Application of Lean Six Sigma in IT support services – a case study

Empirical analysis of Lean Six Sigma implementation barriers in healthcare sector using fuzzy DEMATEL approach: an Indian perspective

Purpose

The present study aims to explore the barriers to Lean Six Sigma (LSS) implementation in the healthcare sector and develop the ranking of finalized barriers using the Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) approach under a fuzzy environment.

Design/methodology/approach

The LSS barriers are identified through the literature review and validated by the expert's opinion and statistical analysis. A total of 124 experts were identified through the purposive sampling method for conducting this study. A questionnaire survey method is used to collect the data related to identified LSS barriers in the healthcare sector. The screened barriers are ranked through the Fuzzy DEMATEL approach.

Findings

In this study, a total of 21 barriers were identified with the help of a systematic literature review and screened 13 significant barriers by the expert opinions of healthcare personnel. The result reveals that “Lack of top management commitment and support, lack of awareness about LSS”, “resistance to culture change and inadequate resources emerges as the most critical barriers”. The prioritization of barriers facilitates the managers to make effective policies and guidelines for LSS implementation in healthcare organizations.

Practical implications

To avoid LSS implementation failure, the practitioners and researchers need to focus on LSS barriers as per suggested ranking more conventionally and make plans and adoption policies accordingly.

Originality/value

This study is unique in terms of investigation and empirical analysis of LSS implementation barriers in the healthcare sector in the Indian context. The outcomes of the present study will help the managers of healthcare organizations to make the strategies and policies for LSS implementation as per the recommended LSS barriers.

Critical analysis of Lean Six Sigma black belt certification courses offered in Brazil

Purpose

This study aims to present an overview and analyze the Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (LSSBB) certifications offered by institutions operating in Brazil.

Design/methodology/approach

This research analyzed LSSBB certification courses offered by 48 institutions in Brazil by comparing the syllabi of the classes to the reference model proposed by the American Society for Quality (ASQ) in the Six Sigma Black Belt Body of Knowledge. This study employed the content analysis technique and hierarchical cluster analysis to analyze the data.

Findings

The results revealed a lack of standardization in the content of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) training in Brazil. 100% of the LSSBB courses analyzed covered four of the 108 techniques recommended by the ASQ Body of Knowledge (i.e. data types, measurement scales, sampling, and data collection plans and methods). In contrast, more than 75% of the courses covered all techniques related to the macro areas of organization-wide planning and deployment, organizational process management and measures, measure, and improve. The major shortcoming of LSS training is related to the macro area Design for Six Sigma framework and methodologies. LSS training is offered in a highly concentrated area in Brazil, the wealthiest region, where universities play a crucial role in disseminating LSS.

Originality/value

The literature lacks studies that critically examine LSS certification courses. There is little research on LSS in Brazil and there are no studies on LSS training in this country.

Integrating Lean Six Sigma with blockchain technology for quality management – a scoping review of current trends and future prospects

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to study and analyze the literature that integrates Lean Six Sigma (LSS) approach with blockchain technology in different sectors for improved quality management.

Design/methodology/approach

This study presents a scoping review on the application of integrated LSS and blockchain technology in the manufacturing and healthcare sector. Further, the authors examined existing blockchain-based solutions on a variety of dimensions, including application area, technical approach, methodology, application scenario, various blockchain platforms, purpose, and monitoring parameters. The authors study LSS approaches in detail, as well as the key benefits that blockchain technology can enable. Finally, the authors discuss significant research problems to be addressed in order to develop a highly efficient, resilient, and secure quality management framework using blockchain technology.

Findings

It has been observed that the adoption of blockchain technology for quality management and assurance is influenced by several factors such as transaction execution speed, throughput, latency. Also, prior blockchain-based solutions have neglected to leverage the benefits of LSS methodologies for effective quality management.

Originality/value

This is the first study to explores the influence of blockchain technology on quality management and assurance in manufacturing and healthcare industry. Furthermore, prior research has not examined how integrating the LSS methodology with blockchain technology can aid in the control of product quality management.

Lean Six Sigma case studies literature overview: critical success factors and difficulties

Purpose

Recently, several areas are successfully applying the Lean Six Sigma methodology, specifically in healthcare, public services, higher education institutions and manufacturing industries. This study aims to present an extensive literature review involving Lean Six Sigma practical applications in the last five years, described in a case studies format.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic literature review was conducted, and 39 articles were selected and analyzed.

