A toolset for complex decision-making in analyze phase of Lean Six Sigma project: a case validation

Purpose The analyze phase of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) project is an important phase where the project heads and organizational directors need to select the critical issues for further improvements. The present work is primarily focused on analyze phase of LSS project to prioritize the critical to quality (CTQ) in a particular case industry. Design/methodology/approach The CTQ prioritization is being done based on the five evaluation criteria found from the literature. The weights of the criteria are determined through the modified digital logic (MDL) method. The identified CTQs in assembly section of case industry have been ranked through the gray relational analysis (GRA) under fuzzy environment. The results of the study have been validated using fuzzy VlseKriterijumska Optimisacija I Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR). Findings It is found that the “cost” criterion is the most significant among other criteria with MDL weight of 0.3. Through fuzzy-GRA, out of ten identified CTQs, non-availability of rack system is found to be the most critical issue in assembly section of case industry. The perceptions of industrial manager and production head of case industry are strongly in favor of the obtained results and have implemented the suggested solutions. Originality/value To sustain in the competitive environment and produce quality product at right time, organizations need to control their CTQs as per their criticality. For this, the decision-making becomes quite complex to select the most critical factors because of the fascinating nature of various criteria and sub-criteria. The present study is the first attempt that has implemented the multi-criteria decision-making approach in analyze phase of LSS project.