revising the process if necessary. TRUE 6. Patents are the only means organizations have at their disposal to ensure they profit from their research and development efforts. FALSE 7. The process of dismantling and inspecting a competitor's product to discover opportunities for product improvement is called prototyping. FALSE 8. The process of dismantling and inspecting a competitor's product to discover opportunities for product improvement is called "reverse engineering". TRUE 9. Basic research focuses on near-term commercial applications and is primarily carried out by business organizations. FALSE 10. Research and development refers to organized efforts that are directed toward increasing scientific knowledge and product or process innovation. TRUE 11. Internal research and development efforts are the primary source of ideas for new products for all business organizations. FALSE 12. Standardization is beneficial for manufactured products but not for computer software applications. FALSE 13. The basic need for a product and the rate of technological change significantly impact the length of time a particular product takes to pass through a given phase of the product life cycle. TRUE 14. A major factor in reducing costs and increasing reliability is the standardization of parts. TRUE 15. One of the main advantages of standardization is that it increases the potential variety of products. FALSE 16. A potential disadvantage of standardization is the possibility of obsolescence as a result of resisting modification to standardized parts or components. TRUE 17. Standardization refers to the extent to which there is absence of variety in a part or product. TRUE 18. Lack of standardization can at times lead to serious difficulties and competitive struggles, particularly when systems are incompatible. TRUE 19. Modular design is a form of standardization. TRUE 20. Modular design supports mass customization by enabling quick assembly of modules to provide customized configurations for individual customers. TRUE 21. An advantage of modular design is that product failures can be easier to diagnose and remedy than non-modular design. TRUE 22. Delayed differentiation and modular design are tactics for mass customization. TRUE 23. Robust design describes a product that will perform satisfactorily in a very narrow range of conditions. FALSE 24. The Taguchi approach to design involves determining the specification settings that will result in robust design in terms of product deterioration, manufacturing, and conditions of use. TRUE 25. Reliability refers to the ability of a product to perform its intended function under extreme, abnormal conditions. FALSE 26. The term failure as applied to reliability means that a part or item does not perform as intended. TRUE 27. The practice of designing products so that they can easily be taken apart after use is not consistent with Design for Environment (DFE), the term used to describe techniques used to incorporate environmental concerns. FALSE 28. Design for Environment (DFE) stipulates product packaging should be biodegradable rather than re-used. FALSE 29. Product liability means that a manufacturer is liable for any injuries or damages caused by a faulty product because of poor workmanship or design. TRUE 30. "Concurrent engineering" brings people concerned with manufacturing into the design phase earlier than in the "throw-over-the-wall" approach. TRUE 31. "Concurrent engineering" refers to having newly trained engineers involved in product design. FALSE 32. A major benefit of CAD is increased productivity of designers. TRUE 33. Manufacturability, i.e. ease of fabrication or assembly, is a key concern in product design because of its impact on cost, productivity, and quality. TRUE 34. Concurrent engineering reduces the level of communication required among engineering design, marketing staff, and manufacturing. FALSE 35. Design for assembly means focusing on reducing the number of parts in a product and the methods for putting it together. TRUE 36. Design of services and choice of location are often closely linked. TRUE 37. Service design often must take into account the degree of customer contact as it affects the degree of customization (variability). TRUE 38. "Quality Function Deployment" is a structured approach for ensuring that customer requirements are factored into every aspect of product planning and production. TRUE 39. Quality function deployment (QFD) is a structured approach for diagnosing sources of technical problems in production processes. FALSE 40. Quality function deployment (QFD) is based on a set of matrices which relate customer requirements (what) to corresponding technical requirements (how). TRUE 41. The quality function deployment (QFD) matrices are often referred to as the "House of Quality" because, when completed, they "house" all of the customer's quality requirements. FALSE 42. Services should be designed to minimize variability in service requirements, thereby increasing the efficiency of service delivery processes. FALSE 43. Products are generally intangible; services are generally tangible. FALSE 44. The introduction of new products, or changes to product designs, can have impacts throughout the organization and the entire supply chain. TRUE 45. The design or redesign process takes a "small picture" approach and focuses on mostly internal design issues. FALSE 46. Product design involves the determination of the form and function of the product. TRUE 47. Phase reviews are only performed at the beginning of the design process to determine the viability of a design project. FALSE 48. In the stage-gate model, Scoping involves determining customer requirements, competitive analysis, product definition and operations assessment. FALSE 49. All products exhibit a life cycle. FALSE 50. Careful consideration for material selection is always important for achieving the performance and cost objectives of any product. TRUE 51. Computer-Aided Design slows the design process due to frequent changes to drawings and products. FALSE 52. In the financial services sector most new services offered by a company are copies of successful services offered by a competitor or the company itself. TRUE 