An examination of changing patterns in Lean Six Sigma research

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (7) ◽  
pp. 23-25
Keyword(s):  
Six Sigma ◽  
Keyword Search ◽  
Fixed Time ◽  
Lean Six Sigma ◽  
Integrated System ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Changing Patterns ◽  
Six Sigma Methodology ◽  
Six Sigma Approach

Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine patterns in the research contributions from individuals in the field to detect whether they reflect the evolution of academic discussion concerning integration of Lean and Six Sigma methodology over a fixed time period. Design/methodology/approach Data was gathered from a keyword search of articles in the SCOBUS data base to determine the most frequent contributors in the areas of Lean, Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma research. Searches were carried out over five-yearly intervals from 2000 to 2015 and the twenty-one top contributors in each time period were identified. Findings The findings show that research contributions have moved away from looking at the single methodologies of Lean and Six Sigma and towards research based on the integrated Lean Six Sigma approach. The analysis also suggested that researchers may be publishing papers using different methodologies in response to different challenges in selecting the most appropriate tools to meet the needs of the specific issues they are addressing rather than advocating a particular approach. Practical implications For organizations to optimize performance a flexible approach would be beneficial with consideration being given to the specific issue and the correct tools and methodology selected from an integrated system or from Lean or Six Sigma systems alone. Originality/value This paper has originality in its’ consideration of the patterns of research contributions over a fixed time period as a reflection of the shift in debate from exclusive Lean or Six Sigma approaches to a more integrated Lean Six Sigma system.

Lean Six Sigma approach to reduce LOS through a diagnostic-therapeutic-assistance path at A.O.R.N. A. Cardarelli

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 657-672 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlo Ricciardi ◽  
Antonella Fiorillo ◽  
Antonio Saverio Valente ◽  
Anna Borrelli ◽  
Ciro Verdoliva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Six Sigma ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Lean Six Sigma ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Femur Fractures ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Six Sigma Methodology ◽  
Socio Economic Impact ◽  
Therapeutic Assistance ◽  
Six Sigma Approach

Purpose The rise of the mean age incremented the occurrence of femur fractures with respect to the past, leading thus to serious consequences, as regards morbidity and socio-economic impact. The direction of the A.O.R.N. Cardarelli of Naples has introduced a DTAP whose aim was the reduction of LOS. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach The aim of this paper is to analyze the introduction of DTAP, employing Lean Thinking and Six Sigma methodology based on the DMAIC cycle. To evaluate the effectiveness of DTAP, two groups of patients have been observed for 14 months (before and after the implementation of DTAP). Findings Statistical tests were performed on the groups and graphics were provided to visualize the decrease of LOS (29.9 per cent). The overall population was also divided in subgroups according to six variables potentially influencing LOS. Research limitations/implications Authors considered six variables of influences; yet, others could be taken into account in the future. Practical implications The decrease of costs due to the management of elderly patients with femur fracture, the optimization of care processes in hospitals and a faster recovery for patients is the tangible contribute of DTAP. Originality/value The implementation of DTAP allowed the hospital to obtain a significant reduction of LOS with a consequently decrease of costs alleviating the hospital and the society from the socio-economic burden and the morbidity of this pathology.

Credit card account opening excellence using six sigma methodology

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 294-323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samsul Islam
Keyword(s):  
Process Improvement ◽  
Six Sigma ◽  
Credit Card ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Six Sigma Methodology ◽  
Six Sigma Approach ◽  
Opening Process

