Sigma Program Research Articles

Knowledge Focused Six Sigma (KFSS): A methodology to calculate Six Sigma intellectual capital

Organisations, which decide to initiate a Six Sigma programme, need to acquire and internalise the programme knowledge, in addition to creating, using and sharing the knowledge created through improvements. A methodology, namely Knowledge Focused Six Sigma (KFSS), designed in accordance with critical success factors for Six Sigma deployment and reinforced with knowledge management principles, becomes a necessity for a winning programme. KFSS methodology, designed to enhance the deployment and increase the benefits of the programme, also allows the organisations to assess their Six Sigma Intellectual Capital because with Six Sigma, there are not only financial benefits and number of belts, but also the organisation's intellectual capital increases.

Developing a capability model of Six Sigma implementation: a comparative study of CSF of Six Sigma implementation between manufacturing and service sectors in Uzbekistan

This research is intended to carry out a comparative study between key successes factors of Six Sigma implementation in manufacturing and service companies in Uzbekistan and develop a capability model of Six Sigma implementation. In the intense competitive environment with customer demanding higher quality products and services, companies look for ways to improve their operational performance to respond to customer expectations. There has been a significant increase in the application of Six Sigma in industry over the past decade. Success stories of organisations that implemented Six Sigma and reaped huge benefits are generating a rising interest of many CEOs and organisations. Organisations need to have a Road Map (a capability model) for Six Sigma implementation before embarking on Six Sigma programmes. Data were collected from a sample of 107 companies in Uzbekistan selected at a random. The research findings showed that key success factors of Six Sigma implementation differ between manufacturing and service companies. Top management factor had been shown to have insignificant impact on success of Six Sigma implementation.

A Research Agenda for Six Sigma Research

Since its inception, Six Sigma has been adopted by many organizations in a wide variety of industries, and has continued to deliver positive results after years of experience. Rich anecdotal evidence supports the effectiveness of Six Sigma in improving quality, productivity, cost, customer satisfaction, sales, and profitability. Six Sigma has also been found to be effective in translating strategic goals into actionable projects and in developing leaders.These positive reports suggest that Six Sigma deserves serious research attention. To date, however, few research articles have addressed Six Sigma. To close this research gap, the authors first conducted a nearly exhaustive search of the Six Sigma academic and practitioner literature. They then conducted numerous focus group meetings with expert practitioners, interacted with senior managers in executive seminars, and networked with leading researchers. They also gained first-hand experience through involvement in many Six Sigma programs.From the authors' critical analysis of the Six Sigma literature, they make four important observations. First, it is nearly impossible to develop a formal conceptual definition of Six Sigma. Second, they identify five views of Six Sigma and argue for the program view. Third, they identify five core elements that are a part of nearly all Six Sigma programs. Fourth, from this program view and set of core elements, the authors identify eight important program view research questions and lay the research foundation for each of these questions. Based on these observations, they challenge the academic and practitioner communities to work collaboratively to find practical research-based answers to each of their eight questions.

Defect control analysis for improving quality and productivity: an innovative Six Sigma case study

This research study proposes an innovative analysis for controlling the defects in aluminium die casting industry. In this analysis, casting process of a two-stroke engine oil pump body is concentrated. The component selected has often rejected due to blow hole defects. Six Sigma, the zero defect approach, is used in this study. Define measure, analyse, improve and control (DMAIC) problem solving methodology is applied for problem analysis. Taguchi’s experimental design is used for process validation and improvement. The confirmation experiment showed that the rejection rate was reduced to 4.8% from 17.22%. The application of Six Sigma program with Taguchi technique has developed an innovative cost effective methodology for controlling defects in die casting process in less experimental time.

Outcomes from a descriptive survey of Six Sigma management practices in Brazil

PurposeThe utilisation of Six Sigma and its associated techniques has yielded results that deserve a more detailed evaluation, since there is relatively little information published on the application of Six Sigma in developing countries. The objective of this work is to present the results of an exploratory‐descriptive field study, which was done to survey a series of practices related to Six Sigma programmes at companies that have adopted them.Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents a descriptive survey. More than 100 Six Sigma users were identified and contacted by telephone to respond a questionnaire. Two remembering letters were sent to companies that did not answer the survey resulting in a response rate of approximately 65 per cent, which can be considered suitable by the literature for a descriptive survey.FindingsThe results obtained from the survey revealed that the application of Six Sigma in Brazil is a reality. However, it concluded that the programme was adopted by large‐size companies that invest in infrastructure and training of their personnel, making it possible to obtain the financial benefits desired.Research limitations/implicationsThis is not a probabilistic study and, therefore, the external validity is limited. The paper also considers perspectives for future research on the use of techniques and tools associated to the application of the programme as well as factors of failure in its utilisation.Originality/valueThis paper is one of the few published studies that report and discuss Six Sigma programmes in developing countries.