53. Service development is a method used in service design to describe and analyze a proposed service. FALSE 54. The Kano model is a theory of product and service design that focuses on "more is better" FALSE 55. In the Kano Model, over time, quality features that excited become performance features, and performance features soon become basic quality features. TRUE 56. The failure modes portion of FMEA refers to the various ways in which failures can occur. TRUE 57. The effects analysis portion of FMEA refers to the various ways in which failures can occur. FALSE Multiple Choice Questions 58. Which of the following is not an element to create new products and services and bring them to consumers? A. Product approval committees B. Core marketing team C. Phase reviews D. Structured development processes E. Trial and error 59. The usual phases for product design do not include which of the following? A. Hire core team B. Idea generation and preliminary assessment C. Building a business case D. Development of product and processes E. Launch 60. What does the product design process not usually involve? A. Building a business case. B. Building product prototypes, testing and redesigning if necessary. C. Testing and validation D. Designing for mass-customization. E. Translating the "voice of the customer" into technical product specifications. 61. Which of the following is not a typical source of ideas for new or redesigned products? A. Front-line employees B. Marketing research C. Inventory records D. Reverse engineering E. Research and development 62. Which one of the following is not a common design for environment (DFE) practice? A. Design for disassembly B. Design to minimize use of hazardous materials C. Design for re-use D. Design for mass customization E. design for energy efficiency 63. Ideas for new or improved designs do not usually come from: A. customers. B. competitors. C. research and development departments. D. employees. E. launch of the product. 64. The process of dismantling and inspecting a competitor's new or revised product for the purpose of gleaning design ideas is called: A. design by imitation. B. product analysis. C. reverse engineering. D. benchmarking. E. R&D 65. All of the following are sources of ideas for new or redesigned products EXCEPT: A. successful sales strategies. B. front-line employees. C. suppliers of materials and parts/components. D. reverse engineering. 66. From focus groups, 3M noticed consumers needed an extra hand when wrapping gifts so they created a Pop-up Tape Dispenser. This was an example of which approach to finding new product ideas? A. Listening to market complaints B. Gaps in the market C. Exploring niche markets D. Using new technology E. Creating new market space 67. Gillette, found it could satisfy customers complaining about white residue from its deodorants by creating the Clear Stick. This was an example of which approach to finding new product ideas? A. Listening to market complaints B. Gaps in the market C. Exploring niche markets D. Using new technology E. Creating new market space 68. Sony Walkman created a new market of personal portable stereos for joggers and commuters. This was an example of which approach to finding new product ideas? A. Listening to market complaints B. Gaps in the market C. Exploring niche markets D. Using new technology E. Creating new market space 69. Which of the following is not an issue that designers must take into account in product design? A. Legal, environmental and ethical issues B. Reliability C. Standardization D. Environmental concerns E. Saturation 70. Which of the following is not a stage in the life cycle of products and services? A. Incubation B. Growth C. Adolescence D. Saturation E. Decline 71. The stage in the product life cycle where companies attempt to prolong a product's useful life by improving its reliability or reducing costs is: A. incubation. B. growth. C. maturity. D. saturation. E. decline. 72. Design changes are least likely during which stage of the product life cycle? A. Incubation B. Growth C. Maturity D. Saturation E. Decline 73. Which of the following is not an action likely to be taken in the last phase of a product life cycle to prolong the product's life? A. Improve the reliability of the product B. Reduce production costs (and therefore the price) C. Redesign the product D. Increase production volume to reduce costs 74. Which of the following is a disadvantage of standardization in product and service design? A. Increased number of items held in inventory B. Increased training costs C. Decreased expenditures on perfecting designs D. Decreased product variety E. Economies of scale 75. One possible disadvantage of modular design is: A. training costs increase. B. failure diagnosis is more complex. C. the inability to disassemble some modules in order to replace a faulty part. D. individual parts lose their identities. E. inventory problems arise. 76. Of the following, which is not strictly a legal or ethical consideration of product design? A. Legislated automobile pollution standards and safety features B. The range of conditions a product can operate within C. Bans or regulations on the use of certain materials D. Patents, trademarks and copyrights of competitors E. Standards for building materials 77. Remanufacturing means: A. recovering materials from old products to be used in producing new products. B. designing products so they can be easily taken apart. C. a product has to meet the standards of government regulations. D. standardized products whose design does not change over time. E. refurbishing used products by replacing worn-out or defective components. 78. Which is not a key advantage of concurrent engineering? A. It allows consideration of production capabilities. B. It decreases the number of conflicts and challenges for manufacturing. C. Cost and quality are taken into consideration in selecting suitable materials. D. It allows for early procurement of key machinery. E. It allows designers to work independently from manufacturing personnel. 79. In the area of product and service design the acronym CAD refers to: A. conceptually appropriate design. B. computer aided design. C. commercial applications design. D. competitive advantage design. E. completely automated design. 