Page 464 - The Handbook for Quality Management a Complete Guide to Operational Excellence

450 A p p e n d i x D S i m u l a t e d C e r t i f i c a t i o n E x a m Q u e s t i o n s 451

191. Bill’s team is having a hard time agreeing on a plan for data gathering.
There are three general suggestions that have been offered: one by a
process expert and two by other team members. To decide which plan
to deploy, the team should:
a. accept the idea offered by the process expert. Doing otherwise is an
insult to his or her expertise.
b. vote on the different proposals, with the plan receiving the highest
vote being deployed.
c. develop new plans that take the best parts of the proposed plans
with compromises on the conflicting aspects of the various plans.
Vote on the resulting plans.
d. try to reach a compromise on the various plans, with a resulting
plan that everyone can live with, even if it’s not perfect to any of the
parties.

192. Jill is the team leader for a project aimed at reducing the cycle time for
invoices. The team has reached an impasse on generating potential
root causes of process failure; only a few ideas have been offered by
only a few of the team members. As team leader, Jill should:
a. request that the current team be dissolved, and a new team formed
with process experts.
b. report the impasse to the sponsor, and suggest the team meet again
in a month or two when they have a fresh perspective.
c. use brainstorming tools.
d. end the meeting, and work on developing the list herself.

193. Joan is a Black Belt and project team leader. Her team includes, amongst
other members, a manager and a clerk from different departments.
Early in today’s team meeting, after the clerk had offered an idea during
the brainstorming session, the manager made a joke about the feasibility
of the idea. Just now, the manager has stifled the clerk’s comments by
asserting the clerk lacked the experience to suggest potential causes of
the problem under investigation. Joan should:
a. wait until the end of the meeting and discuss the issue separately
with the clerk and the manager.
b. immediately remind the manager of the team ground rule
of “respectful communication” and the general rules for
brainstorming.
c. give it some time and allow personalities to gel. Perhaps the
manager is having a bad day and will be more agreeable in future
meetings.
d. do nothing. The manager should be given respect for his or her
position in the company, and the point is well taken on the clerk’s
experience. Furthermore, the earlier joke really gave the team
something to chuckle about, easing tension.

21_Pyzdek_AppD_Ch21_p413-454.indd 451 11/9/12 5:33 PM