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Numerous attempts at installing Six Sigma (SS) have faced challenges and fallen short of the desired success. Thus, it becomes vital to identify the critical factors and characteristics that play a pivotal role in achieving successful adoption. Research has highlighted that a considerable number of corporate Six Sigma initiatives, around 60%, fail primarily due to the improper incorporation of essential elements and flawed assumptions.

To validate the influence of CSFs on Six Sigma accomplishment, the study employed a research design combining exploratory and mixed-methods approaches. The analysis focused on 260 completed questionnaires, and statistical methods including SEM, EFA, and CFA were utilized for data analysis.

The study acknowledged four essential components of CSFs that are imperative for sustaining the success of Six Sigma (SS): (1) Competence of Belt System employees; (2) Project management skills; (3) Organizational economic capability; and (4) Leadership commitment and engagement. These factors were identified as significant contributors to the maintenance of Six Sigma’s success.

The practical implications of this research imply that institutions, practitioners, and researchers can utilize the four identified factors to foster the sustainable deployment of SS initiatives. By incorporating these factors, organizations can enhance the effectiveness and longevity of their Six Sigma practices.

The investigation’s originality lies in its contribution to assessing critical success factors in Six Sigma deployment within the European automobile industry, utilizing a mixed-methods research design supplemented by descriptive statistics.

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.

This research aims to establish the applicability of the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) 18404 standard to the service sector, identify any required amendments and identify the critical success factors and barriers to deploying the standard within the service sector.

The study used a qualitative approach by interviewing operational excellence (OPEX) professionals who work in the service sector.

The findings indicate a significant lack of knowledge about the existence of the standard and a general scepticism regarding the applicability of the current ISO 18404 standard to the service sector.

Limited examples of the application of ISO 18404 in organisations exist, as only a few organisations have adopted the standard. Therefore, the research focussed on the challenges and obstacles that experienced OPEX professionals perceived could be an issue.

The study will aid service sector organisations in understanding the standard and, subsequently, determine whether to pursue it as part of an OPEX programme. This research is the first study on the application of ISO 18404 to the service sector.

Green Lean Six Sigma (GLSS) is a comprehensive approach that aims to reduce waste, emissions and non-value added activities, thus mark an effective impact on sustainability of firms. Despite the numerous benefits of GLSS implementation, it is evident that Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are still struggling to understand, integrate and implement this strategy. This research work provides a comprehensive analysis of GLSS within MSMEs and proposes a conceptual integration framework of GLSS for improving economic and environmental dimensions of sustainability MSMEs.

A systematic literature review (SLR) methodology was planned to assess and analyse the research articles from 2007 to 2022. Different key elements of GLSS such as barriers, enablers and tool sets have been thoroughly reviewed and analysed for MSME organisations to understand their behaviour and effectively adopt the GLSS approach in their operations.

This study provides the analysis of different perspectives of GLSS and this will contribute to improve different metrics related to emissions and quality in MSMEs. It provides MSMEs industrial managers with a comprehensive knowledge base of GLSS elements, enabling effective deployment.

The present study provides a significant knowledge base and know-how of GLSS to researchers that will assist in deploying this sustainable approach in different industrial domains. The study also assists industrial managers by providing a systematic framework of GLSS for MSMEs. Further, the study also supports society by proving pathway to improve the environmental dynamics through the execution GLSS.

The study is of the first kind that review different facets of GLSS related to MSME. The study not only enhances theoretical know how of GLSS but also guides practitioners how to implement comprehensive GLSS program for improved environmental sustainability.

This research aims to enhance digital marketing processes by using design of experiments in safelist mailers and traffic exchange websites.

The research applies design of experiments to improve an online digital marketing website.

The findings show that design of experiments can help improve digital marketing quality by generating more interactions with safelist mailers and traffic exchange websites, reducing time spent in the marketing process, allocating the appropriate amount of credits to significant websites and avoiding product price increases.

This research aims to increase awareness of the impact and applicability of design of experiments to digital marketing and demonstrates the application of design of experiments in any digital marketing process, including safelist mailers and traffic exchange websites.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study applying design of experiments within online marketing. This study can be leveraged by academics and marketing functions to demonstrate the benefits of design of experiments to the marketing function to improve process efficiency and resource utilisation.

The aim of this study reported in this paper was to explore the application of operational excellence methodologies in a global context.

A qualitative interview approach was used to understand the current state, benefits, challenges, success factors, tools and techniques of operational excellence methodology implementation with relevance to logistics companies worldwide. About 16 interviews were undertaken with practitioners working in leading companies and with leading academics in Asia, Europe, Africa, North America, South America and Australia.

The findings show that operational excellence methodologies including Lean, Six Sigma, Lean Six Sigma and Agile can apply in logistics firms to improve operations and productivity and save costs. Top management support and involvement play an important role in the success of operational excellence projects in the logistics service.

The findings will be of interest to top and middle managers and logistics practitioners, with a dual aim of improving logistics performance and saving costs.

The present study has been one of the first global study attempts to explore the implementation of operational excellence methodologies in the logistics sectors.

Facing the burden of chronic diseases has become a priority for health-care systems’ economic and social sustainability. To this end, this paper aims to focus on adopting Health Lean Management (HLM), a widely used managerial approach, to improve the performance and quality of care provided in chronic care pathways. HLM addresses not only efficiency and timeliness issues but also care effectiveness and integration. Indeed, the lack of continuity and co-ordination of care constitutes a major challenge for chronic pathways. This research provides an innovative contribution, by extending the implementation of HLM to chronic pathways developed across hospital and territorial care. Indeed, HLM scope typically regards hospital units and departments; hence, analysing the interaction between different levels of care represents a novelty from an academic and practical perspective.

With the aim of understanding how to extend the adoption of HLM towards the territory, an action research project has been developed. In particular, an improvement project focused on breast cancer care pathways has been launched in a Spanish hospital. The research investigates which HLM activities, tools and practices need to be accomplished in this kind of project, grasping insights into emerging wastes. To this end, the HLM project followed the Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control (DMAIC) cycle, supporting the project team in effectively conducting a preliminary context analysis, qualitative and quantitative data collection, the current state analysis and the countermeasure proposals.

The analysis conducted on the breast cancer care pathway highlighted major criticalities in managing the diagnosis of new patients. In particular, waiting times to obtain diagnostic imaging and breast specialist consultations highly impacted the care pathway effectiveness and efficiency. Specific wastes that caused these delays have been investigated, leading to the definition of specific countermeasures that could minimise the inefficiencies: an 85% reduction of the staging process lead time was estimated.

The achieved results contribute to enhancing the quality of care delivered to breast cancer patients. This paper enriches the theoretical knowledge about HLM, extending its typical field of application; provides practical support to health-care providers, managers and leaders with a case demonstrating how to develop HLM projects adopting the DMAIC cycle; and finally, it has valuable social implications, addressing the global threat of chronic disease.