80. Which of the following is not a benefit of component commonality? A. It increases product reliability. B. It provides savings in design time. C. It provides savings in training time for technicians. D. It provides savings based on bulk buying from suppliers E. It reduces the inventory that dealers must carry. 81. Service design generally differs from product design in which of the following ways? A. Service design tends to focus on tangible factors more so than products. B. There is less latitude in detecting and correcting errors prior to delivery for services. C. Choice of location is less important for services. D. Services typically have higher barriers to entry than products. E. Image is more important in product design than service design. 82. Which of the following is not true about services? A. Service design tends to focus on tangible factors. B. Services are often created and delivered at the same time. C. Most services involve some degree of customization. D. Many services have low barriers to entry and exit. E. The convenience of location is a major factor in service design. 83. A structured approach for integrating customer requirements into every aspect of product development is known as: A. total quality management. B. customer satisfaction. C. quality function deployment. D. customer integration. E. a product development team. 84. Which of the following is not a key rule used to guide the design of services? A. Have a unifying theme to support personnel working together. B. Make sure the service delivery system can handle variability in requirements. C. Include features and checks to ensure reliability. D. Design the system to be user-friendly. E. Minimize points of customer contact to reduce variability. 85. The term that pertains to incorporating customer ideas in product design is: A. Total quality management (TQM). B. Computer aided design (CAD). C. Quality function deployment (QFD). D. Robust design. E. Reverse engineering. 86. The term "House of Quality" is associated with: A. service blueprinting. B. quality function deployment. C. concurrent engineering. D. robust design. E. the Taguchi approach. 87. Which of the following is not a potential source of competitive advantage from product design? A. Shortening the time to market B. Designing environmentally friendly products C. Decreasing emphasis on component commonality in product design D. Satisfying customer needs for product variety E. Delayed differentiation 88. The advantages of standardization do not include which of the following? A. Extending the product life cycle B. Fewer parts to deal with in inventory C. Reduced time and cost to train employees D. Purchasing is more routine E. Products are made in large quantities 89. The cost of changes multiplies with each phase of the product design/development process. This is called the ________ effect. A. bullwhip B. multiplier C. elevator D. escalator E. phase 90. Which step in the stage-gate model involves making and testing prototypes, and operations process development? A. Scoping B. Building Business Case C. Development D. Testing and Validation E. Product Definition and Operations Assessment 91. Organizations that operate globally are discovering advantages in global product design. Which of the following is not an advantage of using global teams in product design? A. reverse engineering B. opportunities C. constraints D. marketability E. utility 92. Some companies are shifting their R&D focus to a more balanced approach that explores both ________ and _________. A. product; market B. product; process C. process; technology D. technology; market E. opportunities; constraints 93. Producing basically standardized goods or services but incorporation some degree of customization refers to ; A. modular design B. robust design C. delayed differentiation D. mass customization E. standardization 94. The ability of a product, part or system to perform its intended function under normal conditions refers to; A. robust design B. standardization C. mitigated failure D. design for use E. reliability 95. This term is used to describe a situation in which an item does not perform as intended. A. mitigated failure B. failure C. un-capable D. recovery E. occurrence 96. Which of the following is not a practice that is common to Design for Environment? A. Remanufacturing B. Concurrent engineering C. Design for disassembly D. Recycling E. Cradle-to-Grave assessment 97. Careful consideration for material selection is always important for achieving the ________ and ______ objectives of any product. A. Performance; cost B. Performance; safety C. Environmental; mechanical D. Cost; safety E. Mechanical; safety 98. This focuses on reducing the number of parts in a product and on assembly methods and sequence. A. Design for manufacturing B. Concurrent engineering C. Design for assembly D. Design for disassembly E. Component commonality 99. In the financial services sector design process, which of the following activities differentiates high and low performers? A. Speed to market B. Peace of mind C. Ambience and convenience D. Preliminary market assessment E. Customized service delivery 100. What is the term for the method used to conceptualizing a service delivery system, which describes and analyzes a service process? A. Quality function deployment B. Service development C. Service blueprint D. Kano model E. FMEA analysis 101. The Kano model is a theory of product and service design that focuses on which three definitions of quality? A. Product, process, and design B. Basic, attribute and characteristic C. Unsatisfied, neutral and satisfied D. Basic, performance and excitement E. Basic, modified and enhanced 102. What do the letters FMEA refer to? A. Failure methods and environmental analysis B. Failure modes and effects analysis C. Feasibility methods and economic assembly D. Feasibility models and error analysis E. Frequent mitigation for error analysis 103. FMEA analysis asks: "What would be the consequences of failure for the customer?" What portion of FMEA does this relate to? A. Failure mode B. Failure analysis C. Effects analysis D. Effects mode E. Failure effects