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VSM Foundation study materials
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VSM Foundation practice questions

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Question 1The history and evolution of VSM

Stafford Beer developed the Viable System Model while working in which professional context that shaped its cybernetic framing?

  1. Academic linguistics and semiotics
  2. Operations research and management cybernetics in industry and government Correct answer.
  3. Clinical psychology and psychotherapy
  4. Civil engineering and structural design

Explanation

Beer came from operations research and coined the term management cybernetics, applying cybernetic principles to organizations. His industrial and government consulting work, notably in Chile, shaped the model's practical orientation.

Question 2The history and evolution of VSM

The Viable System Model is best described as a framework for diagnosing whether an organization can do what?

  1. Standardize job descriptions across departments
  2. Eliminate all internal variation and redundancy
  3. Maintain its identity and survive in a changing environment Correct answer.
  4. Maximize short-term shareholder returns

Explanation

Viability in Beer's sense means the capacity of a system to maintain a separate existence and adapt to its environment. The model examines whether the necessary regulatory functions are present and balanced.

Question 3The history and evolution of VSM

In Beer's numbering, which system is responsible for the here-and-now operational activities that directly produce the organization's outputs?

  1. System 5
  2. System 4
  3. System 2
  4. System 1 Correct answer.

Explanation

System 1 comprises the operational units that carry out the primary activities and interact directly with the environment. The other systems provide coordination, management, intelligence, and policy functions around it.

Question 4The history and evolution of VSM

Beer's principle of recursion implies that a viable system contains viable systems, meaning what about structure?

  1. Only the top level needs regulatory functions
  2. Recursion applies solely to computer algorithms
  3. Each operational unit can itself be modeled with the full VSM Correct answer.
  4. Every organization has exactly five departments

Explanation

Recursion means that any viable system is composed of viable subsystems and is itself embedded in a larger viable system. The same structural logic therefore repeats at each level of analysis.

Question 5The history and evolution of VSM

Which concept did Beer borrow from Ashby to express the idea that a controller must possess at least as much variety as the situation it regulates?

  1. Autopoiesis
  2. Homeostasis
  3. Entropy
  4. Requisite variety Correct answer.

Explanation

Ashby's law of requisite variety states that only variety can absorb variety, so a regulator needs matching regulatory capacity. Beer made this law a cornerstone of the VSM's design logic.

Question 6The history and evolution of VSM

System 5 in the Viable System Model is primarily concerned with which function?

  1. Monitoring the external environment for threats
  2. Articulating organizational identity and policy Correct answer.
  3. Coordinating daily production schedules
  4. Auditing operational units for compliance

Explanation

System 5 represents the organization's ultimate identity, values, and policy decisions, closing the loop between present operations and future adaptation. It provides the reference point against which System 3 and System 4 balance is judged.

Question 7The history and evolution of VSM

Beer's early application of cybernetic management ideas to a national economy, conducted with the Chilean government under Salvador Allende, is commonly known by which name?

  1. Project Atlas
  2. Project MAC
  3. Project Cybersyn Correct answer.
  4. Project Delphi

Explanation

Cybersyn was the Chilean networked control project of the early 1970s, designed to support economic coordination using cybernetic principles. It is a landmark case in the history of management cybernetics.

Question 8The history and evolution of VSM

The VSM's treatment of an organization as a system that regulates itself through feedback loops places it most directly in which intellectual tradition?

  1. Classical bureaucratic theory
  2. Cybernetics and systems thinking Correct answer.
  3. Neoclassical microeconomics
  4. Behaviorist stimulus-response psychology

Explanation

The VSM draws on cybernetics, the study of control and communication in complex systems, and on general systems thinking. Feedback, variety, and self-regulation are its central analytical tools.

Question 9The history and evolution of VSM

A manager uses the VSM to examine a hospital and notices the emergency department, surgical unit, and outpatient clinic each operate with autonomy. In VSM terms, these units are best understood as what?

  1. System 4 intelligence functions
  2. A single System 2 coordination body
  3. System 1 operational units at one recursive level Correct answer.
  4. Multiple System 5 instances

Explanation

Each autonomous unit delivering primary services is a System 1 operation, and together they form the operational base of the hospital as a viable system. Autonomy with accountability is characteristic of System 1 units.

Question 10The history and evolution of VSM

In a manufacturing firm, a scheduling group resolves conflicts between production and maintenance over shared machine time. Which VSM system does this group most clearly exemplify?

