Deck 4: Product Design

Question 1

Which factor of good product/service design best matches the following performance objective: Can require standardised services.

A) Dependability
B) Speed
C) Quality
D) Cost
E) Flexibility

Answer 1

Dependability

Question 2

Which of the following is not a characteristics of Design activity?

A) Applies to both products and services.
B) Satisfies the needs of customers.
C) Will develop products and services which are easy to produce or deliver.
D) Is itself a transformation process.
E) Is concerned primarily with goods and services.

Answer 2

Is concerned primarily with goods and services.

Question 3

Match the performance objectives with one of the influences of good process design: Can provide the appropriate resources, which are capable of producing to the design specification.

A) Quality
B) Flexibility
C) Speed
D) Dependability
E) Cost

Answer 3

Quality

Question 4

Which factor of good product/service design best matches the following performance objective: Can allow for variations.

A) Dependability
B) Flexibility
C) Cost
D) Speed
E) Quality

Question 5

Service shops are characterised as which of the following?

A) Some customer contact, a degree of customisation and some staff discretion.
B) Many customer transactions, involving limited contact time.
C) Product orientated with little customisation.
D) High-contact organisations where customers spend a considerable time in the service process.

Question 6

Match the performance objectives with one of the influences of good process design: Can ensure high utilisation of resources.

A) Dependability
B) Cost
C) Speed
D) Quality
E) Flexibility

Question 7

Match the performance objectives with one of the influences of good process design: Can provide technology and staff who are dependable.

A) Dependability
B) Cost
C) Speed
D) Flexibility
E) Quality

Question 8

Service shops are characterised as which of the following:

A) Product orientated with little customisation
B) High-contact organisations where customers spend a considerable time in the service process
C) Some customer contact, a degree of customisation and some staff discretion
D) Many customer transactions, involving limited contact time

Question 9

Which factor of good product/service design best matches the following performance objective: Can specify services, which avoid unnecessary delay.

A) Speed
B) Cost
C) Dependability
D) Flexibility
E) Quality

Question 10

Which factor of good product/service design best matches the following performance objective: Can eliminate potential fail-points.

A) Cost
B) Quality
C) Speed
D) Flexibility
E) Dependability

Question 11

Which of the following is NOT an example of modularisation?

A) Computers
B) Electricity utility
C) Education
D) Package holidays

Question 12

The volume-variety position of an operation has implications for almost every aspect of its design activities. In a low volume, high variety operation, which is the correct combination of design
Decisions?

A) Product/service standardisation low, location can be decentralised, flow intermittent
B) Product/service standardisation low, location can be decentralised, flow continuous
C) Product/service standardisation low, location usually centralised, flow intermittent
D) Product/service standardisation high, location can be decentralised, flow intermittent

Question 13

Which of the following is generally considered a characteristic of a project process?

A) Operations and equipment are dedicated to the product.
B) The product or service will be made to a specific customer order.
C) Products or services are standard and are produced in a large volume.
D) Processes are linear and often continuous but can be stopped.
E) Work is not fixed but moves through a sequence of operations.

Question 14

Match the performance objectives with one of the influences of good process design: Can move materials, information etc, through each stage of the process without delay.

A) Cost
B) Speed
C) Flexibility
D) Quality
E) Dependability

Question 15

Which factor of good product/service design best matches the following performance objective: Can reduce the cost of each component.

A) Flexibility
B) Cost
C) Dependability
D) Quality
E) Speed

Question 16

Which of the following is not a characteristic of a line process?

A) Processes are linear and often continuous but can be stopped.
B) Work is not fixed but moves through a sequence of operations.
C) Products or services are standard and are produced in a large volume.
D) The product or service will be made to a specific customer order.
E) Operations and equipment are dedicated to the product.

Question 17

Which is the correct sequence in order of decreasing process flexibility?

A) Project / jobbing / batch / continuous / line
B) Jobbing / batch / project / continuous / line
C) Jobbing / batch / project / line / continuous
D) Continuous / line / batch / jobbing / project
E) Project / jobbing / batch / line / continuous

Question 18

Characteristics of line or continuous process types usually include:

A) High capacity
B) Short process times
C) The ability to handle high volumes
D) Dedicated processes
E) The ability to handle high variety

Question 19

The principle of the design funnel, progressively reducing the number of possibilities until the final design is reached, has its critics. Which of the following is not a criticism of the concept?

A) The process of design often involves cycling back.
B) The number of options often increases as time goes by.
C) Managers do not start out with an infinite number of options.
D) Designs start as ill-defined and vague.

Question 20

Which is the correct order for process types starting with low volume/high variety and moving to high volume/low variety?

A) Batch processes, project processes, jobbing processes, mass processes, continuous processes
B) Jobbing processes, batch processes, mass processes, continuous processes, project processes
C) Project processes, batch processes, mass processes, jobbing processes, continuous processes
D) Project processes, jobbing processes, batch processes, mass processes, continuous processes

Question 21

In the design activity, which of the following is likely to be a transformed input resource?

A) Market forecast
B) Operations manager
C) Design equipment
D) Technical staff

Question 22

Is the following design activity more suited to low volume/high variety or high volume/low variety: Low level of product/service standardisation.

A) High volume/low variety
B) Low volume/high variety

Question 23

The design activity has one overriding objective:

A) To ensure that the process of product or service production is efficient and effective
B) To minimise the cost of producing the product or service
C) To provide products, services and processes that will satisfy the operation's customers
D) To develop products or services that will appeal to end-users

Question 24

Why is process design important in the design activity?