Findings

An increase in Lean Six Sigma applications in healthcare and higher education institutions was identified. Furthermore, Lean Six Sigma is effectively applied in several areas and is continuously used in traditional industries. The main critical success factor identified was leadership and management involvement, project management and organizational infrastructure, as well as training and education. Also, the main difficulties found are related to the organization's culture and developing communication with leaders and managers.

Research limitations/implications

The main difficulties found in this research are related to the lack of data presented in some articles analyzed, where only information about how the Lean Six Sigma application was conducted is shown, not mentioning difficulties or success factors identified.

Originality/value

Case studies are fundamental to help popularize Lean Six Sigma applications, showing a real-life scenario of how the methodology is implemented, the main difficulties encountered and critical success factors found. Thus, the value of this study is promoting and developing research involving Lean Six Sigma case study applications to guide new researchers and practitioners on the subject.

Lean six-sigma (LSS) applications in hospitals: a decade (2011–2020) bibliometric analysis

Purpose

This study examines the research landscape of Lean Six-Sigma (LSS) applications in hospitals for the period of the last decade (2011–2020) to derive answers to the research questions RQ 1: What are the current publication trends for the application of LSS in hospitals concerning document type, Journal (Source), active authors and country-wise publications and their comparison in the two most reputed scientific databases, i.e. Scopus and Web of Science (WoS), RQ2: What are the clusters based on the authors and keywords? RQ3: What are the research trends and author's productivity in LSS applications in Hospitals? RQ4: What are the future research areas?

Design/methodology/approach

This article compares these two databases (Scopus and WoS) based on publication pattern, document type, active authors and co-citation analysis. This article analyzes the core sources, author's productivity, globally cited articles, word growth analysis, thematic map and world collaboration map on the WoS and Scopus dataset. The software used are Vosviewer, Biblioshiny (R Package for Bibliometric) and M.S. Excel.

Findings

The application of LSS in hospitals is a niche theme. In the WoS database International Journal of Lean Six-Sigma and in Scopus database International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance are the most relevant sources publishing research articles in this field. The USA has the highest scientific production in this field. Among the authors, Antony J is the most active author in this area, with the highest contribution over the years.

Originality/value

This study fills the literature gap by mapping the field of LSS in hospitals.

Application of Six Sigma methodology to enhance the productivity and performance of a hotel in the UAE

Purpose

The hotel industry is one of the primary sectors contributing to every country's economy by promoting and reinforcing tourism. The pandemic situation across the globe is forcing the hospitality industry to adopt a suitable operational excellence (OPEX) methodology and its associated tools to deliver quality service at an affordable cost. However, there is limited evidence of applying one of the prominent OPEX methodologies, such as Six Sigma (SS), to enhance the hospitality industry's productivity and performance. Thus, the purpose of the study is to explore the application of the SS methodology to reduce the cycle time of a pantry workstation in a United Arab Emirates (UAE) hotel sector.

Design/methodology/approach

The research adopted a case study approach using DMAIC (define-measure-analyse-improve-control) phases to improve the performance of the minibar updating process attached to the hotel rooms. In addition, the study effectively used several tools, including normality tests, control charts, capability analysis, cause and effect diagram, failure mode effects analysis (FMEA), value stream mapping (VSM) and GEMBA, to validate the root causes and draw robust inferences.

Findings

The average cycle time and standard deviation of the pantry process were drastically reduced. Further, the analysis showed that the process capability index was substantially improved. Consequently, a notable improvement in the process performance was witnessed, which has resulted in a profit of $50,000 per annum in the hotel.

Practical implications

The article provides a structured and disciplined approach of SS in a hotel which can be used as a benchmarking document by the academicians, practitioners and policymakers for OPEX within the hospitality industry. Further, it paves the way to develop a road map for applying SS in the hospitality sector.

Originality/value

As per the authors' knowledge, to date, no case study has been reported in top tier refereed journals regarding the application of SS in the hotel sector. Thus, the current case study bridges this gap and reiterates that SS can be effectively used with meticulous planning and deployment in the hospitality industry.