  1. System 2 Correct answer.
  2. System 4
  3. System 5
  4. System 3

Explanation

System 2 provides coordination and damping of oscillations between operational units so they do not conflict destructively. A group mediating shared resource disputes fits this coordinating role.

Question 11The history and evolution of VSM

A manager applies Ashby's law of requisite variety to a customer service process overwhelmed by diverse complaints. Which action is most consistent with the principle?

  1. Reduce the number of complaint categories to one
  2. Ignore low-frequency complaints to save resources
  3. Centralize all decisions with a single supervisor
  4. Increase the service team's response repertoire and routing options Correct answer.

Explanation

Requisite variety requires the regulator's response capacity to match the variety it faces. Expanding the team's repertoire and routing options increases regulatory variety to absorb complaint variety.

Question 12The history and evolution of VSM

A firm's leadership devotes most attention to day-to-day operational efficiency while doing little environmental scanning. Which VSM imbalance does this suggest?

  1. Overemphasis on System 4 at the expense of System 3
  2. Overemphasis on System 3 at the expense of System 4 Correct answer.
  3. Failure of System 1 to produce outputs
  4. Excessive System 5 policy debate

Explanation

System 3 focuses on internal here-and-now control, while System 4 handles external and future adaptation. Neglecting environmental scanning indicates a 3-4 imbalance favoring internal efficiency.

Question 13The history and evolution of VSM

Beer argued that autonomy for operational units should be granted in exchange for accountability to higher levels. This arrangement is often described by which term?

  1. Laissez-faire delegation
  2. Autonomy with accountability Correct answer.
  3. Centralized command
  4. Matrix management

Explanation

The VSM grants System 1 units substantial autonomy to handle local variety, but ties it to accountability through reporting and resource negotiation with System 3. This balances local responsiveness with organizational cohesion.

Question 14The history and evolution of VSM

A consultant uses the VSM to diagnose why a small firm struggles to adapt to new competitors. Which system's weakness is most directly implicated in failing to sense environmental change?

  1. System 3
  2. System 2
  3. System 5
  4. System 4 Correct answer.

Explanation

System 4 is responsible for intelligence about the external environment and for proposing adaptations to the organization. Weak environmental sensing points to a System 4 deficiency.

Question 15The history and evolution of VSM

In VSM language, the environment of a viable system is often characterized by its complexity and unpredictability, which Beer referred to using which concept?

  1. Entropy
  2. Variety Correct answer.
  3. Synergy
  4. Equifinality

Explanation

Beer used variety to describe the number of possible states or behaviors a system or environment can exhibit. Managing environmental variety is central to VSM design.

Question 16The history and evolution of VSM

A VSM analyst argues that the organization's identity and values, set by System 5, should constrain decisions across all levels. Which rationale best supports this claim within the model?

  1. System 5 directly coordinates operational units to prevent conflict
  2. System 5 holds the ultimate decision-making authority over routine operations
  3. System 5 replaces System 4 during periods of stability
  4. System 5 provides the closure that defines the system's boundaries and purpose Correct answer.

Explanation

System 5 closes the system by defining its identity, purpose, and boundaries, which gives coherence to lower-level decisions. It does not micromanage operations but frames what the organization considers acceptable.

Question 17The history and evolution of VSM

Beer's work on the Viable System Model was significantly influenced by which earlier cybernetician whose law of requisite variety underpins the model?

  1. Gregory Bateson
  2. Heinz von Foerster
  3. Norbert Wiener
  4. W. Ross Ashby Correct answer.

Explanation

Ashby formulated the law of requisite variety, which Beer adopted as a foundational principle of organizational design. Beer explicitly credited Ashby's cybernetics in developing the VSM.

Question 18The history and evolution of VSM

An organization introduces a new internal reporting standard so that operational units use common metrics. In VSM terms, this initiative most directly strengthens which system?

  1. System 2 Correct answer.
  2. System 5
  3. System 1
  4. System 4

Explanation

Common reporting standards help coordinate and harmonize the interaction of operational units, which is the coordinating function of System 2. It reduces friction and oscillation between units.

Question 19The history and evolution of VSM

Which statement best captures the relationship between the VSM and Beer's earlier work on the Viable System Model's precursor, the 'neurocybernetic' model of the firm?

