In fact, the concepts of JIT and TQM mirror those of Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma that some researchers have actually applied the product lifecycle model to the trend in management models. Research has indicated that Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma are repackaged versions of their former models and given that they are ending their lifecycles, it is estimated that new management trends are expected to emerge shortly (Naslund, 2008)
This paper will compare and contrast some of the different points associated with these models to provide an introduction into the different strategies as well as look at some of the research that has been conducted in these areas. Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing, Strategic Quality Management and Total Quality Management Discussion Six Sigma has gained a significant amount of attention in industry however comparatively little research has been conducted on the conceptual definition and underlying theory associated with this model (Schroeder, Linderman, Liedtke, & Choo, 2008)
Strategic Quality Management and Total Quality Management are also closely related concepts. Strategic Quality Management is a more focused version of the later in which a structured approach to quality management is gear toward the critical process of a company (Vinzant & Vinzant, 1996)
Yet the two theories are still similar enough that researchers have been studying the organizational cultures involved with both models to try to tease out the subtleties involved with each. Figure 1 - Example of Organizational Culture Research Examining TQM/Six Sigma (Zu, Robbins, & Fredendall, 2010) Lean Manufacturing by contrast to Six Sigma, is more of a philosophy than a structured approach to improving defect rates
¶ … DMAIC method from Six Sigma is a five-phase improvement cycle. The phases of the DMAIC process are to define, measure, analyze, improve and control (Chieh, 2009)
Six Sigma has been successfully applied by many of the small, medium sized organization and also by the big companies listed in the fortune 500 (Linderman, Schroeder, Zaheer, & Choo, 2003). The broad objective of Six Sigma is improving upon the business processes at the heart of an organization's mission therefore its equally beneficial for the profit and non-profit organizations (Antony, & Banuelas, 2002)
Six Sigma has been successfully applied by many of the small, medium sized organization and also by the big companies listed in the fortune 500 (Linderman, Schroeder, Zaheer, & Choo, 2003). The broad objective of Six Sigma is improving upon the business processes at the heart of an organization's mission therefore its equally beneficial for the profit and non-profit organizations (Antony, & Banuelas, 2002)
Literature Review: The organizations to deliver high quality products and services to its customer and have increased level of profitability with minimum cost it need to implement a system of continuous improvement. This system of continuous improvement is achieved through rigorous quality control measures, mechanism and processes (Bernett & Nentl, 2010)
Due to the tight schedule many of the patients are not willing to have long waiting time because of which they are reluctant to take appointments or in many cases go for the clinics which have long patients list despite of the high quality of service provided by these clinics. Therefore, Hospitals and clinics have adopted Six Sigma process to improve the patients waiting times (Berwick, 1989)
Lean encourages value addition to the business through elimination of waste from the production process. Lean enables companies to get competitive edge on quality, delivery and price (Bhasin, & Burcher, 2006)
When the projects are of small scale, they will be the operational staff themselves. Staff involved in the leadership of projects may possess varying grades of qualification in Six Sigma which can be categorized as under (Calcutt, 2001): a) Master Black Belt: these are in-house consultants in Six Sigma and dedicate all their time to it
factories during World War II. The two project methodologies are (Coronado, & Antony, 2002): i
Performance measures are based on customer requirements. The targets may seem high but it's important to note that once defect can lead to a loss of customer (Fine, Hansen, & Roggenhofer, 2009)
The research on the successful implementation of the Six Sigma in construction industry have suggested that its critical success lies in the same factors applied to other industry like positive attitude by the management in initiating the process, relevant training to the staff members, suitable selection of the pilot project and most importantly commitment of the team members in the transformation process. The objective behind the implementation of Six Sigma generally by any company in the construction industry is to improve the quality of products and services to the public if it's a public organization or to the client if it's a private construction firm and to help resolve some of its ongoing problems and concerns (Hahn, Hill, Hoerl, & Zinkgraf, 1999)
Six Sigma / Lean is applicable to every level of the operation process by optimizing the performance, decreasing the wastage and cost associated with the process and maximizing the profit. If the dedication and full commitment of the senior managers is gained and employees are committed in bringing about a turnaround plan within the organization then the success of Six Sigma / Lean is apparent (Harry & Schroeder, 2000)
Six Sigma Strategy for Continuous Improvement Six Sigma is a quality management system whose overall aim is a very high and consistent standard of quality output. Six Sigma shapes itself in the form of specific improvement projects which follows a standards five phase pattern (Henderson, & Evans, 2000)
Making sure that quality factors have been accurately engineered into the design of products. However, Six Sigma assist in developing strategic goals, vision, metrics and incorporating data in powerful analytical tools derived from the statistical process control mechanism with the profound consideration and appreciation of normal distribution (Jorgensen & Emmitt, 2008)
" Therefore when the quality concern are addressed at the designing stage of the new product development then companies can save on lot of money in the costly quality rectification mechanism in the later phases. The author of the book "Design for Sigma: The Revolutionary Process for Achieving Extraordinary Profits" have emphasized the importance of Six Sigma in new product development and have commented on the role of Six Sigma as: "Companies that correctly employ Design for Six Sigma will do less and less Six Sigma because the product is designed right the first time" (Jusko, 2002)
4 waits in every million occurrences exceed 30 minutes. The normal distribution pattern developed by the hospital and clinic in this regard was as under (Kritchevsky, & Simmons, 1991): Specification limit 30 mints Target 0 mints Length of wait after appointment time 6? Fig 1: Six Sigma approach in hospital 2
It is observed that the concept of Six Sigma / Lean which was initially developed by the manufacturing concern was not limited to it and it's equally beneficial in the service industry. The financial institutions, educational institutions, Healthcare, hospitals and clinics have been found applying it and reaping its benefits (Kwak, & Anbari, 2006)