Six sigma project generation and selection: literature review and feature based method proposition

Abstract

The benefits of the Six Sigma approach are recognised since the 1990s and Six Sigma project selection is pointed out as being a key success factor in its implementation. Six Sigma project selection approaches have been proposed without exhausting the research. This study contributes in that direction, aiming to propose a method to carry out the generation and selection of Six Sigma projects. The methodological procedure used was systematic review of the literature. Research gap related to Six Sigma project selection were identified. The novelty of this paper is to present a review of literature not only about six sigma project approaches but also about six sigma project selection features. Additionally, this paper proposes an innovative method by the fact that it meets all the eight Six Sigma project selection approach recurring features found in literature. In doing so, this feature based method can assist management teams in charge of leading a Six Sigma initiative.

Keywords:

• project management
• Six Sigma project selection
• portfolio generation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The authors acknowledge the support from CAPES for conducting this research.

Notes on contributors

Giovanni Cláudio Pinto Condé

Giovanni Cláudio Pinto Condé is an Industrial Engineer and holds a Master Science Degree in Production Engineering from the Methodist University of Piracicaba (UNIMEP). Also, he is an experienced Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt who has worked for decades with continuous improvement and quality management. He is a Certified Quality Engineer and Certified Quality Auditor by American Society for Quality (ASQ). He worked as a Visiting Professor at Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais (PUC-MG).

Mauro Luiz Martens

Mauro Luiz Martens was an Assistant Professor at Methodist University of Piracicaba (UNIMEP), in the Production Engineering Department in Brazil. He is a research partner at LGP—Project Management Laboratory (http://www.pro.poli.usp.br/lgp.) and QEP—Quality and Product Engineering research group of CNPq at the University of São Paulo (USP), in the Production Engineering Department of the Polytechnic School in Brazil. He holds a BSc in Industrial Chemistry, an MSc in Production Engineering from the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), and a PhD in Production Engineering from the Polytechnic School of the University of São Paulo (USP), Brazil. He was a Visiting Scholar at Bentley University in 2014. He is a Director at Viatecno. Also, he is a Director of PPGEP at Universidade Nove de Julho (UNINOVE).