Assessment of Critical Failure Factors for Implementing Lean Six Sigma in Manufacturing Industry: A case study

Abstract

In the present scenario manufacturing industries have been facing problem-related to cost, quality, and customer satisfaction. To overcome such problems, the organizations are ready to adopt continuous improvement (CI) approaches such as Lean Six Sigma (LSS) which keeps them stable when the demand for products or services fluctuates. LSS is a breakthrough improvement approach that helps to improve the bottom-line result of the company by utilizing its tools and techniques. The successful adaptation of the LSS approach provides a significant improvement in key metrics but deficiency of proper implementation shows a negative effect. To prevent such a situation, need to know about their failure factors. The objective of the present study is to assess the critical failure factors (CFFs) for LSS framework implementation in manufacturing organizations. The leading CFFs for LSS have been identified and selected through a structured literature review and expert opinion. The CFFs based model for LSS implementation has been developed using the Interpretative Structural Modelling and Matrice d’ Impacts Croises Multiplication Appliquee a un Classement (ISM-MICMAC) approach. Previous studies related to such concerns have not developed a structural hierarchical model that is necessary to tackle CFFs towards the LSS implementation process. Such an interrelation helps decision-makers, planners to systematically guide about the barriers that affect the implementation process and help for further implementation success. The developed structured model will also help LSS practitioners, consultants, researchers to anticipate the potential CFFs to implement the LSS framework in their industry for continuous improvement and achieve a leading position in a competitive market.