  1. The VSM generalized insights from modeling the firm as a brain-like control system Correct answer.
  2. The VSM abandoned biological metaphor entirely in favor of pure mathematics
  3. The VSM replaced cybernetics with classical management theory
  4. The VSM was developed independently with no relation to Beer's earlier models

Explanation

Beer drew analogies between organizational control and the nervous system, treating the firm as a brain-like regulator. The VSM generalized these neurocybernetic insights into a recursive structural model.

Question 20The history and evolution of VSM

A VSM analyst observes that a subsidiary has strong System 1 operations and a capable System 3 but no effective System 4 or System 5. What is the most defensible conclusion?

  1. The subsidiary should eliminate its System 2 to compensate
  2. The subsidiary risks short-term efficiency without long-term adaptation or coherent identity Correct answer.
  3. The subsidiary is fully viable because operations run efficiently
  4. The subsidiary has too much requisite variety in its environment

Explanation

Viability requires a balanced set of systems; strong internal control without environmental adaptation or identity risks decline. Missing System 4 and System 5 leaves the unit unable to sense change or set direction.

Question 21The history and evolution of VSM

Beer's concept of recursion has which implication for how the VSM should be applied in a large corporation?

  1. The model requires a single centralized System 5 for the entire corporation only
  2. The model forbids autonomous subunits within the corporation
  3. The model should be applied only at the corporate headquarters level
  4. The model can be applied at each level, with each unit containing its own primary activities and regulatory systems Correct answer.

Explanation

Recursion means the full VSM logic can be used to analyze each viable subunit as well as the whole. This allows consistent diagnosis at team, division, and corporate levels.

Question 22The history and evolution of VSM

Which historical development most directly extended Beer's VSM beyond single organizations toward networked, technology-supported economic coordination?

  1. The founding of the Tavistock Institute
  2. The rise of scientific management
  3. The Cybersyn project in Chile Correct answer.
  4. The development of the balanced scorecard

Explanation

Cybersyn applied cybernetic coordination at the level of a national economy using networked communication technology. It represents an extension of Beer's ideas beyond the single firm.

Question 23The history and evolution of VSM

In VSM terms, what distinguishes System 3 from System 3*?

  1. System 3* is identical to System 4
  2. System 3* replaces System 3 during crises
  3. System 3* is a sporadic audit channel that supplements System 3's routine reporting Correct answer.
  4. System 3* is the external environment interface

Explanation

System 3* denotes sporadic, direct audit or monitoring channels that let senior management verify information beyond routine reports. It compensates for the inevitable filtering in normal reporting lines.

Question 24The history and evolution of VSM

A manager claims that because the VSM specifies five systems, every organization must have exactly five departments. Why is this interpretation mistaken?

  1. Departments are irrelevant to the VSM
  2. The VSM actually specifies seven systems
  3. The five systems are functions, not departments, and may be distributed across many units Correct answer.
  4. The VSM applies only to non-profit organizations

Explanation

The five systems describe necessary regulatory functions, which can be fulfilled by various structures, committees, or individuals. They are not a prescription for departmental headcount.

Question 25The history and evolution of VSM

Which pairing of VSM system and primary concern is correct?

  1. System 5 - direct supervision of shop-floor work
  2. System 4 - coordination of operational oscillations
  3. System 3 - internal resource allocation and operational control Correct answer.
  4. System 2 - external environmental scanning

Explanation

System 3 manages the internal here-and-now, allocating resources and exercising operational control. The other pairings misassign coordination, scanning, and identity functions.

Question 26Identifying value streams

In value stream mapping, what is the primary purpose of selecting a product family before mapping?

  1. To choose a group of products that share similar process steps and equipment so one map represents them Correct answer.
  2. To select the single highest-volume product and ignore all others
  3. To group products by their selling price so financial value can be calculated
  4. To group products by customer region so shipping routes can be mapped

Explanation

A product family is a set of products that pass through similar processing steps and share common equipment. Mapping one family keeps the map readable and actionable; trying to map every product at once produces a confusing map. The family is chosen from process and equipment similarity, not price or geography.

Question 27Identifying value streams

A team is deciding which product family to map first. They find three families: A uses 12 shared process steps, B uses 4, and C uses 9. Which family most clearly qualifies as a value stream candidate for a first map?

