Continuous Improvement Engineer Mock Interview
Practice 30 Continuous Improvement Engineer interview questions covering Lean, Six Sigma, and process optimization.
Question 20 of 30
How do you go about completing a time study on a process you are unfamilair with?
How to Answer
Example Answer
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Completing time studies will be a key part of almost all CI engineer's jobs. Many companies have their own requirements and methods for completing time studies. The candidate should answer this question in a way that shows their practical experience completing time studies and their understanding of the importance of the data.
It is worth mentioning that the detail and resolution required in a given time study could greatly depend on the process being studied and the information the engineer expects to garner from the study. For example, a time study completed on an assembly line to identify bottlenecks may be completed with just a handful of elements and a few data points on each operation. In contrast, a time study that will be used to justify the reduction of a position may require numerous elements and 30 or more data points.
When answering this question, the candidate must explain that they will become familiar with the job being studied before completing the time study.
"Before completing a time study, I think about the desired outcome and establish a level of detail that will be required. Some studies may only require a resolution of minutes, while others will require a resolution of 1 s. After I establish the detail needed, I will familiarize myself with the process being studied through observation. In some cases, I may ask the team member if I can complete the task to become more familiar with the operation. Once I understand the process, I will establish elements and begin timing. After I have collected all the necessary data, I will formalize the study in a report which can be used to identify improvements."
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