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The purpose of this study is to present the implementation of Six Sigma in a solenoid valve manufacturing company in China. The project aims to reduce the solenoid valve defects, decrease the cost of poor quality, increase customer satisfaction and improve the long-term profitability of Company B.

This paper follows the Six Sigma methodology: DMAIC (define, measure, analyse, improve and control) principle of case study research. Hysteresis, the key characteristic of a solenoid valve, is the main chance for quality improvement. This paper emphasizes the solution to the hysteresis problem. During DMAIC phases, the critical factors that affect hysteresis performance are identified for continuous quality improvement of solenoid valve manufacturing.

The implementation of Six Sigma leads to a great quality improvement for the company studied in this paper. Control plans are made for good hysteresis performance. As a result, the first pass yield of solenoid valves has increased from 60% to 99.64%. The key hysteresis of the solenoid valve has shown a better performance.

This study presents a solenoid valve industrial quality improvement case that demonstrates how Six Sigma and DMAIC methodology can be applied to reduce defects and achieve quality improvement in Company B. This study can be referred to for managers and engineers to undertake quality improvement programs.

The purpose of this paper is to apply the Six Sigma DMAIC methodology in order to reduce the rejections experienced in the manufacturing of the doors belonging to a telecommunication cabinet.

The process involved joining of sheet metal and hinge using welding operations with the help of a fixture. The methodology used is the structured DMAIC method in order to identify the root cause for the rejections and solve it.

The paper provides insights about the identification of the root cause for the defects and the solution to overcome it, and also the benefits that were obtained as a result of the application of the solution.

This methodology has been applied to the variation observed in the dimensions of a particular component to be welded with a main part. This approach can be used to find such dimensional variations.

This study has been successfully carried out in a medium-scale industry which has total quality management in practice.

Six Sigma DMAIC was necessary for the identification and reduction of the defects which arose in the sheet metal and welding operations, and had to be resolved in order to increase the bottom-line.

Six Sigma program is an approach currently adopted by many companies, which involves a highly disciplined and guided process, in which applications of many different tools and techniques aim at generating a cycle of continuous improvement. In this sense, a survey‐based research was conducted in a developing country from which the aim of this paper is to identify and analyse the tools and techniques used in the stages of the DMAIC.

The paper presents parts of the results of a descriptive survey conducted by a postal questionnaire answered by more than 60 Six Sigma users. Specific results of tools and techniques applied in Six Sigma are compared with those prescribed in the literature.

The results confirm the use of Six Sigma tools and techniques suggested by the literature. It also points out that Six Sigma needs to be supported by measurable and reliable data, and thus that the use of tools and techniques is indispensable to the use of the DMAIC.

This is not a probabilistic survey and, therefore, the generalisation is not feasible.

The paper may assist either academic and practitioners when teaching, researching and applying tools and techniques in Six Sigma.

This paper is one of the few published studies that report tools and techniques applied in Six Sigma programme in developing countries.

This chapter covers total quality management (TQM) with respect to the Lean and Six Sigma methods used to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of hospitality operations. In the first section, TQM is discussed. In the second section, Lean and Six Sigma techniques are examined individually. Then, Lean and Six Sigma are connected with an example of a housekeeping case study that applies both methodologies. In the third section, business analytics are explored and statistical process control analysis is demonstrated using a hotel room cleanliness example. The fourth section summarizes the concepts of change management, which is critical for embracing the philosophies of TQM. Finally, project management is discussed in the fifth and last section.

International Journal of Lean Six Sigma (IJLSS) has completed a decade. To celebrate the same, this study aims to review the articles published in IJLSS from its inception to the year 2020. The journal’s trends and professional impact over the years are investigated and potential future research directions are proposed.

A bibliometric analysis comprising of citation, co-citation and keyword co-occurrence methods is used on all the articles published in IJLSS till the year 2020. Content analysis is further done to analyse the type of research, type of industry studied and the articles’ target audience.

The journal has improved its reputation, productivity and impact over the years. Currently, studies published in IJLSS have been cited more than 5,000 times, with the most prominent themes being Six Sigma, Lean Six Sigma (LSS) and Lean in manufacturing and services. Researchers from India, the USA and the UK have contributed a significant number of publications. Most of the work published is case-based. There is a need for more empirical or survey-based research having high generalizability. Future studies should also focus on integrating LSS with emerging topics such as sustainability, Industry 4.0 and the like.

The study provides evidence of the impact of IJLSS and highlights the trend in the domain of LSS. It can be of use for the editorial board members to identify potential areas to focus on in the future. Researchers can use it to further their research by working on the research gaps identified.

This paper is the first to trace the progress of IJLSS from its inception till the year 2020.

The purpose of this study is to explore the trends in publications made to International Journal of Quality and Reliability Management (IJQRM) for time period ranging from 2002–2022. In this study authors performed bibliometric analysis on the publications extracted from Scopus database using citations, authors, keywords and bibliographic coupling methods. The analysis helped authors highlighting the achievements of the journal towards the development of field of “quality” and “reliability” management and explore future avenues to be researched upon in the domain.

In this paper outputs derived through VoS viewer and bibliographic data of Scopus were used to examine various tabular and pictorial aspects of the authors, sources, documents, countries and keywords analysis.

The analysis results revealed that International Journal of Quality and Reliability Management (IJQRM) has got incredible 33,344 citations since 2002 with average citation count per document at 22.69. Sohal A.S. from Monash University, Australia has topped the list of most influential authors in terms of citations per document (107.20 citations/doc) published with IJQRM. However, Antony J. with massive 39 publications in total with 2074 citations is the most prominent contributor for the journal. The author has gained 6% of the total journal citations. The contributions from India, United Kingdom (UK), United States of America (USA), Iran, Australia, Portugal, Brazil, Spain, Sweden, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia are more noteworthy.

The study has implications for future researchers and journal editorial team to explore possibilities in tapping various uncovered and upcoming research areas related to the scope of journal. The findings of the study may prompt research initiatives linked to diverse fields in sync with changes happening across globe such as: Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Data Science etc.

The study is an attempt to investigate the long standing heritage offered by IJQRM to the world of quality and reliability management. The authors tried to unearth some hidden facts about the IJQRM and attempted to showcase the past and explore future directions to the researchers and editorial team.

This paper aims to assess the combined application of Lean Six Sigma and agile approach for optimizing operational processes of order management in the seed industry.

This study is based on an action research case conducted in a multinational Brazilian Seeds Business enterprise. This paper reports on the application of the Lean Six Sigma define-measure-analyze-improve-control (DMAIC), using the steps of DMAIC cycle as a sprint of agile approach. The methodology involves outlining an operational process through sequential activities, each associated with a cycle time, equivalent number of full-time employee and number of orders. Performance metrics for the order management process include continuous monitoring of these activities, using monitoring systems, management software and manual records to collect data.

The findings reveal significant improvements in critical-to-quality measures related to customer care, planning and logistics. The implementation of the DMAIC methodology and agile approach resulted in tangible enhancements in cycle time, defects per opportunities and overall process efficiency. The results allow the classification of defects, the identification of their causes and, consequently, the presentation of a control plan to mitigate these problems. Furthermore, the study identifies key causes of operational issues and proposes a prioritized action plan.

The limitation of this research is its restriction to a single case. The external validity of the results and generalizability to other organizational contexts may be compromised due to the lack of case diversity. The fact that the research focuses on a single company, even if it is a large multinational company, may limit the applicability of the findings to different sectors, sizes and organizational structures, which may be an opportunity for future research.

The findings suggest that the integrated approach of DMAIC and agile methodology contributes to a culture of continuous improvement and operational efficiency. The systematic collection and analysis of data enhance evidence-based decision-making, providing a robust foundation for strategic and operational choices. Moreover, the successful integration of methodologies presents a comprehensive framework applicable to diverse organizational challenges.

The paper applies action research to understand and address operational challenges, emphasizing practical solutions. The integration of DMAIC and agile enhances the depth of process analysis, enabling the identification, implementation and control of improvements. This study offers a significant contribution both to practitioners, providing practical implications, and to academics, enriching the Lean Six Sigma and agile body of knowledge.

The purpose of this paper is to describe the historical approach to concurrent engineering (CE) which has resulted in product line management (PLM) and then evaluates the theoretical models that have been proposed for design for Six Sigma (DFSS) in order to determine which model is able to provide the most consistent approach with historical development of PLM.

The approach begins with an overview of the approach taken by the Union of Japanese Scientists and Engineers (JUSE) in the development of a coherent quality methodology for structured analysis and problem solving – the Deming Wheel of plan‐do‐check‐act (PDCA) which has become the standard model in Japanese total quality management to define a logical decomposition in process management. In Japan, PDCA is the single logical model which has been broadly accepted as the construct for understanding how to develop both strategic and operational quality methods. The second step in the approach is to examine a similar American development of the model for statistical problem solving that is applied in the Six Sigma method for statistical problem solving: define‐measure‐analyze‐improve‐control (DMAIC). Next, the paper examines the historical sequence in the way the product development process has developed over the past forty years, with emphasis on its military origins (especially CE) and which resulted in the generic model for PLM. The final part of this paper examines the models that have been proposed to implement DFSS over the past ten years and evaluate their logical congruence with the engineering community's design process.

Problems in alignment with the engineering design process were identified with all of the DFSS models and with the non‐structured or “heuristic” approach to developing a coherent body of knowledge related to DFSS.

This paper provides a challenge to the quality community as well as to the academic community. The paper points out the need for rigorous examination of logical models that are proposed for guiding the thinking of practitioners in the use of quality methods for both the engineering of products and business systems. An expose of lack of rationality in the way an approach to DFSS has been investigated calls for more responsibility in the management of the development of this body of knowledge.

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a hybrid framework (suppliers, inputs, process, output and customers+define, measure, analyze, improve and control (SIPOC+DMAIC)) aimed at improving supply chain management (SCM) process dimensions in a supply chain (SC) network.

Based upon the critical review of literature, process dimensions (average outgoing quality limit (AOQL), average outgoing quality (AOQ), process Z, defect per million opportunity) critical to SCM performance were identified. A framework consisting of three phases, i.e., design, implementation and results has been conceptualized and a case from paint industry is investigated. Implementation framework makes use of SIPOC model and Six Sigma DMAIC methodology. The goals of the study were achieved by using Six Sigma tools such as brainstorming sessions; root cause analysis, histograms, statistical tools such as control charts and process capability analysis.

Authors made an attempt to propose a conceptual framework for improving process dimensions in a SC network. It is observed from the results that selection of appropriate strategies for improving process performance based upon experiences, and use of statistical tools by cross-functional teams with an effective coordination, guarantees success. Metrics such as AOQL shows the maximum worst possible defective or defect rate for the AOQ. Process Z helps to know about sigma capability of the process.

The framework so developed is tested in a single company manufacturing batches of paint. The study has important implications for the industry since it tries to integrate SCM process dimensions which would help in successful implementation of SCM practices in firm by following the DMAIC process. The framework enables the practitioners to investigate the process and demonstrate improvements using DMAIC which makes use of statistical tools.

Although process dimensions related to SCM are critical to organization competitiveness, research so far has tended to focus on supply chain operations and reference model, balanced scorecard, total quality management, activity-based costing, just in time, etc., but in literature hardly any description of the SIPOC-DMAIC model to improve SCM process performance is provided. The use of statistics in DMAIC provides better insight into the process performance, and process control.

This research paper aims to develop and validate an enhanced business process improvement methodology (EBPIM) by integrating the DMAIC (define, measure, analyze, improve and control) and the comprehensive business process management (CBPM) methodologies.

A systematic literature review and analysis were conducted to prove the novelty of the research approach and identify the similarities, differences, strengths and weaknesses of the DMAIC and the CBPM methodologies. The EBPIM was proposed based on the analysis results. Then, a focus group approach was used to evaluate and validate the methodology.

The EBPIM consists of nine activities: preparation, selection, description, quantification, modeling, enactment, improvement opportunities selection, analysis and improvement and monitoring. The proposed methodology adopted the systematic and structured process of the DMAIC methodology by having one tollgate between every two activities to check the progress and authorize the team to go to the next activity. At the same time, it has the ability of the CBPM methodology to enhance the interaction between human activities and business process management systems (BPMS).

The EBPIM was evaluated and validated by a focus group of academic professors. However, the main limitation of the proposed methodology is that it is still theoretical and needs to be empirically tested. Therefore, future work will focus on testing the EBPIM in different industries and organization sizes.

From the theoretical perspective, the proposed methodology adds value to the knowledge in the scope of business processes improvement methodologies (BPIMs) by integrating the DMAIC and the CBPM methodologies. It takes advantage of and combines the strengths of the DMAIC and CBPM methodologies. From the practical perspective, the proposed methodology presents a valuable tool that can facilitate the organization’s mission to improve the areas that need improvement using a systematic improvement methodology that will effectively enhance organizational performance (OP).

The BPIMs literature analysis proved that most of the reviewed methodologies could not support all phases of the business process improvement (BPI) activities. It was concluded that integrating the DMAIC and the CBPM methodologies is a novel approach. The proposed methodology will enhance the efficiency of both methodologies, fill the gaps that may exist in both of them and lead to better results in terms of BPI.