Appendix B — Glossary
This glossary collects the industrial and manufacturing engineering terms highlighted throughout the book. Each entry shows a category badge, which tells you which part of the field the term belongs to.
0–9
5S Lean
A workplace organization method with five steps, Sort, Set in order, Shine, Standardize, and Sustain.
A
Additive manufacturing Manufacturing
Building parts layer by layer directly from a digital model; commonly called 3D printing.
Assembly line History
A production arrangement in which work moves from station to station in a fixed sequence, with each station adding parts or operations.
Automation Manufacturing
Using machines and control systems to perform tasks with reduced human intervention.
B
Bottleneck Operations
The resource or step with the least capacity relative to demand; it limits the throughput of the entire system.
C
Capacity Operations
The maximum output a resource or system can produce in a given period under normal conditions.
CNC Manufacturing
Computer numerical control; machine tools whose motions are directed by programmed instructions.
Control chart Quality
A time-ordered plot of a process measurement with statistically calculated control limits used to distinguish common-cause from special-cause variation.
Critical path Project Management
The longest sequence of dependent tasks in a project; any delay on it delays project completion.
Cycle time Operations
The time between completions of successive units at a workstation or process; sometimes used for the total time one unit spends in the process.
D
Data analytics Data
Examining data to find patterns, draw conclusions, and support decisions.
Descriptive statistics Data
Numerical and graphical summaries of data, such as the mean, median, standard deviation, and histogram.
Digital twin Modeling
A virtual model of a physical asset or system that is continuously updated with real data to monitor, predict, and optimize performance.
DMAIC Quality
The Six Sigma improvement cycle of Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control.
E
Efficiency Profession
How well a process converts inputs into useful outputs, often expressed as actual output divided by standard or expected output.
Engineering economics Profession
The analysis of costs, benefits, and the time value of money to compare engineering alternatives.
Ergonomics Human Factors
The science of designing jobs, tools, and workplaces to fit human capabilities and limitations; also called human factors engineering.
F
Facility layout Supply Chain
The arrangement of departments, workstations, and equipment within a facility to support efficient flow.
G
Gantt chart Project Management
A bar chart that shows project tasks against a timeline, including start dates, durations, and dependencies.
H
Human factors Human Factors
The study of how people interact with systems, used to design work that is safe, comfortable, and resistant to error.
I
Industrial engineering Profession
The branch of engineering concerned with the design, improvement, and installation of integrated systems of people, materials, information, equipment, and energy.
Industry 4.0 Industry 4.0
The fourth industrial revolution, in which connected sensors, data analytics, and automation create smart, adaptive production systems.
Internet of Things Industry 4.0
Networks of physical devices with sensors and connectivity that collect and exchange data; often abbreviated IoT.
Inventory Supply Chain
Stock of materials, work-in-process, or finished goods held to buffer against uncertainty in supply and demand.
J
Just-in-time Lean
A production strategy that makes and delivers exactly what is needed, when it is needed, in the quantity needed.
K
Kaizen Lean
Japanese for continuous improvement; small, ongoing improvements made by everyone in an organization.
Kanban Lean
A visual signal, often a card or bin, that authorizes production or movement of material only when it is needed downstream.
L
Lead time Operations
The total elapsed time from when an order is placed until it is delivered to the customer.
Lean manufacturing Lean
A philosophy, derived from the Toyota Production System, that maximizes customer value by systematically eliminating waste.
Linear programming Modeling
An optimization method in which the objective and all constraints are linear functions of the decision variables.
Little’s Law Operations
The relationship WIP = throughput × flow time, which holds for any stable system over the long run.
Logistics Supply Chain
Planning and controlling the movement and storage of goods, services, and information from origin to consumption.
M
Manufacturing engineering Profession
The branch of engineering that plans, designs, and improves the processes, tooling, and equipment used to turn raw materials into finished products.
Mass production History
Making large volumes of standardized products, often on assembly lines, to achieve low unit cost.
Motion study Human Factors
The analysis of the body motions used to perform a task in order to eliminate unnecessary motions and reduce effort, pioneered by Frank and Lillian Gilbreth.
Muda Lean
Japanese for waste; any activity that consumes resources without adding value for the customer.
O
Operations research Modeling
The application of mathematical models, statistics, and algorithms to support better decisions in complex systems.
Optimization Modeling
Finding the best decision, such as minimum cost or maximum profit, subject to constraints.
P
PDCA Quality
The Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle for iterative improvement, popularized by W. Edwards Deming.
Process flowchart Operations
A diagram that shows the sequence of steps, decisions, and flows in a process using standard symbols.
Productivity Profession
The ratio of outputs produced to inputs consumed, such as units per labor hour.
Project management Project Management
Applying knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to plan and execute a temporary effort that creates a unique result.
Q
Quality Quality
The degree to which a product or service meets customer requirements and is free of defects.
R
Root cause analysis Quality
A structured method for finding the underlying cause of a problem, using tools such as the 5 Whys and fishbone diagrams.
S
Scientific management History
A management approach, associated with Frederick W. Taylor, that uses systematic observation and measurement to find better methods of work.
Simulation Modeling
Imitating the operation of a real system over time with a computer model to evaluate designs and policies without disrupting the real system.
Six Sigma Quality
A data-driven improvement methodology that aims to reduce defects to about 3.4 per million opportunities, typically following the DMAIC cycle.
Standard time Human Factors
The time a qualified worker needs to complete a task at a normal pace, including allowances for personal needs, fatigue, and delays.
Statistical process control Quality
The use of statistical methods, especially control charts, to monitor a process and detect when it changes.
Subtractive manufacturing Manufacturing
Making parts by removing material from a solid workpiece, as in milling, turning, and drilling.
Supply chain Supply Chain
The network of organizations, facilities, and flows that sources materials, makes products, and delivers them to customers.
System Profession
A set of interacting components (people, machines, materials, information) organized to achieve a common purpose.
Systems thinking Profession
An approach that studies how the parts of a system interact and influence the whole, rather than optimizing parts in isolation.
T
Takt time Lean
The pace of production required to meet customer demand, equal to available working time divided by customer demand.
Therblig Human Factors
One of the elemental motions (such as search, grasp, transport, and hold) defined by the Gilbreths for analyzing manual work; the word is Gilbreth spelled nearly backward.
Throughput Operations
The rate at which a system produces good output, such as parts per hour or patients per day.
Time study Human Factors
A work measurement technique that times a qualified worker performing a task to establish a standard time.
Toyota Production System Lean
Toyota’s integrated approach to production built on just-in-time flow and jidoka (automation with a human touch); the origin of lean.
U
Utilization Operations
The fraction of available time a resource is actually busy, calculated as time used divided by time available.
V
Value stream map Lean
A diagram of all the material and information flows required to deliver a product, used to identify waste and plan improvements.
Variation Quality
The natural differences among outputs of a process; reducing unwanted variation is a central goal of quality engineering.
W
Work breakdown structure Project Management
A hierarchical decomposition of a project into smaller, manageable deliverables and tasks.
Work-in-process Operations
Inventory that has started production but is not yet finished; often abbreviated WIP.