Gaps Between Industry Needs and Lean Six Sigma in Higher Education

The purpose of this paper is to explore and evaluate the current gaps between industry needs and higher education on Lean Six Sigma (LSS) from the published literature. Industry exhibits constant changes in workforce and practitioner needs of professionals, making the development and management of educational pathways difficult. This research focuses on identifying if current LSS curriculum in higher education prepares students adequately, based upon specific industry current and more importantly, emerging needs

Critical success factors of Lean Six Sigma in higher education institutions

In this globalization era, the competition in industries becoming more vigorous as organizations are under constant pressure to outperform each other. Similarly in the educational sector, where Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) facing intense competition. In order to stay competitive and sustainable, continuous improvement tools are highly required by these organizations. Lean Six Sigma (LSS) is one of the powerful continuous improvement tools to enhance HEIs’ competitive advantages and performance. In order to improve the successful rate of implementation, this paper aimed to identify and reviewed on previous study regarding to the Critical Success Factors (CSFs) of LSS. Based on the findings, it can be concluded that all CSFs are relevant in the context of HEIs, and management plays an important role in all CSFs of LSS. However, the involvement of employees serves as the support and also vital for the successful of LSS implementation as employees are the fundamental of HEIs and decides the accomplishment of task and performance of HEIs. Management should take the initiative to stimulate the employees, and with these CSFs serve as guidelines of LSS, HEIs can adapt LSS to improve its operation and services

A quest for waste reduction at institutions of higher learning: Investigating the integration of Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma methodologies with total quality management

AbstractInstitutions of higher learning are required to rethink strategies to eliminate ‘institutional waste’. The sector is facing numerous challenges with resource restrictions. Factors such as the impact of the Fees-must-fall campaign in South Africa and the global tendency of government initiatives to increase student enrolment targets, while subsidies, on a continual basis, are on the decrease, places institutions in higher education under enormous financial distress. This article argues that the majority of institutions’ quality management systems in South Africa and abroad are underpinned by the principles of Total Quality Management (TQM). There is a dearth of research on the implementation of Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma in higher education. This article investigates the integration of Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma as mechanisms to reduce waste in the higher education sector. It reflects on how this integration can enhance a university’s core business and institutional functions through processes of continuous quality assurance, the latter is characteristic of the principles of TQM.

Systematic review of lean thinking in education institutions

The economy, culture, and social development of countries in the 21st century are directly related to the quality of education. For education to have expected quality and deliver the desired values to their client, many educational institutions are applying Lean management.  Therefore, the paper aimed to explore the Lean implementation in education through a systematic review of papers from the past five years, in English and the Scopus and Web of Science databases. The methodology was developed using the PRISMA protocol and has been according to the type of approach, place of analysis, tools, facilitators, barriers, positive results, negative results, and the tendency of future work. The main results found were that 69.57% of the papers are analytical, LSS is the most discussed tool, the reduction is the main facilitator, the lack of Lean knowledge is the main barrier, and the attendance to the student obtained the best positive result

Exploration and Mitigation of Green Lean Six Sigma Barriers: A Higher Education Institutions perspective

Purpose-The study aims to identify Green Lean Six Sigma (GLSS) barriers in the context of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and prioritize them for executing the GLSS approach. Design/methodology/approach-A systematic literature review (SLR) was used to identify a total of fourteen barriers, which were then verified for greater relevance by the professional judgments of industrial personnel. Moreover, many removal measures strategies are also recommended in this study. Furthermore, this work also utilizes Gray Relational Analysis (GRA) to prioritize the identified GLSS barriers. Findings-The study reveals that Training and education, continuous assessment of SDG, organizational culture, resources and skills to facilitate implementation, and assessment of satisfaction and welfare of the employee are the most significant barriers to implementing this approach. Research limitations/implications-The present study provides an impetus for practitioners and managers to embrace the GLSS strategy through a wide-ranging understanding and exploring these barriers. In this case, the outcomes of this research, and in particular the GRA technique presented by this work, can be used by managers and professionals to rank the GLSS barriers and take appropriate action to eliminate them. Practical implications-The ranking of GLSS barriers gives top officials of higher education institutes a very clear view to effectively and efficiently implementing GLSS initiatives. The outcomes also show training and education, sustainable development goals, and organizational culture as critical barriers. The findings of this study provide an impetus for managers, policymakers, and consultants to embrace the GLSS strategy through a wide-ranging understanding and exploring these barriers. Societal implications-The GLSS barriers in HEIs may significantly affect the society. HEIs can lessen their environmental effect by using GLSS practices, which can support sustainability initiatives and foster social responsibility. Taking steps to reduce environmental effect can benefit society as a whole. GLSS techniques in HEIs can also result in increased operational effectiveness and cost savings, which can free up resources to be employed in other areas, like boosting student services and improving educational programs. However, failing to implement GLSS procedures in HEIs could have societal repercussions as well. As a result, it's critical for HEIs to identify and remove GLSS barriers in order to advance sustainability, social responsibility, and operational effectiveness. Originality/value-GLSS is a comprehensive methodology that facilitates the optimum utilization of resources, reduces waste, and provides the pathway for sustainable development so, the novelty of this study stands in the inclusion of its barriers and HEIs to prioritize them for effective implementation