A Six-Sigma DMAIC Approach to Improve the Sales Process of a Technology Start-Up

Despite the adoption of Six-Sigma in different service sectors, its application in the Sales function of a Technology-based Start-up has not been explored. This paper deploys an action research-based study methodology and conducts a thorough analysis of a Technology Start-up company in Indonesia, using Six-Sigma principles and the Define-Measure-Analyse-Improve-Control (DMAIC) approach. Statistical validation of the causes of problems helped to formulate a strategy that may have otherwise not been possible. The results of the study and proposed solutions confirm the potential benefits of adopting Six-Sigma in the Sales function of technology start-ups to reduce, particularly, customer waiting time. The novelty of this research lies in the fact that it applies Six-Sigma in a transactional process such as sales, which earlier studies have not explored in depth. This paper can be employed as a reference for organisations to undertake and guide specific process improvement projects similar to the one presented.

Lean Six Sigma for the improvement of company processes: the Schnell S.p.A. case study

Purpose

The aim of this study is to develop an in-depth case study on the implementation on Lean six sigma (LSS) in Schnell S.p.A., Italian company leader of an important multinational industrial group, highlighting the benefits that can be achieved from a careful application of this method, the main challenges and organizational learning from its implementation.

Design/methodology/approach

The study has been developed with a qualitative approach, creating a single in-depth case study, with the participant observation of researchers in the project which lasted 4 months. Periodic weekly meetings were done with the working group to exchange feedback on the development of the project to share opinions and data.

Findings

A project has been developed to stabilize the procurement process of a pull-type production cell, which experienced delays in supply lead times. The causes of the problems in their process of managing the supply of the production cell were found and some inefficiencies in the internal process of fulfillment of supply orders have been intercepted, the optimization of which has allowed the generation of an automatic system for sending supply orders, coming directly from the production line.

Originality/value

This study described the path and dynamics of the transformation process that business organizations undertake for optimizing their profitability and competitive advantage, placing emphasis on an innovative methodology for conducting business process improvement projects, which constitutes its operating philosophy on the effective and efficient use of company resources and skills, to guarantee to the company the achievement of a lasting and defensible competitive advantage over time.

Influence of organizational life cycle on performance management design in the software industry

Purpose

This work investigates the influence of the organizational life cycle (OLC) on the performance management system (PMS) design and the performance of projects in Brazilian industries of software development.

Design/methodology/approach

The study employed descriptive statistics and structural equations modeling on the data and information obtained from 115 Brazilian industries of software development with maturity in project management. Data collection was carried out through a survey applied to managers of the organizations mapped and certified by management maturity models Brazilian software process improvement (MPS-BR) or capability maturity model integration (CMMI).

Findings

Results revealed that OLC influences the PMS design dimensions (scope, aggregation and opportunity) and project performance. Regarding effects observed on the performance of projects, only the scope dimension's influence was validated by the analyses, and the other dimensions were not significant considering the investigated sample.

Originality/value

The paper shows evidence of how OLC can influence PMS design and project performance. The analyses can help managers to improve their actions in the PMS design, increasing confidence and generating more robust and sustainable results in the business model.

Impact of lean service, workplace environment, and social practices on the operational performance of India post service industry

This paper aims to study the determinants of the Lean Service System (LSS) on the Operational Performance (OP) of India's mail service in the National Sorting Hub (NSH), Mangaluru, Karnataka, the southern part of India. Measuring the OP in mail service is a big challenge in the postal service industry. Hence, we have conducted a survey, and 150 usable data has measured the impact of Lean Service Practices (LSP), Lean Workplace Environment Practices (LWEP), and Lean Social Practices (LSoP) on the OP. The results are analyzed from the partial least square based structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) with the support of R programming. The analysis shows that there is positive and significant impact of LSP (β = 0.380, p < .05), followed by LWEP (β = 0.281, p < .05), and LSoP (β = 0.266, p < .05) on OP. The practical effect of the findings of LSS are effectively implemented for enhancing the OP of the business. This research addresses the appropriate empirical model to test LSS in India's postal service industry, which is scant in the existing literature. Moreover, this study helps India Post to review its policy so as to sustain the effectiveness of Lean Service (LS) implementation.

Six Sigma to distinguish patterns in COVID-19 approaches

Purpose

COVID-19 has changed life as we know. Data are scarce and necessary for making decisions on fighting COVID-19. The purpose of this paper is to apply Six Sigma techniques on the current COVID-19 pandemic to distinguish between special cause and common cause variation. In the DMAIC structure, different approaches applied in three countries are compared.

