Sigma Tools Research Articles

Six Sigma quality: a structured review and implications for future research

PurposeThis paper aims to clarify emerging aspects and trends of Six Sigma literature over 17 years, from 1992 to 2008.Design/methodology/approachThe literature on Six Sigma from 417 referred journal articles in business and management disciplines, information systems and computer science, engineering, healthcare, etc. were systematically analyzed based on a scheme that consists of four distinct dimensions: publication year and journal, major themes, research type, and application sector (i.e. manufacturing vs service).FindingsA number of key findings emerged: Six Sigma research is growing rapidly, covering various disciplines and domains with a great focus on Six Sigma tools and techniques; empirical research is dominant with more emphasis on case study approach; and the growing gap between manufacturing‐ and service‐focused articles implies the return of Six Sigma to manufacturing as its initial base. Although a large volume of literature is available on Six Sigma, the topic is still under development and offers potential opportunities for further research and applications.Originality/valueThe paper provides both academics and practitioners with a useful framework for pursuing rigorous Six Sigma research through explaining the chronological growth of Six Sigma, challenging themes of Six Sigma research, dominating research types and application areas in Six Sigma, and the major sources of Six Sigma information.

Using Six Sigma to improve replenishment process in a direct selling company

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to propose a Six Sigma project to improve the replenishment process in the logistic center of Amway Taiwan Company.Design/methodology/approachThis study elucidates the define, measure, analyze, improve and control (DMAIC) methodology of Six Sigma, using qualitative and quantitative tools. Numerous improvement actions are implemented. A control plan is developed to sustain and enhance the performance of the replenishment process.FindingsThe project has substantially benefited the logistic center, including reducing replenishment frequency and urgent shipping rate, decreasing cost of transportation, lowering the inventory of service centers and shortening the replenishment planning time.Research limitations/implicationsThe methodology that is employed in this study can be adopted by the logistic centers of other direct companies. However, they can modify the detailed contents and tools according to their organizational conditions.Practical implicationsThis study demonstrates a project in which Six Sigma is adopted to improve the replenishment process of the logistic center in Amway Taiwan. It describes how the project was specified, how the tools were employed in the different phases and how the improvement actions were implemented. In conclusion, the key benefits of, and experience gained from this project are emphasized.Originality/valueThis paper will be of interest to academic researchers and practical managers. The structured methodology of Six Sigma integrated logistic techniques was applied in a leading direct sales company. The project in the logistic center of Amway Taiwan provides a good reference for other companies that plan to implement Six Sigma management.

Open-ended Practical Projects Improve Preparedness of Undergraduate Students for Aerospace Industry

The Aviation Technology Department in the College of Technology at Purdue University has been effective at graduating students who have mastered the technical knowledge and concepts taught in traditional academic settings. Through a well-established combination of courses, the program has also exposed its students to a variety of materials and processes that gives them practical knowledge about aerospace materials, sheet metal fabrication and repair, corrosion, heat treatment, and painting. Over the years, this approach has provided graduates with the knowledge and skills they’ve needed as they entered the job market after graduation. However, in recent years the program has gone through an extensive curriculum change designed to produce graduates who have the skills needed to be immediately productive in entry-level positions, and to move quickly to higher-level positions. This is accomplished by introducing project-based courses in which students are tasked to solve industry-like problems using Six Sigma tools, work in teams, and collaboration with companies and with instructors and students at other universities. Under this new paradigm, students do not just follow their professors’ instructions - they attempt to solve real-world open-ended problems with a range of possible solutions. This paper will provide some details and outcomes of this approach.

An empirical study about the effect of Six Sigma CSFs on quality and cost

The number of companies that have adopted Six Sigma has been increasing continuously because of the importance of quality management. Since the introduction of Six Sigma in 1996, many service and manufacturing companies in Korea have taken advantage of it though some failed to implement it. At this time, an empirical study of Six Sigma will be helpful in the examination of the current status of Six Sigma implementation in Korea. This study investigates the Six Sigma critical success factors (CSFs) that are most widely used in Korea. These are broken down into eight factors: business strategy, management involvement, culture change, communication, organisation infrastructure, resource investment, training and understanding Six Sigma tools. Quality improvement and total cost reduction are used as performance variables. The relationship of CSFs to the performance variables is modelled using the structural equation modelling (SEM) and the hypotheses of the relationship are tested.

A tool based framework for applying Six Sigma methodology to services and transactional data

Service organisations need excellent service levels for achieving customer satisfaction as well as value creation and growth. However, providing high service levels and maintaining quality standards is more difficult and significantly different in service organisations. Several service organisations are realising that Six Sigma methodology is the next logical step in achieving superior customer service. However, not all Six Sigma tools can be used to improve service operations. Moreover, tools applicable to service and transactions may need significant modifications before they can improve these operations. In this study, we report how Six Sigma methodology can be utilised in service organisations. For this, we first propose the use of select-define-measure-analyse-improve-control methodology. Second, we study and analyse Six Sigma tools to identify ones relevant for the services industry. Third, we provide suggestions on how some of the identified tools can be modified and applied to services and transactions.

