Maximizing Financial Benefit of Lean Six Sigma Projects Through Optimized Selection Criteria

As evolving threats across the globe keep pace with increasing budget constraints, the US Army’s major subordinate commands and their sub-organizations are constantly challenged to do more with less. Resources such as human capital, information technology, facilities, and budgeted funding are stretched as thin as ever, while requirements to serve the Warfighter remain paramount. Each dollar of financial benefit gained through cost reduction efforts at the US Army can affect the Warfighter directly. Budgeted money saved or avoided is reprogrammed both locally and atop the hierarchy at the Department of Treasury to serve the Warfighter better. Ordinal Logistic Regression was performed to analyze the selection criteria and financial benefit results from Lean Six Sigma projects executed within the US Army’s Tank-Automotive and Armaments Lifecycle Management Command (TACOM LCMC). TACOM LCMC Headquarters, its depots, arsenals, Program Executive Offices, and logistics center reported over $366,000,000 in total Continuous Performance Improvement (CPI) financial benefit in fiscal year 16. Seventeen selection criteria from an array of scholarly articles, textbooks, and proprietary industry sources were analyzed retroactively against TACOM’s FY16 results. The study produced a number of organization-specific results, as well as a modular process that can be used in any industry to analyze project selection criteria and their effect on an ordinal output. In the case of all FY16 TACOM LCMC projects, it was found that projects initially selected with the factors of a predicted high financial benefit or strong internal documentation of poor performance led to the highest probability of yielding$1M or more in financial benefit. Projects selected with factors of a three month timeline or internal-only focus led to lower financial benefit results. This analysis was also performed on non-gated LSS projects executed within the TACOM LCMC’s depots and arsenals. This analysis case resulted in the significant factors of having the right non-human capital resources in place or the prediction of a high benefit corresponding to a positive odds ratio, and again the restriction of a three month timeline which corresponded to a negative odds ratio with respect to achieving the highest financial benefit. Additionally, the Army-specific output measure of readiness was analyzed across all projects. This study found that factors such as a predicted high financial benefit, strong leadership buy in, external gap-focused, and the consideration of readiness yielded a greater probability of achieving the highest levels of readiness when a given project was complete. Factors such as stretch goals and internal gap-focused decreased the likelihood of positively affecting readiness. The specific results and underlying process presented in this Praxis will enable US Army CPI leaders to make better informed decisions which will result in achieving maximum financial benefit for the betterment of the Warfighter, the Army, Department of Defense, and United States

Six Sigma in Synergy with Risk Management

Because of globalization, stiff competition, Rapid market change?higher environmental uncertainty and lower technology cycle time, it is inevitable to include risk management in the six sigma methodology no matter whether the organization is manufacturing concern or service concern. Risk management is to play a basic role in Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control phase (DMAIC) and Define, Measure, Analyze, Design and Verify  phase (DMADV) in the supply chain. In this paper a need is established using exiting literature to include risk management into six sigma methodology and its potential benefits are described. Keywords: Six Sigma, Risk Management, Supply Chain Managemen

A Causal Decision Making Model for Knowledge Management Capabilities to Innovation Performance in Taiwan’s High-Tech Industry

R&D and innovation is the source of technology companies’ profit. If companies cannot be smoothly implemented technological innovation and R&D investments, then they can not strengthen their competitiveness. In the light of dynamic capabilities and absorptive capacities, we need an effective multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) analysis tools to assess the impact of organizational innovation and performance factors so that we can promote organizational innovation performance requires. This study used multiple criteria decision analysis method- DEMATEL, how influence as innovation performance on knowledge management capabilities of high-tech industry. Result of this study, enterprises can access external knowledge and make amendments to the operating principle effectively and immediately, when enhanced absorptive capabilities. Moreover, enhancing absorption capabilities will lead the improvement of dynamic capabilities to adapt to the rapidly changing competitive environment

Application of Fuzzy Multi-Criteria Decision Making Methods on Six Sigma Projects Selection

Abstract. Six sigma method widely applied in production and service businesses is known as a project-oriented method. In six sigma method, selection of the prior project among others can be considered as a multi -criteria decision making problem. The conducted literature review has revealed that there is a large number of methods to select six sigma projects. It is more appropriate to use fuzzy multi-criteria decision making methods in project selection since evaluation criteria of six sigma projects include uncertainties. The aim of this study is to select the most appropriate project as a result of evaluating the projects by Fuzzy VIKOR, Fuzzy TOPSIS and Fuzzy COPRAS as methods of fuzzy multicriteria decision-making and integrating the ranking scores obtained from each method by Copeland method. The proposed method has been implemented in a large scale production company, operating in Aydın ASTİM Organized Industrial Zone.Keywords. Six Sigma Projects, Fuzzy VIKOR, Fuzzy TOPSIS, Fuzzy COPRAS, Fuzzy AHP, Copeland Method.JEL. M11, C44, L20, C02, D70, O22

Gestão da Qualidade a Utilização do Método de Ishikawa na Diminuição do Tempo de Permanência dos Veículos - TPV Inbound: Estudo de Caso