Design/methodology/approach

For three countries the mortality is compared to the population to distinguish between special cause variation and common cause variation. This variation and the patterns in it are assessed to the countries' different approaches to COVID-19.

Findings

In the DMAIC problem-solving approach, patterns in the data are distinguished. The special cause variation is assessed to the special causes and approaches. The moment on which measures were taken has been essential, as well as policies on testing and distancing.

Research limitations/implications

Cross-national data comparisons are a challenge as countries have different moments on which they register data on their population. Furthermore, different intervals are taken, varying from registering weekly to registering yearly. For the research, three countries with similar data registration and different approaches in fighting COVID-19 were taken.

Originality/value

This is the first study with Master Black Belts from different countries on the application of Six Sigma techniques and the DMAIC from the viewpoint of special cause variation on COVID-19.

An empirical investigation of maintenance practices for enhancing manufacturing performance in small and medium enterprises of northern India

Purpose

This paper aims to assess the contributions of maintenance practices and extract various significant factors that influence the implementation of maintenance practices in northern Indian small and medium-sized enterprises’ (SMEs) business performance.

Design/methodology/approach

In the current study, 216 north Indian SMEs have been extensively surveyed to assess the contributions of different maintenance practices implementation dimensions and manufacturing performance attributes through different statistical techniques. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to statistically validate the hypotheses, while Levene’s experiment and Wilk–Shapiro tests were used to confirm ANOVA’s assumptions. Finally, the discriminating validity test extracts highly successful and moderately successful organizations.

Findings

The present research aims to evaluate the contributions of different maintenance practices implementation dimensions on SMEs’ manufacturing performance attributes. The study highlights that strategic maintenance practices such as corrective maintenance (CM), general maintenance issues, preventive maintenance (PM) issues and predictive maintenance (Pd.M) initiatives have enhanced overall equipment effectiveness, overall business performance, quality, cost optimization, safety, delivery and morale in SMEs.

Originality/value

The study validates the capabilities of maintenance practices toward significant improvements of various implementation dimensions such as breakdown maintenance issues, general maintenance issues, PM issues, Pd.M issues, CM issues, computer maintenance management system issues, maintenance scheduling issues and total productive maintenance issues. The study reveals significant implications for SMEs for realizing significantly improved manufacturing performance through strategic maintenance initiatives.

A thorough Six Sigma DMAIC application for household appliance manufacturing systems

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to analyze door-panel alignment defects seen in built-in ovens manufactured in one household appliances company's plant. Alignment defects in oven door panel substantially affect aesthetics of the product which is an important aspect in driving customer preference and satisfaction. Therefore, this study aimed to increase the initial 3.1 sigma level of oven-manufacturing process to at least 4 sigma level by decreasing a particular door-panel alignment defect, which constituted 67.7 percent of the overall alignment defects.

Design/methodology/approach

The goals were achieved through a structured Six Sigma implementation with lean element by utilizing various Six Sigma tools such as workflow, Pareto-analysis, measurement system analyses, control-charts, process capability analysis, cause-and effect-diagram and hypotheses tests. A non–value-added step was also eliminated through the lean approach.

Findings

Through Six Sigma implementation, the initial 3.1 sigma process performance level has been increased to 4.4 sigma level leading to substantial decrease in alignment defects.

Originality/value

In the quality management literature, not many papers directly deal with aesthetics and appearance problems of the products especially in the household appliances industry. Moreover, hypothesis testing is not frequently used in Six Sigma implementations in the literature. In addition to limited usage of hypothesis testing, very few studies conducted a thorough measurement system analysis. Considering these gaps in the Six Sigma literature, this study fills an important gap in research by implementing a detailed Six Sigma study, enhanced with hypothesis testing and a thorough measurement system analysis, on the aesthetics and appearance of the product.

Lean Six Sigma competitiveness for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME): an action research in the Indian context

Purpose

The aim of the article is to ascertain the challenges, lessons learned and managerial implications in the deployment of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) competitiveness to micro, small and medium Enterprises (MSME) in India and to establish doctrines to strengthen the initiatives of the government.