Purpose This study aims to expand the current knowledge of the Six Sigma approach in a period of time when there is little direct evidence of the need to improve the credit card account opening process. This is an important but neglected area of focus in the Six Sigma literature. This study explores the extent to which process improvement practices are extended to the credit card department. Design/methodology/approach A case study methodology is adopted in this study to facilitate an exploration of the implemented Six Sigma approach in the credit card department of a leading commercial bank. The process improvement tool used is the define, measure, analyze, improve and control (DMAIC) cycle. Findings The study’s results confirm that the Six Sigma approach improves the quality of the credit card account opening process. So, the Six Sigma approach can account for a reduced number of keying-in errors, resulting in better data accuracy and improved customer satisfaction. Research limitations/implications The authors, in an attempt to render the study results more feasible for data collection, have chosen to focus on the process of the new accounts unit of the credit card department. Therefore, the authors have not taken into account the other units (e.g. transaction processing) of the same department. Practical implications The results of this study will be useful in persuading bank management to evaluate and implement the Six Sigma approach. Hence, this research will assist bank managers with replies to questions, such as: “What impact will Six Sigma have on process-centric improvement, such as the new accounts opening process of a credit card department?” Originality/value Within the literature on the Six Sigma practice, there is little research that focuses on the implementation of this particular toolset especially for credit card departments. This indicates a gap in the field. A new contribution to bridging that gap comes from the analysis of the results for the Six Sigma concept, which addresses the new accounts opening process.

A directed content analysis of viewpoints on the changing patterns of Lean Six Sigma research

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 641-654 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryan A. Rodgers ◽  
Jiju Antony ◽  
Zhen He ◽  
Elizabeth A. Cudney ◽  
Chad Laux
Keyword(s):  
Continuous Improvement ◽  
Six Sigma ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Lean Six Sigma ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Changing Patterns ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper, builds on previous studies that explored the research patterns over 15 years, is to consider the current status of the integration of Lean and Six Sigma. More specifically, this research addresses whether Lean and Six Sigma are stronger together and explores the reasons why Lean researchers and practitioners may be less likely to integrate Six Sigma in their work. Design/methodology/approach The research utilises a survey of 25 established and respected academics and practitioners from 16 countries. The questionnaire is analysed using a direct content approach and coded in NVivo. Findings The findings suggest that challenges may lie in the perception and understanding of statistics as well as short-term rather than long-term focus on improvement. The findings also suggest that academics and practitioners believe that Lean Six Sigma has developed over time and will continue to develop and improve as a methodology rather than being replaced with a new methodology. Research limitations/implications The survey has a sample size of 25, albeit all respondents are established and very experienced practitioners and academics. Practical implications For organisations that are introducing or refreshing their continuous improvement initiatives, this research identifies some of the challenges and provides the opportunity to address them to maximise the opportunities for success and sustainability. Originality/value The value of this paper is that it further addresses the debate over the integration of Lean and Six Sigma for many organisations which still employ Lean alone, but beyond this it explores how they will continue to develop and whether they are a permanent edition to the quality management landscape or a transition to something else.

A DMAIC Six Sigma approach to quality improvement in the anodising stage of the amplifier production process

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (9) ◽  
pp. 1868-1880 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pallavi Sharma ◽  
Suresh Chander Malik ◽  
Anshu Gupta ◽  
P.C. Jha
Keyword(s):  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Production Process ◽  
Six Sigma ◽  
Shop Floor ◽  
Manufacturing Firm ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Root Cause ◽  
Six Sigma Methodology ◽  
Six Sigma Approach ◽  
Current Reality

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study the anodising process of a portable amplifier production process to identify and eliminate the sources of variations, in order to improve the process productivity. Design/methodology/approach The study employs the define-measure-analyse-improve-control (DMAIC) Six Sigma methodology. Within the DMAIC framework various tools of quality management such as SIPOC analysis, cause and effect diagram, current reality tree, etc., are used in different stages. Findings High rejection rate was found to be the main problem leading to lower productivity of the process. Four types of defects were identified as main cause of rejections in the baseline process. Pareto analysis resulted in detection of the top defects, which were then analysed in details to find the root cause of the problem. Further study resulted in finding improvement measures that were discussed with the management before implementation. The process is sampled again to check the improvements, and control measures were established. Practical implications The study provides a framework for implementation of DMAIC Six Sigma methodology for a manufacturing firm. The results presented are based on the data collected from the shop floor. Results and findings of the study were implemented for quality improvement of the process. Originality/value The study is based on an original research conducted with the objective of quality improvement in the anodising process of the production process. Besides presenting an approach to DMAIC Six Sigma methodology, an application of the current reality tree tool for root cause analysis is presented, a tool used limitedly in the Six Sigma studies. The tool finds its uniqueness in its ability to address problems relating multiple factors than isolated factors.

