Showing papers by "Maneesh Kumar published in 2009"

Does size matter for Six Sigma implementation?: Findings from the survey in UK SMEs

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the quality initiatives implemented in UK manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and to perform a comparative analysis of quality management practices within Six Sigma firms against the non-Six Sigma manufacturing SMEs. Design/methodology/approach – To achieve the research objective, a survey-based approach is adopted by designing a short questionnaire addressing the issues of quality practices in SMEs. The paper encompasses the survey results from the first phase of Doctoral study to identify Six Sigma and non-Six Sigma companies. Findings – The response rate from the survey is 12.7 per cent out of 500 companies identified through the use of random sampling technique within the FAME and Dun & Bradstreet database of manufacturing SMEs. Data analysis was carried out using SPSS and Microsoft Excel. The findings from the study reveal that there is a significant difference in the performance of the Six Sigma/Lean firms against ISO certified companies. However, it is interesting to reflect on the findings of critical success factors (CSFs) of the sample firms. There is no significant difference in the perceived importance of the identified CSFs' variables in the Six Sigma and ISO certified SMEs. Research limitations/implications – The focus of the study is only on UK manufacturing SMEs encompassing 64 firms. The small sample size and focus on manufacturing sector limits its generalisability to the entire SME population. Future study should focus on performing a comparative study of manufacturing and service based SMEs in UK or Europe. Originality/value – The novelty of the paper lies in conducting a comparative study on the performance of Six Sigma and non-Six Sigma UK SMEs and drawing out valuable lessons for academics, consultants, researchers and practitioners of continuous improvement initiatives like Lean and Six Sigma.

Project selection and its impact on the successful deployment of Six Sigma

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to focus on the importance of the project selection process and its role in the successful deployment of Six Sigma within organizations. Design/methodology/approach – A review of the literature is presented, highlighting the importance of project selection in Six Sigma deployment, which is an area of extreme importance that has been less researched in the past. The paper, through a real-life case study, proposes a hybrid methodology, which combines the analytical hierarchy process and the project desirability matrix to select a project for Six Sigma deployment. Findings – The paper demonstrates the efficacy of proposed methodology by its application in a small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) manufacturing die-casting product. The example provided is a real-life case study conducted by the authors in an organization embracing the Six Sigma business strategy within their day-to-day functioning. Research limitations/implications – The proposed methodology is tested only in a case study SME, which is the limitation of the paper. The robustness of the methodology can be tested by conducting several case studies in organizations and comparing the results with other existing methodologies for project selection such as project prioritisation matrix or the failure mode and effect analysis. Practical implications – The paper accentuates the importance of the project selection process for Six Sigma deployment, which can have a tremendous effect on the business profitability of an organization. The paper is relevant to both industry practitioners and researchers. Originality/value – The paper presents a methodology linking the project selection process to successful deployment of Six Sigma within organizations, an important topic that has been neglected in the past. The paper will enable managers and practitioners to emphasize the importance of project selection and to identify and focus on the critical success factors in successful deployment of Six Sigma projects.

Multiple case-study analysis of quality management practices within UK Six Sigma and non-Six Sigma manufacturing small- and medium-sized enterprises

Abstract: Although the benefits of Six Sigma are widely reported in many large organizations, research has shown that its implementation in UK small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is still less evident. This paper attempts to perform a multiple case-study analysis of the quality management practices within the UK Six Sigma and non-Six Sigma manufacturing SMEs. It was found from the case studies that strong leadership, management commitment, communication, education, and training were critical in introducing and driving any culture-change initiatives such as Six Sigma within SMEs. Resource constraints, several changes in management, lack of management commitment, and resistance to change were considered as impeding factors for successful introduction of change initiatives such as Lean or Six Sigma. The Six Sigma firms realized a significant improvement in the performance of operational metrics (such as scrap rate, cycle time, on-time delivery, and yield) and strategic metrics (such as sales, profit, customer satisfaction) after its successful implementation as compared with non-Six Sigma companies. Academic institutions can play a vital role in facilitating Six Sigma implementation in SMEs. The article concludes with the statement that there are critical differences in quality management practices of Six Sigma and non-Six Sigma SMEs, affecting their business performance.