CM LEAN STUDY UNITS 1–7
Updated Exam-Style Questions, Correct Answers &
Rationales
150 original multiple-choice practice questions • A/B/C/D format • Answers and rationales immediately after each question
Study-use note: This PDF is an original practice bank based on publicly documented CM-Lean / Lean Construction Education
Program concepts. It does not reproduce confidential, leaked, or purportedly 'actual' exam questions. The official CM-Lean exam
is a 150-question, four-option multiple-choice assessment; the unit distribution used here follows the publicly documented LCEP
1.0 distribution (Units 1–7).
Color key: Questions are blue, answer lines are green, and rationales are purple for quick review.
Unit 1: Variation in Production Systems
1. Which statement best describes workflow in a production system?
A. A list of project stakeholders
B. The final inspection performed at project closeout
C. The amount of money spent on labor
D. The progression of work within a trade or from one trade to another
Correct Answer: D. The progression of work within a trade or from one trade to another
Rationale: Workflow describes how work progresses through production and between trades.
2. What is the primary effect of variation on workflow?
A. It guarantees shorter cycle times
B. It eliminates the need for coordination
C. It always increases throughput
D. It interrupts workflow and can cause downstream trades to wait
Correct Answer: D. It interrupts workflow and can cause downstream trades to wait
Rationale: Variation can disrupt the planned sequence and leave following crews waiting.
3. Which three conditions are needed to start an activity?
A. Directives, prerequisite work, and resources
B. Budget, contract, and closeout documents
C. Design, procurement, and commissioning
D. Inspection, punch list, and warranty
Correct Answer: A. Directives, prerequisite work, and resources
Rationale: An activity needs the necessary information/directives, prerequisite work, and resources.
CM-Lean Units 1–7 • Original exam-style practice Page 1
, 4. A planning failure occurs when:
A. directives, prerequisite work, or resources are unavailable
B. an activity has started but finishes early
C. the crew exceeds its productivity target
D. a customer changes a preference after completion
Correct Answer: A. directives, prerequisite work, or resources are unavailable
Rationale: Planning failures occur before execution when required inputs are not ready.
5. An execution failure is best described as:
A. A project has no budget
B. A design has not been conceptualized
C. A task cannot start because a prerequisite is missing
D. A task has started but cannot finish as planned
Correct Answer: D. A task has started but cannot finish as planned
Rationale: Execution/performance variation occurs after work begins and prevents planned completion.
6. What are directives in lean construction?
A. Information or instructions needed to perform an activity
B. Only labor contracts
C. A list of completed punch-list items
D. Only safety statistics
Correct Answer: A. Information or instructions needed to perform an activity
Rationale: Directives include information such as drawings, specifications, and inspection requirements.
7. What is prerequisite work?
A. Work performed after project closeout
B. Prior work required before the next activity can begin
C. Optional work added to the project
D. Only work done by the owner
Correct Answer: B. Prior work required before the next activity can begin
Rationale: Prerequisite work is the preceding work that must be complete for the next activity to start.
8. Resources for an activity generally include:
A. Only design documents
B. Only money and schedules
C. Materials, labor, and equipment
D. Only subcontractors
Correct Answer: C. Materials, labor, and equipment
Rationale: Resources are the material, labor, and equipment required to execute the work.
CM-Lean Units 1–7 • Original exam-style practice Page 2
, 9. What is a capacity buffer?
A. A customer satisfaction survey
B. A list of design changes
C. A material inspection report
D. A reserve of capacity in a crew or operation
Correct Answer: D. A reserve of capacity in a crew or operation
Rationale: Capacity buffers provide reserve capacity that can absorb variation.
10. What is a schedule buffer?
A. Work outside the critical path that can serve as backup for planned work
B. Extra money held by the owner
C. A design alternative
D. A mandatory safety meeting
Correct Answer: A. Work outside the critical path that can serve as backup for planned work
Rationale: Schedule buffers provide planned flexibility when scheduled work is disrupted.
11. Two broad strategies for variation mitigation are:
A. Delay all decisions and add overtime
B. Increase WIP and batch larger
C. Increase scope and reduce inspections
D. Buffer variation and reduce/remove variation
Correct Answer: D. Buffer variation and reduce/remove variation
Rationale: Lean approaches either absorb variation with buffers or attack its causes.
