Success factors characterisation towards Six Sigma implementation in Indian industries

Abstract

A common approach used in developing Six Sigma, Lean Six Sigma or other quality improvement framework is to identify the factors/elements that are believed to be critical to the successful implementation of these concepts. Several studies were conducted to identify critical success factors for Six Sigma implementation in a specific category of industries in a country. In this paper, literature review, industry experience and brainstorming are utilised to identify the possible critical success factors (CSF) responsible for successful implementation of Six Sigma. These success factors are identified for three types of industries: manufacturing, business process outsourced (BPO) organisations, information technology (IT) and information technology enabled services (ITeS) organisations. The survey data, based on questionnaire design, are analysed using suitable statistical techniques like cluster analysis, similarity matrix analysis and market basket analysis to identify the critical success factors both for overall industry and also segment wise. The findings from this work would be useful for industries to make Six Sigma implementation focused and also help them to utilise resources optimally.