  1. Family A, because the largest number of shared steps indicates the strongest common flow Correct answer.
  2. Family B, because fewer steps make the map quicker to draw
  3. Family C, because nine steps is the median of the three
  4. Family B, because a small family always has the highest customer value

Explanation

Value stream candidates are products that share the most processing steps and equipment. Family A's 12 shared steps indicate the strongest common flow and therefore the clearest value stream to map. Fewer steps or median counts are not selection criteria.

Question 28Identifying value streams

Which pair of elements is essential to draw the material flow on a current-state value stream map?

  1. Supplier contracts and marketing budgets
  2. Machine maintenance logs and safety incident reports
  3. Inventory triangles with quantities and process boxes with cycle times Correct answer.
  4. Customer satisfaction scores and employee headcount

Explanation

Material flow is depicted with process boxes, inventory triangles showing quantities and days of inventory, and transport arrows between them. Cycle times are recorded in the process box data. The other pairs are business metrics, not material-flow map elements.

Question 29Identifying value streams

A current-state map shows a process box with a cycle time of 45 seconds and a downstream inventory triangle holding 900 units. Demand is 600 units per day. What does the inventory triangle most directly represent?

  1. The supplier's delivery lead time
  2. The process's available capacity per shift
  3. The customer's daily order quantity
  4. The amount of work-in-process waiting between process steps Correct answer.

Explanation

Inventory triangles on a value stream map record work-in-process or finished goods waiting between steps, usually with a quantity and the days of inventory it represents. The 900 units are material waiting, not capacity, demand, or supplier lead time. Converting the quantity to days requires dividing by daily demand.

Question 30Identifying value streams

What is the main reason a value stream map includes both material flow and information flow?

  1. Because customers require information flow to be audited annually
  2. Because information flow determines the color scheme of the map
  3. Because material flow alone cannot show why a process waits Correct answer.
  4. Because information flow replaces the need for inventory data

Explanation

Material flow shows how product moves, but information flow shows how schedules and orders trigger production. Many delays are caused by information signals such as batch scheduling or push systems, so both flows are needed to diagnose waits. The map uses information flow to explain, not to decorate or replace data.

Question 31Identifying value streams

On a current-state map, a production control box sends a daily schedule to a machining process, and that process pushes parts to assembly regardless of downstream need. Which information-flow pattern is shown?

  1. A push system driven by a central schedule Correct answer.
  2. A pull system triggered by a downstream supermarket
  3. A FIFO lane with a fixed maximum quantity
  4. A kanban replenishment loop between two processes

Explanation

When production control issues a schedule directly to a process and that process produces regardless of downstream consumption, the map shows a push system. Pull systems instead use downstream signals such as kanban or supermarket replenishment. FIFO lanes control sequence and quantity but are not the same as a central push schedule.

Question 32Identifying value streams

Which term describes the total time a product spends in the value stream from order receipt to delivery, including both processing and waiting?

  1. Cycle time
  2. Changeover time
  3. Takt time
  4. Lead time Correct answer.

Explanation

Lead time, often called production lead time, is the total elapsed time a product spends in the value stream, including waiting in inventory. Cycle time is how often a process completes one unit, takt time is the pace of customer demand, and changeover time is setup duration. Lead time is the metric used to compare total flow time with value-added time.

Question 33Identifying value streams

A value stream map shows total lead time of 12 days and total value-added processing time of 36 minutes. What does the ratio of value-added time to lead time most directly indicate?

  1. The amount of inventory the supplier must hold
  2. The proportion of time the product is actually being worked on versus waiting Correct answer.
  3. The takt time needed to meet customer demand
  4. The number of operators required to staff the value stream

Explanation

Comparing value-added time with total lead time shows how much of the product's time in the stream is productive versus waiting. A very small ratio signals that most lead time is queue and inventory. The ratio does not calculate staffing, takt time, or supplier inventory.

Question 34Identifying value streams

What does takt time represent when identifying and analyzing a value stream?

  1. The pace at which customers require finished products to be completed Correct answer.
  2. The total time a unit spends waiting in inventory
  3. The maximum rate a machine can produce when running without stops
  4. The time required to change a process from one product to another

Explanation

Takt time is available production time divided by customer demand, so it sets the pace the value stream must meet. It is a demand-driven target, not a machine maximum or a setup duration. Waiting time in inventory is part of lead time, not takt time.

Question 35Identifying value streams

A value stream operates 480 minutes per shift and customer demand is 240 units per shift. What is the takt time?

  1. 240 minutes per unit
  2. 0.5 minutes per unit
  3. 480 minutes per unit
  4. 2 minutes per unit Correct answer.