12. Which situation is an example of special-cause variation?
A. A routine average cycle time
B. A standard work instruction
C. An unexpected equipment breakdown
D. Normal differences inherent in a stable process
Correct Answer: C. An unexpected equipment breakdown
Rationale: Special causes arise from identifiable external or unusual factors, such as breakdowns.
13. Common-cause variation is:
A. Variation internal to the normal production process
B. A deliberate schedule change
C. Only weather-related variation
D. Always caused by one individual
Correct Answer: A. Variation internal to the normal production process
Rationale: Common causes are sources of variation inherent in the process itself.
CM-Lean Units 1–7 • Original exam-style practice Page 3
, 14. What does overburden (muri) mean?
A. Work is completed ahead of schedule
B. Too much work is assigned to a production unit for it to handle
C. Inventory is eliminated
D. A project is under budget
Correct Answer: B. Too much work is assigned to a production unit for it to handle
Rationale: Muri refers to overloading people or systems beyond their practical capacity.
15. What is the process mean?
A. The average of results produced by a process
B. The maximum possible production
C. The number of subcontractors
D. The project's final cost
Correct Answer: A. The average of results produced by a process
Rationale: The process mean is the average result of a production process.
16. What is takt time?
A. The time needed to approve a change order
B. The total project duration
C. The duration of a safety meeting
D. The time available/required per unit to meet demand at a production unit
Correct Answer: D. The time available/required per unit to meet demand at a production unit
Rationale: Takt establishes the production rhythm needed to meet demand.
17. What is throughput?
A. The number of unresolved RFIs
B. The number of project meetings
C. The total amount of stored material
D. The rate at which a system completes output
Correct Answer: D. The rate at which a system completes output
Rationale: Throughput describes completed output flowing through a system over time.
18. Which statement best distinguishes predictable from reliable workflow?
A. Predictable concerns consistency of forecasting; reliable concerns sustained consistency of the system
B. They are always identical terms
C. Reliable applies only to equipment
D. Predictable means expensive and reliable means cheap
Correct Answer: A. Predictable concerns consistency of forecasting; reliable concerns sustained consistency
of the system
Rationale: The concepts overlap but distinguish forecasting from longer-term system consistency.
CM-Lean Units 1–7 • Original exam-style practice Page 4
Updated Exam-Style Questions, Correct Answers &
Rationales
150 original multiple-choice practice questions • A/B/C/D format • Answers and rationales immediately after each question
Study-use note: This PDF is an original practice bank based on publicly documented CM-Lean / Lean Construction Education
Program concepts. It does not reproduce confidential, leaked, or purportedly 'actual' exam questions. The official CM-Lean exam
is a 150-question, four-option multiple-choice assessment; the unit distribution used here follows the publicly documented LCEP
1.0 distribution (Units 1–7).
Color key: Questions are blue, answer lines are green, and rationales are purple for quick review.
Unit 1: Variation in Production Systems
1. Which statement best describes workflow in a production system?
A. A list of project stakeholders
B. The final inspection performed at project closeout
C. The amount of money spent on labor
D. The progression of work within a trade or from one trade to another
Correct Answer: D. The progression of work within a trade or from one trade to another
Rationale: Workflow describes how work progresses through production and between trades.
2. What is the primary effect of variation on workflow?
A. It guarantees shorter cycle times
B. It eliminates the need for coordination
C. It always increases throughput
D. It interrupts workflow and can cause downstream trades to wait
Correct Answer: D. It interrupts workflow and can cause downstream trades to wait
Rationale: Variation can disrupt the planned sequence and leave following crews waiting.
3. Which three conditions are needed to start an activity?
A. Directives, prerequisite work, and resources
B. Budget, contract, and closeout documents
C. Design, procurement, and commissioning
D. Inspection, punch list, and warranty
Correct Answer: A. Directives, prerequisite work, and resources
Rationale: An activity needs the necessary information/directives, prerequisite work, and resources.
CM-Lean Units 1–7 • Original exam-style practice Page 1
, 4. A planning failure occurs when:
A. directives, prerequisite work, or resources are unavailable
B. an activity has started but finishes early
C. the crew exceeds its productivity target
D. a customer changes a preference after completion
Correct Answer: A. directives, prerequisite work, or resources are unavailable
Rationale: Planning failures occur before execution when required inputs are not ready.