A lean six sigma approach for improving university campus office moves

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 928-947 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Wheeler-Webb ◽  
Sandra L. Furterer
Keyword(s):  
Standard Deviation ◽  
Six Sigma ◽  
Lean Six Sigma ◽  
Similar Process ◽  
University Campus ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Control Methodology ◽  
Six Sigma Approach ◽  
Improvement Effort

Purpose The purpose of this study was to improve the quoting, scheduling, invoicing and paying for campus office moves at a university. The Lean Six Sigma project goal was to improve the campus office move process by making it less complicated, free-up program managers’ time and pay the vendor on time. Design/methodology/approach The team used the Lean Six Sigma Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control methodology to improve the process. Findings The average time from the campus move to when the invoice was paid improved by 27%, with an improved median of 16%. The standard deviation was greatly reduced by 51%. The average invoiced date to paid date remained statistically the same, and the median increased from 20 to 30 days, due to a policy change to move the target from 20 to 30 days. The standard deviation of the invoice to paid date was greatly reduced by 38%. This was a successful project because the sponsors were on-board from the beginning and included the process owners in the improvement effort. Originality/value Other higher education institutions or other industry areas with a similar process can implement this methodology and processes outlined in this case study to improve efficiency and cost effectiveness and as a guide for improving other processes within institutions.

Critical review of literature on Lean Six Sigma methodology

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anand S. Patel ◽  
Kaushik M. Patel
Keyword(s):  
Critical Review ◽  
Six Sigma ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Lean Six Sigma ◽  
Research Field ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Entry Level ◽  
Critical Success ◽  
Six Sigma Methodology ◽  
Failure Factors

Purpose This paper aims to develop an initial understanding of the Lean Six Sigma methodology since its inception and examine the few Lean Six Sigma dimensions as a research domain through a critical review of the literature. Design/methodology/approach The paper is structured in two-part. The first part of the paper attempts to dwell on the evolution of the Lean Philosophy and Six Sigma methodology individually and the emergence of Lean Six Sigma methodology, covered under the Lean Six Sigma: a historical outline section. The second part of the study examines the dimensions associated with Lean Six Sigma such as frameworks, critical success factors, critical failure factors, type of industry, performance metric, year, publisher and journal, based on a total of 223 articles published in 72 reputed journals from the year 2000 to 2019 as a literature review. Findings The adoption of Lean Six Sigma, as a continuous improvement methodology, has grown enormously in the manufacturing and few service sectors such as health care and higher education during the past decade. The study revealed that researchers came out with conceptual frameworks for the implementation of Lean Six Sigma, whereas the validation through case studies seems to be lacking. The integration of Lean Six Sigma and other approaches with a focus on sustainability and the environment has emerged as a research field. A few of the most common critical success and failure factors were identified from the articles studied during the study. Research limitations/implications This paper may not have included some of the studies due to the inaccessibility and selection criteria followed for the study. Originality/value This paper will provide an initial introduction on Lean, Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma and research insights Lean Six Sigma to beginners such as students, researchers and entry-level professionals.

Implementation of Six-Sigma methodology to achieve a competitive edge in Saudi universities

2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Saad Aziz Al-Otaibi
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Process Improvement ◽  
Six Sigma ◽  
Data Extraction ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Lean Six Sigma ◽  
Screening Process ◽  
Competitive Edge ◽  
Six Sigma Methodology ◽  
Six Sigma Approach

Six Sigma is a business process improvement method that aims to discover and eliminate the causes of defects, mistakes, and errors. Six Sigma is a process improvement methodology that focuses on critical processes that result in unacceptable defects to customers. This study aims to Implementation of Six-Sigma methodology to achieve a competitive edge in Saudi universities. For this purpose, we used the Scopus database for the data extraction; the PRISMA statement 2015 inclusion and exclusion framework is used to select data. Six sigma keywords are used in the search bar, and 12279 results are shown and follow the screening process. The final 48 articles and reviews are used for the systematic literature review after the detailed screening process. The results have classified the literature into three significant categories, organizational performance, Lean Six Sigma, and higher education. The Saudia Arabia universities are also focusing on the collaborative research work with the different regional and international universities for the Six Sigma implementation in universities. The study's findings of the study demonistrating that universities in Saudia are focusing on developing the education structure and methods using the Six Sigma methodology and Lean Six Sigma approach.