Six Sigma project selection methodology

PurposeThe selection of right projects in a Six Sigma program is a major concern for early success and long‐term acceptance within any organization. One of the ever‐increasing challenges is to define and select right measure for improvement and appropriate problem definition. Many projects encounter the problem of no linkage with business objectives or customer needs, too large or high‐level project scope along with unclear problem and goal statement. Improperly, chosen metrics lead to sub‐optimal behavior and can lead people away from the organization's goal instead of joining them. This paper aims to propose a project selection methodology for different situations.Design/methodology/approachThis research develops a model for project identification; ensuring well‐defined projects are selected having large impact on customer satisfaction or bottom line. The model is described for the situations: availability of performance data, balanced business score card implemented and no data is available.FindingsA “top‐down approach” model is developed for project selection, since top management support for Six Sigma initiatives is absolutely critical to see tangible, significant results. The authors suggest establishing the linkage with data (either reactive or survey), otherwise through prioritization tool for project selection. Finally, factors influencing successful Six Sigma projects include management commitment; project selection and control skill, irrespective of whether this is a define, measure, analyze, improve and control or define, measure, analyze, design and validate/verify project.Originality/valueThis approach will help the organizations to select the specific project from multivariate organizational and customer needs. Three different methods for project selection are explained with examples and reasons for selection. Merits and demerits of each method are also highlighted.

Improving Business Intelligence

Business Intelligence has never been examined with the same rigor as demanded for any other organization investments. Although global investment in Business Intelligence has reached over 6 billion dollars, business managers continue to follow tradition and leave the management of business intelligence to the technocrats. In this paper, the author proposes that a critical need exists to apply the same six sigma methods, which have worked for the rest of the organization to business intelligence operations and products. This proven structured approach, including the associated rigor and metrics, can be customized and integrated into a program which will allow effective management of business intelligence. The proposed Six Sigma program for business intelligence will ensure that an organization can gain control, improve understanding of operations and products, and improve the value of this crucial organization investment.

The wisdom of the coach: A review of managerial coaching in the Six Sigma context

This article makes the case for integrating coaching training into Six Sigma activities. It reviews the literature in the areas of process improvement, quality, leadership, and managerial coaching to show how the implementation of managerial coaching training for Six Sigma black belts would have a positive effect on the accumulation of knowledge within an organisation, thus enhancing the potential benefits of a Six Sigma process improvement effort. Current literature calls for practitioners and scholars to address Six Sigma black belts' lack of training in those soft skills that promote success and advancement within the Six Sigma project team setting. Coaching, defined as the facilitation of individual learning within an organisation, is vital to the growth of organisational learning. This paper incorporates current literature to show the inherent link between managerial coaching practice and expertise and the sustainability of Six Sigma programmes, which is essential for many companies to maintain a competitive advantage.

Aplicação do programa Seis Sigma em uma indústria de abate de frangos

In recent years, the poultry slaughter industry has sought to strengthen its processes, looking to meet the market needs. To contribute to the development of these processes, new methods have been created, among which is the Six Sigma program. The present study shows the use of this program at a chicken slaughterhouse, with the objective of demonstrating the best practices to define and conduct a project centered on improving the quality of processes. To that end, the methodology and criteria were defined to identify problems and select projects, as well as applying the Six Sigma program with the use of DMAIC in a previously selected project, looking to demonstrate the development of the program. Project application is shown in six stages, through a map of reasoning for each stage or step, which shows the details of the statistics techniques used until the action plan space. The verification and standardization phases of the processes are not contemplated in this study. The final results demonstrate the benefits of using the program and the importance of maintaining the database with the involvement of people for its success.

Critical analysis of Six Sigma implementation

The Six Sigma programme has recently gained popularity throughout the world. There are a number of claims of its successes as well as failures. Successful claims are mostly supported in the literature with the popular case studies of Motorola, GE, and some other American companies. Based on the popularity of these success stories, many companies started implementation of this programme. Some did it successfully while many failed to achieve the desired results. This paper explores and analyses the critical success and failure factors of implementing Six Sigma in organisations based on lessons drawn from real life practices and case studies, as well as available literature. The paper also draws useful conclusions and recommendations for strategists, CEO’s and quality managers on how to effectively implement Six Sigma.