5. An execution failure is best described as:
A. A project has no budget
B. A design has not been conceptualized
C. A task cannot start because a prerequisite is missing
D. A task has started but cannot finish as planned
Correct Answer: D. A task has started but cannot finish as planned
Rationale: Execution/performance variation occurs after work begins and prevents planned completion.
6. What are directives in lean construction?
A. Information or instructions needed to perform an activity
B. Only labor contracts
C. A list of completed punch-list items
D. Only safety statistics
Correct Answer: A. Information or instructions needed to perform an activity
Rationale: Directives include information such as drawings, specifications, and inspection requirements.
7. What is prerequisite work?
A. Work performed after project closeout
B. Prior work required before the next activity can begin
C. Optional work added to the project
D. Only work done by the owner
Correct Answer: B. Prior work required before the next activity can begin
Rationale: Prerequisite work is the preceding work that must be complete for the next activity to start.
8. Resources for an activity generally include:
A. Only design documents
B. Only money and schedules
C. Materials, labor, and equipment
D. Only subcontractors
Correct Answer: C. Materials, labor, and equipment
Rationale: Resources are the material, labor, and equipment required to execute the work.
CM-Lean Units 1–7 • Original exam-style practice Page 2
, 9. What is a capacity buffer?
A. A customer satisfaction survey
B. A list of design changes
C. A material inspection report
D. A reserve of capacity in a crew or operation
Correct Answer: D. A reserve of capacity in a crew or operation
Rationale: Capacity buffers provide reserve capacity that can absorb variation.
10. What is a schedule buffer?
A. Work outside the critical path that can serve as backup for planned work
B. Extra money held by the owner
C. A design alternative
D. A mandatory safety meeting
Correct Answer: A. Work outside the critical path that can serve as backup for planned work
Rationale: Schedule buffers provide planned flexibility when scheduled work is disrupted.
11. Two broad strategies for variation mitigation are:
A. Delay all decisions and add overtime
B. Increase WIP and batch larger
C. Increase scope and reduce inspections
D. Buffer variation and reduce/remove variation
Correct Answer: D. Buffer variation and reduce/remove variation
Rationale: Lean approaches either absorb variation with buffers or attack its causes.
12. Which situation is an example of special-cause variation?
A. A routine average cycle time
B. A standard work instruction
C. An unexpected equipment breakdown
D. Normal differences inherent in a stable process
Correct Answer: C. An unexpected equipment breakdown
Rationale: Special causes arise from identifiable external or unusual factors, such as breakdowns.
13. Common-cause variation is:
A. Variation internal to the normal production process
B. A deliberate schedule change
C. Only weather-related variation
D. Always caused by one individual
Correct Answer: A. Variation internal to the normal production process
Rationale: Common causes are sources of variation inherent in the process itself.
CM-Lean Units 1–7 • Original exam-style practice Page 3
, 14. What does overburden (muri) mean?
A. Work is completed ahead of schedule
B. Too much work is assigned to a production unit for it to handle
C. Inventory is eliminated
D. A project is under budget
Correct Answer: B. Too much work is assigned to a production unit for it to handle
Rationale: Muri refers to overloading people or systems beyond their practical capacity.
15. What is the process mean?
A. The average of results produced by a process
B. The maximum possible production
C. The number of subcontractors
D. The project's final cost
Correct Answer: A. The average of results produced by a process
Rationale: The process mean is the average result of a production process.
16. What is takt time?
A. The time needed to approve a change order
B. The total project duration
C. The duration of a safety meeting
D. The time available/required per unit to meet demand at a production unit
Correct Answer: D. The time available/required per unit to meet demand at a production unit
Rationale: Takt establishes the production rhythm needed to meet demand.
17. What is throughput?
A. The number of unresolved RFIs
B. The number of project meetings
C. The total amount of stored material
D. The rate at which a system completes output
Correct Answer: D. The rate at which a system completes output
Rationale: Throughput describes completed output flowing through a system over time.
18. Which statement best distinguishes predictable from reliable workflow?
A. Predictable concerns consistency of forecasting; reliable concerns sustained consistency of the system
B. They are always identical terms
C. Reliable applies only to equipment
D. Predictable means expensive and reliable means cheap
Correct Answer: A. Predictable concerns consistency of forecasting; reliable concerns sustained consistency
of the system
Rationale: The concepts overlap but distinguish forecasting from longer-term system consistency.
CM-Lean Units 1–7 • Original exam-style practice Page 4
