Six Sigma Green Belt Certification Practice Exam

Under which lean philosophy is throughput increased by removing bottlenecks in a process?

1. Poka-yoke

2. Total productive maintenance

3. Theory of Constraints

4. Kaizen

The correct answer is: Theory of Constraints

The Theory of Constraints is a management philosophy that focuses on identifying and addressing the most significant limiting factor (or constraint) that hinders a system from achieving its goals. By removing or alleviating these bottlenecks, organizations can streamline their processes and increase throughput. This concept emphasizes that a system's performance is often determined by its weakest link, so enhancing that link leads to better overall productivity. The other concepts play different roles in process improvement. Poka-yoke focuses on mistake-proofing processes to prevent errors from occurring, while Total Productive Maintenance aims to enhance the efficiency of equipment and reduce downtime. Kaizen involves continuous improvement through small, incremental changes rather than focusing specifically on bottlenecks. Thus, the Theory of Constraints is specifically tailored to addressing and optimizing bottlenecks to enhance throughput in a process.