Process improvement projects shortcomings and resolution

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe a business management system that addresses the following issue: Lean Six Sigma, total quality management, and other process improvement efforts center on the execution of process improvement projects; however, often these projects (e.g. Lean Six Sigma Black Belt projects) are identified in silos and do not benefit the business as a whole, e.g. $125 million is reported saved, but nobody can find the money.Design/methodology/approachThe paper “Where process‐improvement projects go wrong,” Wall Street Journal, January 25, 2010 (www.smartersolutions.com/blog/forrestbreyfogle/?p=2726) elaborates on the shortcomings of typical process improvement efforts by building an analog between process improvement programs and a spring's stress‐strain curve – stretching, yielding, and failing. To address the described issues, process improvement efforts need to be part of an overall enhanced business management system in order to have long‐lasting success. This structured organizational framework should integrate predictive scorecards with targeted strategies creation that blends analytics with innovation, which lead to the establishment of functional performance goals that pull for the creation of enterprise‐as‐a‐whole‐beneficial improvement projects, which positively impacts these target objectives.FindingsThe described nine‐step Integrated Enterprise Excellence (IEE) business management system provides the framework for achievement of these above‐described needs. The IEE system, for example, blends analytics with theory of constraints, competitive assessments, and economic environment so that created project work efforts have a whole‐system‐performance measurement benefit.Research limitations/implicationsIn Lean Six Sigma and Lean kaizen event programs, improvement projects are often selected from a brainstorming‐list of potential opportunities. Initial gains when starting such a deployment can be achieved; however, this effort typically stalls out and the process improvement teams are laid‐off when times get tough. The reason for this rough‐time downsizing is that the previous team process improvement project efforts were not, in the eyes of executives, expended in areas so that a significant overall enterprise benefit was achieved. IEE provides a business management system for addresses these issues so that business improvement efforts have a whole‐organization benefit.Practical implicationsThe IEE system can be used by management to address the business management problems of the day, e.g. management issues that led to the financial crisis and the problems that Toyota is now experiencing.Originality/valueMany who have studied the IEE system have said that this system provides a framework for how business should be run and should be taught in business schools.

Programa seis sigma em pequenas e médias empresas: revisão e recomendações

The objectives of this paper are to describe the state of art of Six Sigma studies in small and medium enterprises (SME) and to make some research suggestions to enlarge the frontiers of knowledge about the theme. The methods applied are based on the systematic and organized review of literature using a variety of classifications, tables and graphics specifically developed to this study. Results highlight research needs related to Six Sigma programs in general in the SME context, but mainly related to these topics: the use of those programs as competitive strategy in SME, comparisons of their use in SME and big enterprises, empirical researches about their success factors in SME, implementation models of those programs in SME and conceptual studies on the implications and potentialities of Six Sigma in SME considering the particularities of those organizations. The conclusions invite readers to do researches about those themes and studies that consider the reality of Six Sigma in Brazilian SME.

Corporate Governance and Adoption of Management Fashions : A Case of Six Sigma Program in Korea

Corporate Governance and Adoption of Management Fashions : A Case of Six Sigma Program in Korea

A Six Sigma approach to the rate and clinical effect of registration errors in a laboratory

BackgroundLaboratory errors made during the pre-analytical phase can have an impact on clinical care. Quality management tools such as Six Sigma may help improve error rates.AimTo use elements of a...

The effect of Six Sigma projects on innovation and firm performance

The paper develops a theoretical base for the effect of Six Sigma projects on innovation and firm performance. It has been proposed that Six Sigma projects enhance technological innovation of the firms; however, they are beneficial for firms in stable environments. Since Six Sigma programs are focused on variance reduction and efficiency, these initiatives are not very effective in dynamic environments, where the rate of technological change is dramatic. With their emphasis on variance-reduction and efficiency Six Sigma programs can be effective in enhancing incremental innovation. In addition, due to the focus of Six Sigma projects on existing customers, they may impede innovation for new customers. Accordingly, implementing Six Sigma projects in fast pace environments with high level of innovation and change may be a challenge, and may not result in the expected outcome. Building upon theories form process management and quality management the paper proposes several propositions to address the effect of Six Sigma projects on innovation and firm performance.