O objetivo deste trabalho é correlacinar uma das ferramentas da qualidade em um case real que foi utilizado a ferramenta Ishikawa como príncipio básico para solucionar o problema detectado: excesso do tempo de permanência dos veículos dentro da Usina multinacional estudada. O case analisado pelo nosso grupo, consiste na redução do tempo médio que os veículos permanecem dentro da Usina aguardando o devido carregamento. Uma vez que, entende-se por qualidade o atendimento das necessidades do cliente continuamente, baseando-se na prevenção de aspectos relativos à não-qualidade tais como: erros, defeitos na realização de serviços e produção de bens, erro na compra de produtos, serviço desnecessário, produtos inseguros, falta de segurança nas condições de trabalho, tempo desperdiçado, demoras e falhas. Sendo assim, o tempo ocioso do veículo no interior da Usina deixa-os expostos à riscos quanto à segurança das pessoas, ao relacionamento entre motoristas e demais colaboradores envolvidos nas execuções, à custos, à produtividade e no atraso da entrega do produto ao cliente. No case foi utilizado o diagrama de causa e efeito, também conhecido como espinha de peixe ou ishikawa, para representar a relação entre o "efeito" e todas as possibilidades de 'causa' que podem contribuir para esse efeito. Esse diagrama é desenhado para ilustrar claramente as várias causas que afetam o processo, por classificação e relação das causas. Para cada efeito existem seguramente, inúmeras causas dentro de categorias. Podendo assim otimizar o tempo ocioso dos veículos no interior da Usina. Palavras chave: Gestão da Qualidade, Ferramenta de Qualidade, Ishikawa, Custo

A methodological framework based on a DANP model for evaluating the software quality in terms of usability: a preliminary investigation on mobile operating systems

Evaluation of the software usability as concerns software alternatives represents a typical Multi- Criteria Decision-Analysis (MCDA) problem. Such a kind of problem can be successfully faced via structured models and approaches which validity have been widely shown in literature. In this work, a methodological framework based on a MCDA model integrating the DEMATEL method along with the ANP technique is proposed and explained with more detail to address the relevant issue of the software usability evaluation. The applicability of the considered DEMATEL-ANP (DANP) based model in the under analysis contest is demonstrated via a preliminary investigation, where the usability of the two major Mobile Operating Systems (MOSs) is compared and quantitatively prioritized. Results of both performed comparison method and sensitivity analysis confirm the validity of the proposed MCDA model as well robustness of its outcomes. Moreover, results obtained point out about the influenced, independent and core factors for the MOSs usability, as well as strengths, weaknesses and discrepancies in the usability as concerns the two investigated alternatives. Representing these outcomes crucial aspects for driving focused MOSs usability improvement processes and strategies, they give also evidence of the effectiveness of the proposed methodological framework

An integrated approach using DEMATEL, ANP and TOPSIS for evaluating research & development projects

Research and development (R&D) projects should be one of the main dimensions of universities for providing academic development. It is also a core performance indicator for monitoring and ranking universities. For these reasons, usually there are many projects submitted to the institutions that fund R&D projects. Funding institutions should evaluate the submitted projects in terms of multi-criteria and select the suitable ones among them. Therefore multi-criteria decision making techniques can be implemented as a useful tool for these kinds of problems. In this study an integrated approach which includes DEMATEL, ANP and TOPSIS methods is used for evaluating and ranking projects. The criteria are determined by taking the Turkish Scientific and Technical Research Institute’s (TÜBİTAK) project selection procedures into consideration. DEMATEL method is used in order to detect the cause and effect interaction among main criteria. Then ANP method is implemented for calculating the weights of each criterion. Finally, TOPSIS method is applied for ranking the projects

A NOVEL TYPE OF FLEXIBLE SOFT ANALYTIC NETWORK PROCESS TO SOLVE THE MULTIPLE-ATTRIBUTE DECISION-MAKING PROBLEM

  Research and development of scientific and technological products have been changing with each passing day in this new millennium. Decisions related to the production of technical products are the key to affecting the sustainable development and market share of enterprises. However, the decision-making related to the production of technology products contains many different evaluation criteria as well as qualitative and quantitative evaluation attributes. Moreover, the correlation between criteria must be considered so it can be treated as a complex multiple-attribute decision-making (MADM) problem. Moreover, performing a multi-attribute decision evaluation often encounters incomplete or missing information provided by experts, which will lead to difficulties in the solution process. In view of the incomplete or missing information of the assessment data, the traditional analytic network process (ANP) method and decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory ANP (DANP) method will delete the incomplete information during the process of assessment and decision-making, and this will bring about non-objective assessment results. In order to solve the above problems, this study proposes a novel type of flexible soft ANP (SANP) method to solve the MADM problems and uses a practical example of smartphone text entry to prove the effectiveness and suitability of the proposed SANP method

Prioritizing stakeholders to boost collaborative R&I projects benefits: an analytic network process approach

A methodology was developed to prioritize stakeholders of a collaborative research and innovation (R&I) project in the circular bioeconomy area, towards enhancing its benefits from a multi-perspective point of view. The concept of R&I project benefits was broken down into criteria, evaluating different attributes related to the project outputs and outcomes, to the project management processes, and to the social, environmental and economic dimensions. The devised methodology was based on a combination of the analytic network process multicriteria decision making method and the key benefit categories from the P5 standard for sustainability in project management. The P5 standard has been shown to adequately frame the benefits to stakeholders of R&I projects in the topic of circular bioeconomy. Key benefits identified by the experts relate to the categories “society and costumers” and “consumption”. The following stakeholders should have priority in the development of the project stakeholder management plan: research team members, leaders at the consortium organizations, project management team members and environmental NGOs. Future research will include a longitudinal study of the perceived stakeholder and benefit categories priority over time.The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support through national funds FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC) to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020 and UIDP/00690/2020), SusTEC (LA/P/0007/2021) and CEMMPRE (UIDB/00285/2020). This article is a result of the project “BacchusTech - Integrated Approach for the Valorisation of Winemaking Residues” (POCI-01-0247-FEDER-069583), supported by the Competitiveness and Internationalization Operational Programme (COMPETE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio