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Assessment of engineering colleges through application of the Six Sigma metrics in a State of India

Debaprayag Chaudhuri (Mechanical Engineering Department, Centre for Quality Management System, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India)
Arup Ranjan Mukhopadhyay (Statistical Quality Control & Operation Research Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata, India)
Sadhan Kumar Ghosh (Mechanical Engineering Department, Centre for Quality Management System, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India)

International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management

ISSN: 0265-671X

Article publication date: 11 October 2011

536

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the study is to measure the current or baseline institutional performance level of the Government and private engineering colleges in the state of West Bengal.

Design/methodology/approach

The study has been conducted on the basis of a survey. The feedback for this survey questionnaire has been considered independently for service providers such as administrators, faculties, other supporting staff as well as students who receive these services and are direct customers. A total of 2,168 persons have been surveyed from the 30 randomly selected colleges out of 70 colleges. The baseline or current performance level of the engineering colleges has been assessed based on the sigma level through quantification of the survey questionnaire consisting of eight enablers. Each enabler contains several questions or drivers. A total of 75 drivers have been arrived at for eight enablers. A seven‐point scale has been designed for each driver ranging from “Unsatisfactory” to “Outstanding”. To identify the weak areas for a college, the vital few drivers that correspond to “Unsatisfactory” performance have been made to take necessary remedial measures for attaining the new benchmark sigma level under the present techno‐economic set‐up.

Findings

The overall ratings (sigma levels) of engineering colleges in West Bengal range from 0.11 to 2.7, which is far away from the sigma level (4σ) of an average organization in the USA.

Originality/value

The paper is a purely original work. Instead of going by the popular perception of the Selection, Engineering and Technology, West Bengal, it is much better to categorize the colleges based on the class intervals of baseline sigma levels as demonstrated.

Keywords

Citation

Chaudhuri, D., Ranjan Mukhopadhyay, A. and Ghosh, S.K. (2011), "Assessment of engineering colleges through application of the Six Sigma metrics in a State of India", International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, Vol. 28 No. 9, pp. 969-1001. https://doi.org/10.1108/02656711111172540

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2011, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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