A) Because processes are the most important part of services.
B) Because the design of the process has a significant impact on the ability of the operation to meet its customers' needs.
C) Because the manufacture of products is expensive and needs to be planned.
D) Because the cost of processes are higher than the cost of products.

Question 25

Key questions to access the feasibility of a design option do not include:

A) Is there government support?
B) Are the required resources and manpower available?
C) Is organisation capacity available?
D) Are the skills available?
E) Are financial resources available?

Question 26

The design activity may involve design of which of the following areas?

A) Products
B) Processes
C) Services
D) All of the above

Question 27

The main types of manufacturing process do not include:

A) Continuous
B) Massive
C) Batch
D) Project
E) Jobbing

Question 28

Is the following design activity more suited to low volume/high variety or high volume/low variety: Dedicated process technology.

A) Low volume/high variety
B) High volume/low variety

Question 29

The use of modular design principles involves designing standardisation 'sub-components' of a
product or service which can be put together in different ways.

Question 30

Is the following design activity more suited to low volume/high variety or high volume/low variety: Continuous flow.

A) Low volume/high variety
B) High volume/low variety

Question 31

The design of a product and the design of the process that will produce it should be considered
separately.

Question 32

The design of products and services is separate and distinct from the design of processes and they
should be treated quite independently.

Question 33

Which one of the following statements should be considered as part of a broad definition of design activity?

A) It applies to both products (or services) and systems/processes.
B) It is in itself a transformation process.
C) It is intended to satisfy the needs of customers.
D) It starts with a concept, which ends up translated into something that can be created.
E) All of the above

Question 34

Is the following design activity more suited to low volume/high variety or high volume/low variety: Process design emphasis in the operation.

A) High volume/low variety
B) Low volume/high variety

Question 35

One of the basic design criteria would not include:

A) Improved performance
B) Acceptability
C) Variability
D) Feasibility
E) Vulnerability

Question 36

Is the following design activity more suited to low volume/high variety or high volume/low variety: Location can be decentralised.

A) Low volume/high variety
B) High volume/low variety

Question 37

Is the following design activity more suited to low volume/high variety or high volume/low variety: 'Task' staff skills.

A) Low volume/high variety
B) High volume/low variety

Question 38

Match the performance objectives with one of the influences of good process design: Can provide resources, which can be changed quickly.

A) Flexibility
B) Quality
C) Speed
D) Dependability
E) Cost

Question 39

Inputs of the design activity do not include:

A) Purchase orders
B) Market information
C) Test and design equipment
D) Technical information
E) Design and technical equipment

Question 40

In the design activity, which of the following is NOT a transforming resource?

A) Technical data
B) Customer specification
C) Market forecasts
D) All of the above are NOT transforming resources

Question 41

What is another term used to describe being pessimistic and considering the consequences of everything going wrong?

A) Scenario planning
B) Negative thinking
C) Downside risk
D) Consequence

Question 42

Understanding the full consequences of adopting the design option relates to what evaluation criteria?

A) Financial Return
B) Risk
C) Acceptability
D) Vulnerability

Question 43

In process mapping derived from 'scientific management', what does the following symbol represent?

A) Inspection
B) Transport
C) Storage
D) Direction of flow
E) Operation
F) Decision
G) Delay

Question 44

What name is given for the technique used to calculate the total energy used for a product, including all production inputs, transportation, maintenance, and final disposal?

A) Total production cost assessment
B) Product/service costing
C) Total cost of ownership
D) Life cycle analysis

Question 45

In process mapping derived from 'scientific' method, what does the following symbol represent?

A) Operation
B) Decision
C) Delay
D) Storage
E) Transport
F) Inspection
G) Direction of flow

Question 46

Environmental constraints tend to affect the design of products and services, but not the design of
the process which delivers them.

Question 47

In process mapping derived from 'scientific management', what does the following symbol represent?

A) Delay
B) Inspection
C) Decision
D) Storage
E) Direction of flow
F) Transport
G) Operation

Question 48

Simulation explores the consequences of decision making rather than advising on the decision itself. It is therefore:

A) A predictive, rather an optimising, technique
B) An optimising, rather than a scenario, technique
C) A risk, rather than a scenario technique
D) A financial planning, rather than a predictive, technique

Question 49

A CAD (Computer-Aided Design) software programme is an example of a transforming resource
in the design process.

Question 50

What are the three broad categories of evaluation for assessing design options?

A) Risk, consequence, financial return
B) Feasibility, financial return, risk
C) Feasibility, acceptability, vulnerability
D) Vulnerability, financial return, acceptability

Question 51

Considering if an operation has the skills to cope with a design option, relates to what evaluation criteria?

A) Feasibility
B) Vulnerability
C) Acceptability
D) Risk

Question 52

In process mapping derived from 'scientific management', what does the following symbol represent?

A) Decision
B) Direction of flow
C) Transport
D) Inspection
E) Operation
F) Delay
G) Storage

Question 53

Which of the following is true of process types?

A) Professional services have lower variety, but higher volume than service shops.
B) Mass services are similar to jobbing processes.
C) Service shops and batch are in a similar position, but one relates to manufacturing and the other to services.
D) Jobbing processes have higher process variety than professional services.

Question 54

Specialist technical staff are examples of transformed input resources in the design process.