Developing an Assessment Tool for Two Organizations Using Six Sigma Principles

:This article describes the development of a single assessment tool that is applicable to two organizations to reduce redundancy of operations. It is based on a case study of the application of Six Sigma tools and methods to develop an assessment tool for meeting the needs and procedures for the Office of Environmental Health and Engineering of the Albuquerque Area, Indian Health Service, and Region 6 of the Environmental Protection Agency, which had traditionally conducted independent surveys of water sewer and solid waste facilities of Indian tribal organizations in the same region. These efforts were focused on meeting the needs of tribal customers and the staff of both federal agencies following Six Sigma's Design Measure Analyze Improve and Control roadmap. Deliverables of the project included new survey forms, procedures, and training. The project resulted in the elimination of redundant services which in turn has allowed these organizations to be more cost effective in providing additional services to the tribal customers. This effort is resulting in similar adoptions in other regions of the country.

Improving Patient Satisfaction with Pain Management Using Six Sigma Tools

Patient satisfaction as a direct and public measure of quality of care is changing the way hospitals address quality improvement. The feasibility of using the Six Sigma DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) methodology to improve patient satisfaction as it relates to pain management was evaluated. This project used the DMAIC methodology to improve patients' overall satisfaction with pain management on two inpatient units in an urban academic medical center. Pre- and postintervention patient surveys were conducted. The DMAIC methodology provided a data-driven structure to determine the optimal improvement strategies, as well as a long-term plan for maintaining any improvements. In addition, the Change Acceleration Process (CAP) was used throughout the project's various DMAIC stages to further the work of the team by creating a shared need to meet the objectives of the project. Overall satisfaction with pain management "excellent" ratings increased from 37% to 54%. Both units surpassed the goal of at least 50% of responses in the "excellent" category. Several key drivers of satisfaction with pain management were uncovered in the Analyze phase of the project, and each saw rating increases from the pre-intervention to postintervention surveys. Ongoing monitoring by the hospital inpatient satisfaction survey showed that the pain satisfaction score improved in subsequent quarters as compared with the pre-intervention period. The Six Sigma DMAIC methodology can be used successfully to improve patient satisfaction. The project led to measurable improvements in patient satisfaction with pain management, which have endured past the duration of the Six Sigma project. The Control phase of DMAIC allows the improvements to be incorporated into daily operations.

Leveraging Lean Six Sigma to Culture, Nurture, and Sustain Assessment and Change in the Academic Library Environment

This paper explores the application of Lean Six Sigma, a business improvement philosophy and methodology, in the academic library environment as one means to nurture and sustain a culture of assessment and change. It includes an overview of the philosophy and an example of an actual virtual reference improvement project that was conducted using Lean Six Sigma tools and principles at The Ohio State University Libraries. It concludes with a discussion of the benefits and limitations of deploying a Lean Six Sigma initiative within a library organization.

Leveraging Lean Six Sigma to Culture, Nurture, and Sustain Assessment and Change in the Academic Library Environment

This paper explores the application of Lean Six Sigma, a business improvement philosophy and methodology, in the academic library environment as one means to nurture and sustain a culture of assessment and change. It includes an overview of the philosophy and an example of an actual virtual reference improvement project that was conducted using Lean Six Sigma tools and principles at The Ohio State University Libraries. It concludes with a discussion of the benefits and limitations of deploying a Lean Six Sigma initiative within a library organization.

Using DMAIC Six Sigma to systematically improve shopfloor production quality and costs

PurposeThis study sets out to highlight how a leading manufacturer of tooling, with its continuous improvement drive, has leveraged DMAIC Six Sigma potential to realize cost savings and improved quality on their shopfloor. The study examines one of the shopfloor chronic quality issues which deals with finding a way to reduce the amount of warp incurred in Amada A‐Station punches during the heat‐treat process.Design/methodology//approachThe goals of this specific study were achieved by utilizing Six Sigma tools such as “brainstorming, process mapping, fish‐bone diagrams, histograms, and control charts”.FindingsThe analysis resulted in a number of findings and recommendations. A major contributor to the warp was the method used to fix the parts. It was found that, by using a new fixture to hang the parts, the amount of warp could be greatly reduced. The major recommendation was that the new heat‐treat fixture design be implemented as soon as a reliable fixture design has been proven. The value of implementing this new fixture design equates to roughly $10,000 per year in savings, which is due to the elimination of a secondary grinding operation and elimination of scrap parts. The company expects millions of dollars in annual savings as DMAIC Six Sigma process is rolled out to areas on the shopfloor.Originality/valueThe case study shows DMAIC Six Sigma process is an effective and novel approach for the machining and fabrication industries to improve the quality of their processes and products and profitability through driving down manufacturing costs.

