The purpose of present study is to expose the detailed review for benefits and challenges about implementation of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) in business organization and spread of LSS literature in term of various sectors wise, research methodology wise and journal wise.,This paper covers the literature on LSS from 2000 to 2018. The authors have selected a large number of research papers using the keywords as Lean Six Sigma implementation in automotive, micro small medium enterprises, health care, education, financial sectors and many more. A total of 216 research papers have been reviewed on LSS distribution of sector wise, research methodology adopted, active countries, year of publication and critical barriers in implementation of LSS.,The present literature classifies the spread of LSS in four important sectors of manufacturing, health care, human resource, financial and education. It presents the critical barriers and benefits of LSS implementation in various sectors mentioned above and an important research gap, where practitioner/researcher can focus more during their research on LSS.,It is important for industry, researchers and LSS practitioners to be aware about challenges and success factor during LSS implementation in various sectors such as manufacturing, education, financial, human resource and health care. Hence, this paper could provide significant and valuable insights to industry and practitioners for successful implementation of LSS projects.,LSS results in reduced waste, defects and improve process, which in turn provide high-quality products at minimum cost, and this leads to customer delight, which ultimately raises the societal living standard. The results encourage LSS practices without fear because there is a huge discussion of near about all success and failure parameters about LSS.,To the authors’ best knowledge, no studies have still covered the literature review of LSS implementation in three different sectors: manufacturing, service and process. The present study was mainly focused on presenting a systematic review of literature in said sectors and found the gap between current status and future direction for the implementation of LSS in different areas.

A structured review of Lean Six Sigma in various industrial sectors

The application of VSM is a proven approach for lean-based improvements. Typically, this becomes challenging, when applied for complex production environments. The purpose of this research is to de...

Application of value stream mapping (VSM) for lean and cycle time reduction in complex production environments: a case study

A comparative exploration of lean manufacturing and six sigma in terms of their critical success factors

This study aims to propose a hybrid framework for lean six sigma (LSS) based on the prioritisation of barriers and solution approaches, to facilitate hassles free applications for handling ...

Application of hybrid framework to facilitate lean six sigma implementation: a manufacturing company case experience

Purpose




The purpose of this paper is to identify Lean Six Sigma enablers (LSSEs) and analyse the interaction among the enablers via a hierarchical model developed by employing interpretive structural modelling (ISM) and determine the driving and dependence power of enablers through fuzzy MICMAC (Matriced’ Impacts Croise´s Multiplication Applique´ea´un Classement) analysis.




Design/methodology/approach




An expert group of industry professionals and academicians is consulted at the initial stage as an input for ISM methodology to explore the paired relationship among LSSEs for each parameter of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) implementation. The outcome of ISM is further utilized by fuzzy MICMAC analysis to discover the enablers that are strong drivers and highly dependent. Fuzzy set is included in MICMAC analysis in order to obtain more precise output and effective model.




Findings




In total, 20 key enablers are identified through a literature review and expert opinion that emerged as the most significant factors towards LSS implementation. The identified enablers are portrayed into a structural form representing as input and output variables. Later, the driving and the dependence power of each enabler is presented in cluster form.




Research limitations/implications




The paired relationships among LSSEs are obtained through the interpretation made by the experts. The judgments of experts are subjective and may be biased; as difference in expert opinion may influence the final outcome. Conducting a large-scale survey may provide a better catch for interactions of LSSEs.




Practical implications




This study provides strong practical implications for researchers as well as industry practitioners. The industry professionals must deliberately focus on the identified LSSEs more conservatively during LSS implementation and the top management should plan strategically to avoid any implementation failure.




Originality/value




The present study identifies 20 crucial enablers of integrated LSS and presents them in a hierarchical form which will be beneficial for researchers and practitioners. The interactions among the enablers shown in cluster form will help in better execution of LSS.

Analyzing Lean Six Sigma enablers: a hybrid ISM-fuzzy MICMAC approach

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify and list critical success factors (CSFs) of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) framework affecting and influencing quality, operational and financial performance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). It also intends to guide researchers and practitioners in selecting appropriate set of CSFs for empirical studies, developing frameworks and to ensure effective implementation experience of LSS. Design/methodology/approach – It systematically reviews literature on CSFs and Indian experience regarding LSS. It uses exploratory approach for data collection and documents various studies depicting both manufacturing and service experiences by using time tested statistical tools to prioritize CSFs, which critically influence LSS implementation. Findings – The study guides and facilitates researchers and practitioners in using the most appropriate set of CSFs for empirical studies and in developing/modifying/reviewing application frameworks. It also guides implementation experi...

Critical success factors for Lean Six Sigma in SMEs (small and medium enterprises)

PurposeOne of the major challenges for developing countries is the lack of mechanisms for the evaluation of critical success factors (CSFs) of quality initiatives, which hampers the journey toward sustainability. Lean Six Sigma (LSS) has been one of the most widely used initiatives supporting quality improvement with wastes reduction and facilitating sustainability. To expedite LSS and its spread, it is important to evaluate key CSFs. Accordingly, the purpose of this paper is to provide an approach for the evaluation of LSS-CSFs for Indian small and medium enterprises (SMEs).Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses a graph theoretic approach and demonstrates the evaluation of LSS-CSFs by proposing an index. The development of index is illustrated using a set of seven prioritized CSFs based on the literature review paper (Lande et al., 2016).FindingsThis study guides about the translation of CSFs in the form of an index (number) and will benefit both researchers and practitioners, who wish to study the role of key CSFs for implementation and audit requirements for sustainability.Research limitations/implicationsAuthors remain confined only to Indian SMEs.Originality/valueLSS possesses the potential to enhance the performance of manufacturing SMEs, but its evaluation is not easy. This attempt for offering a useful evaluation scheme involving CSFs, in the areas of LSS in developing country contexts, is the first. The approach also facilitates both quality audits and benchmarking between different sets of CSFs. The approach is generalizable and can be extended in other areas.

Application of graph-theoretic approach for the evaluation of lean-six-sigma (LSS) critical-success-factors (CSFs) facilitating quality-audits in Indian small & medium enterprises (SMEs)

Manisha Lande

Papers

Critical success factors for Lean Six Sigma in SMEs (small and medium enterprises)

Application of graph-theoretic approach for the evaluation of lean-six-sigma (LSS) critical-success-factors (CSFs) facilitating quality-audits in Indian small & medium enterprises (SMEs)