Lean Six Sigma

About: Lean Six Sigma is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 1919 publications have been published within this topic receiving 29142 citations.

Hospital registration waiting time reduction through process redesign

Abstract: The registration process is the first process that patients interact with hospitals. The quality of experience in registration will form the perceptions for hospitals. The waiting time is an important performance metric for the registration process. In this paper, a rigorous Lean Six Sigma approach is used to analyse an existing registration process and the root causes for the long average waiting time are identified. Lean operation principles are used to redesign the registration process. After the implementation, a drastic reduction in the average waiting time is achieved and sustained.

Lean Six Sigma in Health Operations: Challenges and Opportunities—‘Nirvana for Operational Efficiency in Hospitals in a Resource Limited Settings’

Abstract: The hospitals over the last few years have been facing major issues and challenges; the patients aspire world-class health care quality delivery while state and health insurance companies demand the delivery at the lowest price. Lean which eliminates the waste and Six Sigma which decreases the variation in hospital processes are complementary quality improvement tools that can help to achieve these goals. The lean principles have been now successfully applied to the delivery of health care over the last few years. Lean management primary begins with underlying principle of eliminating waste. In order for lean methodology to be successful and able to enhance the operations the hospital must first work to create an organizational culture that is receptive to lean thinking. The commitment to start lean must start from the top management, and the junior staff must be involved. Whether manufacturing a car or delivering health care to a patient, the industry worker or health personal relies on multiple, disorga...

Using the socio-economic approach to management to augment Lean Six Sigma

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a framework and a case that delineates the coordinated use of the socio-economic approach to management (SEAM) and Lean Six Sigma (LSS) to facilitate operational change. Design/methodology/approach – This study uses action research and thematic analysis to explore the augmentation of existing process improvement and organizational assessment methodologies in a production environment. Findings – Organizations are under increasing pressure to improve all aspects of business. Project leaders and consultants often follow popular quantitatively oriented protocols like LSS to evaluate explicit operational processes. Including a qualitatively oriented protocol like SEAM expands the project leader’s capability through greater consideration of implicit organizational issues. This paper presents a case where LSS was complemented by SEAM to assess a process that was entangled with several latent organizational dysfunctions. Practical implications – SEAM and LSS are a...

Implementing Lean Six Sigma: A Case Study in Concrete Panel Production

Abstract: Lean Six Sigma method is recognized widely and has been implemented predominately in manufacturing rather than in the construction industry. To illustrate the point, this paper draws attention to the adoption of Lean Six Sigma in the construction industry with a case study. The combination of Lean tools and Six Sigma methodology is used on projects to improve the process by eliminating the variations and creating workflow in a process. Despite its relatively new introduction to the construction industry, it has been popularized by several organizations and adopted as the primary improvement process. The hypothesis of this experimental study was that the Six Sigma technique can be applied to the construction-based production system along with lean construction techniques. To test the hypothesis, we applied Lean Six Sigma methods on concretepanel production system in a multi-housing complex project. The paper shows how the production rate of concrete panel was improved and stabilized along with the use of Lean Six Sigma tools. Also the case study uses the variation of panel production as a critical total quality (CTQ) to measure the performance indicator of Six Sigma system.

The evolution and future of lean Six Sigma 4.0

Abstract: PurposeThis purpose of this study is to provide an overview of the current state of research on Lean Six Sigma (LSS) and Industry 4.0 and the key aspects of the relationships between them. The research analyses LSS's evolution and discusses the future role of LSS 4.0 in an increasingly digitalized world. We present the benefits and motivations of integrating LSS and Industry 4.0 as well as the critical success factors and challenges within this emerging area of research.Design/methodology/approachA systematic literature review methodology was established to identify, select and evaluate published research.FindingsThere is a synergistic nature between LSS and Industry 4.0. Companies having a strong LSS culture can ease the transition to Industry 4.0 while Industry 4.0 technologies can provide superior performance for companies who are using LSS methodology.Research limitations/implicationsOne limitation of this research was that as this area is a nascent area, the researchers were limited in their literature review and research. A more comprehensive longitudinal study would yield more data. There is an opportunity for further study and analysis.Practical implicationsThis study reviews the evolution of LSS and its integration with Industry 4.0. Organisations can use this study to understand the benefits and motivating factors for integrating LSS and Industry 4.0, the Critical Success Factors and challenges to such integration.Originality/valueThis is the first systematic literature review on LSS 4.0 and can provide insight for practitioners, organisations and future research directions.