Six Sigma in healthcare: a systematic review of the literature

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 1075-1092 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiju Antony ◽  
Pruksathorn Palsuk ◽  
Sandeep Gupta ◽  
Deepa Mishra ◽  
Paul Barach
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Six Sigma ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Quality Of Healthcare ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Six Sigma Methodology ◽  
Six Sigma Approach

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the systematic role played by Six Sigma methodology in improving the quality of healthcare. The literature review identifies the relevant opportunities for successful introduction and development of Six Sigma approach in healthcare sector. Design/methodology/approach A systematic methodology to identifying literature on Six Sigma in healthcare is presented. Web of Science, Medline, Emerald Insight, ASQ and ProQuest databases (1998-2016) were searched, and 68 papers of fair methodological quality were identified. Findings The findings of the systematic review reveal a growing interest in research on Six Sigma adoption in healthcare. The findings indicate that Six Sigma applications in healthcare have been focused on the entire hospital with no real focus on a particular department or function. The key findings on benefits, success factors, challenges and common tools of Six Sigma from the existing literature are also presented in the paper. Research limitations/implications The papers included in the systematic review were peer-reviewed papers available in English. Due to these limitations, relevant papers may have been excluded. Moreover, the authors have excluded all conference and white papers for their inclusion in this study. Originality/value This paper can serve as a guide on how Six Sigma approach can be applied to improve the quality of healthcare. The authors also believe that this is possibly the most comprehensive systematic literature review on the topic and will set the foundation for various research avenues based on the key findings of this study.

Using Lean Six Sigma implied assumptions

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 1561-1575
Author(s):  
Victor E. Kane
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Organizational Support ◽  
Six Sigma ◽  
Business Strategy ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Lean Six Sigma ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Project Assessment ◽  
Leadership Management ◽  
Six Sigma Methodology

PurposeThe intent of this work is to state the implied assumptions that define the setting for using a Lean Six Sigma (LSS) business strategy to conduct successful improvement projects.Design/methodology/approachThe execution of define, measure, analyze, improve, and control (DMAIC) phases utilizes philosophies, principles, concepts, success factors, and so forth for successful project completion. These traditional concepts form implied setting assumptions for conducting a successful project.FindingsTo establish the desired setting, it is necessary to state organizational performance modeling assumptions required for the use of many tools. Since Lean Six Sigma requires a unique organizational support structure, these assumptions must be added for completeness. Using the 15 collective assumptions is shown to provide benefits in four areas: training clarity, project assessment, leadership support, and theory foundation.Research limitations/implicationsAny list of assumptions is likely incomplete since project application settings are varied and some tools may have unique requirements.Practical implicationsThe most useful of the four benefits for practitioners is establishing a familiar framework for communicating with leadership. Management is trained to evaluate assumptions for any new business strategy such as an LSS process improvement initiative. A thoughtful leader will expect to evaluate LSS assumptions for a proposed project. Stating these implied assumptions will meet those expectations.Originality/valueMost of the stated assumptions exist in some implied form in the Lean Six Sigma literature. However, the familiar term “assumption” is not typically used in presenting Lean Six Sigma methodology. Using this traditional framework is shown to produce multiple benefits for learners and users.

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

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaifa Trakulsunti ◽  
Jiju Antony ◽  
Mary Dempsey ◽  
Attracta Brennan
Keyword(s):  
Patient Safety ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Teaching Hospital ◽  
Six Sigma ◽  
Improve Patient Safety ◽  
Lean Six Sigma ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Six Sigma Methodology ◽  
Dispensing Errors

PurposeThe 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/approachThe 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.FindingsThe 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/implicationsThis 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/valueThis 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.

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