OTIMIZANDO OS PROCESSOS LOGÍSTICOS ATRAVÉS DA IMPLANTAÇÃO DO OTIF COM LEAN SEIS SIGMA

This paper presents an implementation methodology of a key performance indicator called OTIF (On Time In Full), powered by Lean Six Sigma tools, that aim to improve the organization logistics management, through supply chain process optimization and synchronization, with focus in the customer satisfaction. The paper details the indicator concepts and describes how it can be measured through the Company’s logistic process. The main outputs of the methodology are the increase of customers satisfaction and loyalty and the speed up of the logistics chain by the improvement of the relation among processes, searching for a lean, optimized (just in time) and controlled system. The proposed methodology forecasts the OTIF’s implementation in a structured way, taking into account the organizational culture and avoiding the missing measurements. The best value of the methodology is the deployment of the indicator through the logistic chain, allowing either an external vision related to the client service level and the process internal analysis.

Simplifying the Six Sigma Toolbox through Application of Shainin DOE Techniques

The success of a Six Sigma programme in an organization depends to a large extent on the success of the Six Sigma projects, which in turn depends on how the team handles the problem and whether the right combination of tools is being applied to address the root cause. The Six Sigma toolbox consists of a wide range of tools comprising, on the one hand, simple and commonly used tools like flow charts, Pareto analysis, and cause-and-effect diagram and the more advanced statistical tools like design of experiments, regression analysis and many more, on the other hand. While the simple tools are easy to apply, understand, and analyse, engineers perceive the more advanced tools difficult to comprehend. Design of experiments (DOE) is one such tool. Two well-known approaches of design of experiments are the Classical DOE, pioneered by Sir Ronald A Fisher and the Taguchi approach, pioneered by Dr Genichii Taguchi. A third approach to experimental design—the Shainin DOE techniques, offered by Dr Dorian Shainin—can be considered as a very good alternative to the other approaches. They are much simpler than the factorial designs, response surface designs, and orthogonal arrays of the conventional approaches of DOE, but at the same time are recognized as being very powerful and effective in solving the chronic quality problems that plague most manufacturers. Shainin DOE basically works at eliminating suspected process variables by mostly using seven different tools, viz., Multi-Vari Charts Component Search Paired Comparison Variable Search Full Factorials B vs. C (Better vs. Current) Analysis Scatter Plots or Realistic Tolerance Parallelogram Plots. Though not very well documented, these tools have proved to be the key drivers in the success of many companies, e.g., Motorola. This article examines two projects of a leading automotive and general lighting lamp manufacturing company, in which a combination of the standard Six Sigma tools and Shainin tools has been successfully used to address the root cause of the problems. The advantage of using Shainin tools is that: Very small sample sizes are required to analyse the problem. Often samples as small as 2 or 3 are enough to make statistically valid conclusions. Statistical software is not required to analyse the data. In fact, Shainin DOE does not even require knowledge of complex statistical tools. It involves employees at all levels, including workers and junior staff in problem solving that was hitherto a domain of senior technical experts. Also, the success of the projects had a very positive effect on the morale of the employees in terms of convincing them that Six Sigma is not all about using complex statistical tools.

A Delphi study on Six Sigma tools and techniques

The purpose of this paper is to present a set of tools and techniques for the different phases of Six Sigma improvement projects in manufacturing and engineering organisations, based on a literature study and expert judgement. A literature study was conducted to identify tools and techniques applied within case studies. The findings with respect to the tools and techniques used in the industrial settings studied were listed as a set of so-called statements. In a Delphi study, a group of experts commented on and prioritised 95 statements during three rounds, providing us with a final list of 46 statements. These statements were grouped into the DMAIC-phases of Six Sigma projects, resulting in a description of tools and techniques to be used in DMAIC-structured projects within a manufacturing/engineering context. The overview of tools and techniques presented in this paper has a descriptive character.

Lean Six Sigma applied to an accounting process within a client of a commercial finance organisation – an empirical case study

This study explores the use of Lean Six Sigma methodologies and tools as applied to supply chains within a services environment. The approach taken was to examine a L6S project as run within a large American financial services conglomerate to understand how this has been applied. The project not only demonstrated the results achievable but also the business thinking presented some compelling findings. Although there are differences between the Lean and Six Sigma approaches as well as the difference between a manufacturing and services environment, there were also some key learnings demonstrated. Certainly some of the key issues uncovered are that clear objectives combined with accurately set parameters and data gathering aligned with stakeholder buy-in is key to the success of a project of this nature. The implications and strategy adopted by the services company are borne out with the results as outlined in this study and further supports the deployment of a carefully thought through L6S programme within services supply chains.