Explanation

Takt time equals available time divided by customer demand: 480 minutes divided by 240 units equals 2 minutes per unit. This means one unit must be completed every two minutes to meet demand. The other values invert the calculation or restate the inputs.

Question 36Identifying value streams

Which symbol is conventionally used on a value stream map to represent a supermarket where downstream processes withdraw inventory?

  1. A circle with an arrow entering it
  2. A dashed arrow pointing upstream
  3. A triangle with an exclamation mark
  4. A rectangle with a grid of shelves Correct answer.

Explanation

A supermarket is drawn as a rectangle containing a grid of shelves, representing controlled inventory that downstream processes pull from. Triangles represent inventory or buffer stock, and dashed arrows represent information signals. Using the standard symbol keeps maps readable across teams.

Question 37Identifying value streams

A mapper wants to show that a downstream process withdraws material from a controlled inventory at a fixed pace. Which combination of symbols best represents this?

  1. An inventory triangle with no connecting arrow
  2. A production control box with a daily schedule arrow
  3. A supermarket symbol followed by a withdrawal arrow to the downstream process Correct answer.
  4. A push arrow from the supplier directly to the customer

Explanation

A supermarket symbol represents controlled inventory, and a withdrawal arrow shows the downstream process pulling material from it. Together they depict a pull relationship at a controlled pace. A push arrow or central schedule would represent the opposite logic.

Question 38Identifying value streams

Why is the current-state map always drawn before the future-state map when identifying a value stream?

  1. Because the current state is easier to draw and requires no data
  2. Because drawing the future state first would violate the takt time formula
  3. Because future-state maps are optional and rarely used
  4. Because the current state provides the baseline of actual flow, inventory, and delays that the future state must improve Correct answer.

Explanation

The current state documents how the value stream actually operates today, including real inventory levels, information flow, and delays. That baseline is needed to target improvements and measure whether the future state is better. The current state still requires data collection; it is not drawn without facts.

Question 39Identifying value streams

During a current-state walk, the team finds that a process runs a large batch every Friday and downstream inventory grows through the week. Which value stream characteristic does this most directly reveal?

  1. A balanced flow paced to takt time
  2. A batch-driven push pattern creating excess work-in-process Correct answer.
  3. A FIFO lane limiting queue size
  4. A pull system with a supermarket controlling inventory

Explanation

Producing in a large weekly batch and pushing output downstream causes work-in-process to accumulate, which is a classic batch-driven push pattern. A takt-paced flow or pull supermarket would keep inventory bounded. FIFO lanes also cap queue size, which is not what the observation shows.

Question 40Identifying value streams

What is the purpose of the value stream manager role once a value stream has been identified?

  1. To own improvement of the whole value stream across departments rather than optimizing one process Correct answer.
  2. To conduct individual performance reviews for every operator
  3. To supervise only the final assembly area
  4. To approve all capital purchases for the plant

Explanation

The value stream manager is accountable for the end-to-end flow and for removing barriers that cross departmental boundaries. This role exists because functional managers typically optimize their own areas. The role is not limited to one area, purchasing, or human-resource reviews.

Question 41Identifying value streams

A company identifies a value stream but assigns no one to own it; each department continues to optimize its own metrics. What is the most likely consequence for the value stream?

  1. Takt time will decrease without any process change
  2. Local optima will persist and end-to-end flow will remain fragmented Correct answer.
  3. Inventory triangles will disappear from the map
  4. Lead time will automatically shrink because each department improves

Explanation

Without an owner accountable for the whole stream, departments optimize locally and handoffs remain fragmented, so end-to-end lead time is unlikely to improve. Local efficiency gains do not automatically translate into flow. Takt time is set by demand and available time, not by ownership.

Question 42Identifying value streams

Which set of data is most appropriate to collect during a current-state value stream walk?

  1. Building lease terms and utility costs
  2. Employee home addresses and shift preferences
  3. Cycle time, changeover time, uptime, inventory quantity, and batch size at each process Correct answer.
  4. Competitor pricing and advertising spend

Explanation

A current-state walk collects process-level operating data such as cycle time, changeover time, uptime, inventory, and batch size, which populate the process boxes and inventory triangles. These data reveal where flow is interrupted. Administrative, commercial, and facilities data are outside the scope of the map.

Question 43Identifying value streams

While collecting data, a team finds that a process box records a cycle time of 30 seconds but operators report frequent short stops. Which additional data element should be captured to reflect this reality?