Service quality programme developments and lean management aspects: a multi-case study

For an overall effective strategy, companies must think about the long term based on the factors that help them avoid making frequent, costly changes to their strategy. Operational effectiveness in terms of quality assurance, coupled with consistent output, may be the method to survive the current financial crisis. This paper will inspect and document, from an operational management viewpoint, how three unique service-orientated organisations comprising both service and manufacturing sectors (an electrical utility, an automobile parts supplier and a cable/information provider) manage quality, specifically within the unique functions of the organisation: human resources, investor relations and finance. These aspects will be viewed through the lens of the recent financial crisis that has hit the global marketplace, beginning with the general situation, and then managing quality company-wide, managing quality within specific financial business functions, and the impact of the current credit crisis in terms of managing quality. The first section of this paper will examine the concepts of organisation quality via Six Sigma Programme (SSP) development and lean manufacturing principles as a precursor to the case studies in order to lay down the foundations for comparative analysis among the firms studied.

Black Belt Coaching and Project Outcomes: An Empirical Investigation

This study investigates the impact of coaching expertise on project management outcomes within Six Sigma programs. Survey data were collected from 140 Black Belts and 176 team members at six organizations. In this research, the relationships between the independent variables (project characteristics, coaching expertise, employee focus, years of experience, number of projects completed, education level, and number of projects in a team) and the dependent variables (project management outcomes) were tested using linear regression. The data were analyzed for two groups—Black Belts and team members—using descriptive statistics, principle component factor analysis, correlation, and regression analysis.The results of the regression analyses showed that the independent variable coaching expertise explained most of the variance in project management for Black Belts and team members. Implications for this research include the implementation of coaching training into quality management system training initiatives.

Aconcagua peak geodynamics from GPS observations, Mendoza, Argentina: preliminary results

Abstract. In 2005, the SIGMA Program (Mount Aconcagua GNSS Research System) was implemented to investigate the geodynamics of the Aconcagua mountain region in the Central Andes. For this purpose, a continuously recording GPS station, ACON, was installed on the summit of Mount Aconcagua at 6.292 m a.s.l. The installation required special technology to support the equipment under extreme climatic conditions. The power supply system was optimized in 2008, so that a greater quantity of data could be recorded. This, in turn, will lead to more accurate estimates of displacement of the Aconcagua peak. Preliminary results from the ACON station indicate an average horizontal velocity of 0.023±0.0001 m/yr toward NE in 2 time windows between 2006 and 2008.

Case study of knowledge creation facilitated by Six Sigma

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between knowledge creation processes and the Six Sigma approach.Design/methodology/approachAn integrated Six Sigma implementation process is proposed to explore knowledge creation opportunities within a Six Sigma program. A qualitative inquiry with thematic analysis which focuses on a TFT‐LCD (Thin Film Transistor‐Liquid Crystal Display) panel manufacturer and a glass substrates manufacturer is presented in order to identify how the Six Sigma program facilitates the knowledge creation process through the socialization, externalization combination and internalization (SECI) modes, and four types of space for knowledge creation, which are viewed as the different forms of ba, as proposed by Nonaka et al. , namely originating ba, interacting ba, systemizing ba and exercising ba.FindingsThis study contributes to integrating the domains of quality management and knowledge management research. The findings demonstrate the potential mediating effect of a Six Sigma knowledge‐creating system.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is limited in its research methodology, and the case studies are only two empirical illustrations of many other possible implementation processes. The author does not assume that these companies are paradigms or that their specific situations are applicable to all other business enterprises.Originality/valueThis architecture offers an initial model for an organization that wants to facilitate knowledge creation according to the prevailing Six Sigma approach, and further proceed with its knowledge management systems implementation to encourage the management of corporate knowledge and effectively enhance competitiveness.

A Six Sigma approach for integrated solutions

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a proposed Six Sigma approach for integrated solutions of goods and services.Design/methodology/approach – This conceptual paper follows the principles of design research in developing a Six Sigma approach for integrated solutions. The approach is tested in practice in the context of a financial services company in the automotive industry.Findings – The study demonstrates that the differential characteristics of service processes and manufacturing processes must be taken into account when developing a Six Sigma approach for integrated solutions. Evaluation of the proposed approach in cooperation with a financial services company reveals considerable benefits.Research limitations/implications – The detailed description of the approach is limited to the “Define” phase of the Six Sigma program. Moreover, the proposed approach is tested in only one setting; its application in other settings should be an objective for future research.Practical implications – Th...