Analytical Investigation of Higher Education Quality Improvement by Using Six Sigma Approach

For over two decades in India, the technical industry's unique selling proposition (USP), with its wide infrastructure of technical institutes, has been capable of supplying best-in-class engineers. But recently, this claim does not hold water. According to the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), about 2.6 lakh mechanical engineers graduate every year in India. But the real count of industry ready mechanical engineers is approximately 7%. Hence, there is a need to assess the quality of engineering education in India to reduce the flaws in higher education. The purpose of the paper is to identify the various defects associated with technical education and eliminate those defects using various quality tools. This research is based on the six sigma technique, which is used to assess the quality criteria proposed by the National Board of Accreditation India (NBA). The proposed model is then applied to a typical tier II Indian engineering college located in south India. Six Sigma has two main methodologies: DMAIC and DFSS. The DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control) methodology is implemented for existing systems, whereas DFSS (Design for Six Sigma) is for assuring quality in new products. In this project, the conclusion is driven by the DMAIC methodology. Various statistical and non-statistical tools are employed in this research. The tools used are CTS-CTQ, SIPOC, Pareto chart, normal process capability analysis, one-way ANOVA, Ishikawa diagram, FMEA, RCBD, and SPC chart. All the statistical processes are done using Minitab analytical software. From the results, it is identified that the factors that have a risk priority number (RPN) greater than 300 need improvement, such as versatility in program curriculum, laboratories and workshops, and credibility among universities. Six Sigma can be achieved by developing proper strategies for mitigating these defects. Doi: 10.28991/HIJ-2022-03-02-07 Full Text: PD

Improving the admission process in a higher education institute using Lean Six Sigma: A case study

Purpose The purpose of this study is to implement lean six sigma (LSS) methodology to improve the admission process in a higher education institute (HEI). Design/methodology/approach In this study, case study research methodology is adopted and implemented through an LSS define-measure-analyze-improve-control (DMAIC) framework. Findings The preliminary investigation showed that the completion of the whole admission process of a new student takes an average of 88 min, which is equivalent to a sigma level of about 0.71 based on the targeted admission cycle time of 60 min. The implementation of the proposed LSS approach increased the sigma level from 0.71 to 2.57, which indicates a reduction in the mean admission cycle time by around 55%. This substantial improvement is expected not only to provide an efficient admission process but also to enhance the satisfaction of students and employees and increase the reputation of the HEI to a significant level. Research limitations/implications In this study, the sample size used in the analysis is considered small. In addition, the effectiveness of the proposed approach is investigated using a discrete event simulation with a single-case study, which may limit generalization of the results. However, this study can provide useful guidance for further research for the generalization of the results to wider scopes in terms of different sectors of HEIs and geographical locations. Practical implications This study uses several statistical process control tools and techniques through a LSS DMAIC framework to identify and element the root causes of the long admission cycle time at a HEI. The approach followed, and the lessons learned, as documented in the study, can be of a great benefit in improving different sectors of HEIs. Originality/value This study is one of the few attempts to implement LSS in HEIs to improve the administrative process so that better-quality services can be provided to customers, such as students and guardians. The project is implemented by a group of undergraduate students as a part of their senior design project, which paves the way for involving students in future LSS projects in HEIs. This study is expected to help to improve understanding of how LSS methodology can be implemented in solving quality-related problems in HEIs and to offer valuable insights for both academics and practitioners.©2023 Emerald Publishing Limited. This manuscript version is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY–NC 4.0) license, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Revisión sistemática de la aplicación de gestión del conocimiento y Six Sigma en instituciones de educación superior

El presente trabajo tiene por objetivo analizar los hallazgos más relevantes referentes al tema sobre el desarrollo e implementación de modelos de gestión del conocimiento y Six Sigma en Instituciones de Educación Superior, así como su impacto en la mejora de los procesos de éstas. Para ello se llevó a cabo una revisión sistemática la cual constó de cuatro fases: 1) planteamiento de la pregunta de investigación; 2) criterios de inclusión y exclusión de la información; 3) obtención de datos y procedimiento de análisis; 4) conclusiones. Los resultados indican que, aunque hay evidencia de la aplicación exitosa de la gestión del conocimiento y la metodología Six Sigma en Instituciones de Educación Superior, no se han realizado estudios sobre la combinación de ambas en ningún tipo de organización. Se propone realizar un análisis más profundo sobre los elementos que integran ambas metodologías para lograr articular un modelo que permita alcanzar las metas que con éstas pueden alcanzarse