  1. The building's square footage
  2. The process uptime or availability percentage Correct answer.
  3. The customer's payment terms
  4. The number of suppliers in the region

Explanation

Uptime or availability records how often a process is actually running versus stopped, so it explains why effective output differs from cycle time alone. Cycle time assumes uninterrupted operation, which the reported stops contradict. Square footage, payment terms, and supplier counts do not describe process reliability.

Question 44Identifying value streams

A product family is being selected. Product X and product Y both pass through cutting, welding, and painting but X also requires a unique plating step used by no other product. How should the team treat product X?

  1. Merge product X with a completely unrelated family
  2. Exclude product X entirely because it has any unique step
  3. Include product X in the family if the shared steps dominate its routing, noting the unique step Correct answer.
  4. Map only the plating step for product X

Explanation

Product families are defined by dominant shared routing, not by absolute identity. If most of product X's steps are shared with Y, X belongs in the family, and the unique plating step can be noted as an exception. Excluding any product with one unique step would fragment families unnecessarily.

Question 45Identifying value streams

Which metric best expresses how much of the total lead time is spent on activities that actually transform the product?

  1. Rolled throughput yield
  2. Value-added ratio Correct answer.
  3. On-time delivery rate
  4. Overall equipment effectiveness

Explanation

The value-added ratio compares value-added processing time with total lead time, showing how much of the elapsed time is productive. Rolled throughput yield measures quality across steps, OEE measures equipment effectiveness, and on-time delivery measures service. Only the value-added ratio addresses time spent transforming versus waiting.

Question 46Identifying value streams

A value stream map shows a process with cycle time 50 seconds and takt time 60 seconds. What does this comparison most directly suggest about that process?

  1. The process is overstaffed and should be reduced
  2. The process can meet demand but has little margin for variation Correct answer.
  3. The process is unable to meet demand and is the bottleneck
  4. The process has no inventory before it

Explanation

Cycle time below takt time means the process can keep pace with demand, but a 50-versus-60-second gap leaves limited margin for stops or variation. A process above takt time would be the constraint. The comparison does not by itself reveal staffing levels or inventory.

Question 47Identifying value streams

What is the role of the customer icon and the supplier icon on a value stream map?

  1. They show the internal organizational chart
  2. They indicate which departments are responsible for quality
  3. They mark the beginning and end of the value stream's material and information boundaries Correct answer.
  4. They replace the need for process boxes

Explanation

The supplier icon sits at the upstream boundary and the customer icon at the downstream boundary, framing where material enters and where finished product leaves. They help define the scope of the value stream being mapped. They do not represent internal departments or replace process boxes.

Question 48Identifying value streams

A team is scoping a value stream map and debates whether to include the supplier's internal plant and the customer's internal distribution. What is the soundest scoping principle?

  1. Map from the point where the company's control begins to the point where the product reaches its customer, and note external interfaces Correct answer.
  2. Map every tier of every supplier and customer to be thorough
  3. Map only the single machine with the longest cycle time
  4. Map only the finance department's approval steps

Explanation

Effective scoping sets boundaries at the edges of the company's control and shows external interfaces as icons or notes. Mapping every upstream and downstream tier makes the map unmanageable, while mapping a single machine or an administrative step misses the flow. Scope should follow the product's path through the organization.

Question 49Identifying value streams

Two products share the same machine group but require very different setup times and run in very different batch sizes. Why might they still be placed in separate value stream maps?

  1. Because batch size determines the customer icon's position
  2. Because setup time is irrelevant to value stream mapping
  3. Because shared equipment alone does not guarantee similar flow behavior Correct answer.
  4. Because value streams must always contain exactly one product

Explanation

Family selection considers flow behavior, not just shared equipment. Large differences in setup time and batch size can produce different inventory and lead-time patterns, so separate maps may be clearer. Value streams routinely contain multiple products, and setup time is a key data element.

Question 50Identifying value streams

Which information-flow element indicates that a downstream process authorizes upstream production by sending a signal?

  1. A solid material arrow
  2. An inventory triangle
  3. A truck shipment icon
  4. A kanban signal arrow Correct answer.

Explanation

A kanban signal arrow shows that a downstream process is authorizing upstream production or replenishment. Solid arrows show material movement, triangles show inventory, and truck icons show transport. The signal arrow is the element that captures pull authorization.