Design/methodology/approach

The research adopts the Action Research methodology to develop a case study, which is carried out in the printing industry in a Tier III city using the LSS DMAIC (Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control) approach. It utilizes LSS tools to deploy the strategy and to unearth the challenges and success factors in improving the printing process of a specific batch of a product.

Findings

The root cause for the critical to quality (CTQ) characteristic, turn-around-time (TAT) is determined and the solutions are deployed through the scientifically proven data-based approach. As a result of this study, the TAT reduced from an average of 1541.2–1303.36 min, which in turn, improved the sigma level from 0.55 to 2.96, a noteworthy triumph for this MSME. The company realizes an annual savings of USD 12,000 per year due to the success of this project. Top Management Leadership, Data-Based Validation, Technical Know-how and Industrial Engineering Knowledge Base are identified as critical success factors (CSFs), while profitability and on-time delivery are the key performance indicators (KPIs) for the MSME. Eventually, the lessons learned and implications indicate that LSS competitiveness can be treated as quality management standards (QMS) and quality tools and techniques (QTT) to ensure competitive advantage, sustainable green practices and growth.

Research limitations/implications

Even though the findings and recommendations of this research are based on a single case study, it is worth noting that the case study is executed in a Tier III city along with novice users of LSS tools and techniques. This indicates the applicability of LSS in MSME and thus, the modality adopted can be further refined to suit the socio-cultural aspects of India.

Originality/value

This article illustrates the deployment of LSS from the perspective of novice users, to assist MSME and policymakers to reinforce competitiveness through LSS. Moreover, the government can initiate a scheme in line with LSS competitiveness to complement the existing schemes based on the findings of the case study.

Reducing medication errors using lean six sigma methodology in a Thai hospital: an action research study

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the use of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) and its associated tools to reduce dispensing errors in an inpatient pharmacy of a teaching hospital in Thailand.

Design/methodology/approach

The action research methodology was used to illustrate the implementation of Lean Six Sigma through the collaboration between the researcher and participants. The project team followed the Lean Six Sigma Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control (DMAIC) methodology and applied its tools in various phases of the methodology.

Findings

The number of dispensing errors decreased from 6 to 2 incidents per 20,000 inpatient days per month between April 2018 and August 2019 representing a 66.66% reduction. The project has improved the dispensing process performance resulting in dispensing error reduction and improved patient safety. The communication channels between the hospital pharmacy and the pharmacy technicians have also been improved.

Research limitations/implications

This study was conducted in an inpatient pharmacy of a teaching hospital in Thailand. Therefore, the findings from this study cannot be generalized beyond the specific setting. However, the findings are applicable in the case of similar contexts and/or situations.

Originality/value

This is the first study that employs a continuous improvement methodology for the purpose of improving the dispensing process and the quality of care in a hospital. This study contributes to an understanding of how the application of action research can save patients' lives, improve patient safety and increase work satisfaction in the pharmacy service.

Application of Six Sigma methodology in an Indian chemical company

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to deploy Six Sigma (SS) methodology for addressing the customer complaints pertaining to Chemical-X in an Indian chemical company.

Design/methodology/approach

The study followed a structured Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control (DMAIC) approach to address the customer complaints. The complaints have been classified into different categories along with a project charter in the define phase. In the measure phase, measurement system analysis (MSA) and supplier, input, process, output and control (SIPOC) have been applied. In the analyze and improve phase, why–why analysis, process capability study, how–how analysis, Gage repeatability and reproducibility and Taguchi design have been applied to optimize the manufacturing process parameters for Chemical-X. Lastly, in the control phase, validation of 20 batches has been piloted to validate the optimized parameters.

Findings

The findings of this study highlight the optimization and prioritization of the process parameters. It shows that humidity has the least impact on the manufacturing of Chemical-X, whereas shift type has the maximum impact. The experimental output indicates that the 1st Shift, the holding time after grinding should be twenty-four hours, and the temperature after grinding should be 40 °C to reduce the customer complaints concerning lumps formation in Chemical-X.

Research limitations/implications

The study is performed for a single product (Chemical-X). It has focused only from the manufacturing process view and not from the transportation, suppliers and downstream supply chain view.

Originality/value

A systematic and data-driven approach of the SS methodology ensured that the customer complaints due to lumps formation reduced from 5% (approx.) to 1% (approx.) which resulted in the cost saving of INR 4 million (approx.) annually.