E-government application development using the Six Sigma approach

For an e-government system to be successful, high quality application-software that supports the e-government services is a critical factor. One key aspect in the software development is quality control implemented during the process of the software development project. However, little research has been published to examine how to improve the quality of e-government applications using better process management. In this paper, we present a framework for integrating the Six Sigma methods and tools into the e-government application development process. The proposed framework associates Six Sigma's define-measure-analyse-design-verify (DMADV) procedure and associated tools to various phases of the software development life cycle.

Lean Six Sigma applied to supply chains within a services organisation – a practical solution

This study explores the use of Lean Six Sigma methodologies and tools in supply chains within a services environment. The approach taken was to examine a Lean Six Sigma project within a large US financial services conglomerate to understand how this has been applied. The project not only demonstrated the achievable results, but the business thinking also presented some compelling findings. Although there are differences between the Lean and Six Sigma approaches as well as between a manufacturing and services environment, there were also some key learnings demonstrated. Certainly some of the key issues uncovered are that clear objectives combined with accurately set parameters and data gathering aligned with stakeholder buy-in is the key to success of a project of this nature.

Managing Six Sigma projects through the integration of Six Sigma and project management processes

While Six Sigma concepts and tools have established proven practices and have demonstrated their worth within industry, the variation and style in which the Six Sigma projects are formulated and executed leaves much opportunity for continued development. The purpose of this paper is to propose a practical framework for integrating conventional project management process groups, as established by the Project Management Institute and Six Sigma DMAIC methodologies. The goal of the proposed framework is to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness with which Six Sigma projects are initiated, planned, executed and closed. The expected results of the paper will introduce and elaborate on the new model for the integration and application of Six Sigma and project management methods. This paper will conclude with recommendations of the future work needed to validate the model.

The Many Shades of Green

This review focuses on the fact that there are many ways to be green, and American manufacturers are trying them all. From reducing energy use and recycling water to implementing ISO 14001 sustainability programs and reusing packaging, US factories are embracing a more environmentally sensitive manufacturing ethos as fast as they can. There are many ways to be green. Ratcheting down energy use, for example, automatically reduces a plant’s carbon footprint, because either it burns less natural gas or it buys less electricity from a power plant that burns coal or gas. Companies around the nation have also turned their Six Sigma, lean manufacturing, and other tools on solid waste. If a material does not add value to a product, they eliminate it. Many work with vendors to reduce packaging. The less packaging, the less energy is used in a product. Capital projects are even harder to push through, yet they are necessary for further gains once companies have plucked waste reduction’s low-hanging fruit.

Improving efficiency and effectiveness of APQP process by using DFSS tools

This study aims at improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the Plan and Define phases (Phase I) of Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) process by using appropriate Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) tools in an automotive plant. The main objectives of APQP and Control Plan reference manual are to provide a quality product on time and at the lowest cost, by early identification of changes and thus satisfying the customers. Application of DFSS methodology in APQP makes it more objective, measurable and robust as more and more data are collected and objective evaluation is suggested. The same methodology can be generalised and utilised appropriately at all the other phases of new product and process development phases. This paper also suggests a comprehensive list of tools that can be utilised at all phases of APQP.

Improved service system design using Six Sigma DMAIC for a major US consumer electronics and appliance retailer

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to create a strategy for “Best Buy”, a major consumer electronics and appliance retailer in the USA, to improve their service system to ensure that they can continuously gain market share. This study will examine and analyze Best Buy's store service blueprint in comparison to its competitors' service blueprints. The study will then examine Best Buy Geek Squad's service blueprint and recommend improvements that can be implemented to provide higher quality service to Best Buy's customers.Design/methodology/approachA combination of design methods was used which included creating multiple service blueprints and implementing the Six Sigma DMAIC approach. A Service Quality (SERVQUAL) Survey was conducted and analyzed the data, to give an understanding of customer satisfaction with the service provided at Best Buy, compared to its major competitors. The service blueprint was analyzed and strategies were recommended to improve the present system, with the goal of providing better customer service and an improved shopping experience. With the recommendations an “improved service model” for Best Buy was created, along with fail safe mechanisms to ensure that service guarantees will be met.FindingsIn the Six Sigma DMAIC Process Improvement approach, poka‐yokes were implemented to improve the Best Buy service blueprint, which were identified through cause‐and‐effect diagrams that were created. By implementing the new service blueprint, along with the poka‐yokes, Best Buy will see a significant improvement in customer satisfaction.Practical implicationsBest Buy and other retail service providers should consider investing in adequate staffing of technically savvy and customer sensitive store associates and implement customer service training programs to improve their education relating specifically to the quality of service delivery to their customers.Originality/valueThis paper focuses on the business case for implementing Six Sigma tools to improve the service provided by retailers. This should lead to long‐term profitability and improved customer service.