{"title":"Useful paths for identifying Lean Six Sigma improvement opportunities","authors":"V. E. Kane","doi":"10.1108/ijqrm-08-2020-0274","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ijqrm-08-2020-0274","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeThe goal of this work is to clarify seven useful DMAIC Analyze phase options for developing process improvement opportunities required for successful projects.Design/methodology/approachUsing a scientific method problem solving structure, IO possibilities are shown to be predicted by rejecting a conceptual testable hypothesis.FindingsSeven analysis paths are identified that enable learners to develop multiple IO discovery strategies and to narrow tool selection options. Four benefit areas for identifying analysis paths are given: improved training, continuous improvement foundation, leadership support and framework clarification.Research limitations/implicationsAny starting list of analysis paths for developing IOs would be incomplete. The diversity of application experiences and tools will add to the current list.Practical implicationsLearners participating in LSS activities are aware of management's expectation that they will develop IOs to justify the LSS investment. Tool-focused training may leave some learners unclear about the multiple possible sources for IOs. Identifying useful analysis paths with associated tools for IO discovery will address any learner's Analyze phase uncertainty and facilitate expanded opportunities.Originality/valueAny successful LSS project must discover IOs to develop improvement actions. Clarifying IO discovery alternatives will encourage team brainstorming on Analyze phase investigative options. This framework identifying LSS improvement paths will assist practitioners in training and communicating with leadership and learners the range of approaches for developing improvement actions.","PeriodicalId":14193,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2021-10-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48718382","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
J. Antony, James Lancastle, Olivia McDermott, S. Bhat, Ratri Parida, E. Cudney
{"title":"An evaluation of Lean and Six Sigma methodologies in the national health service","authors":"J. Antony, James Lancastle, Olivia McDermott, S. Bhat, Ratri Parida, E. Cudney","doi":"10.1108/ijqrm-05-2021-0140","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ijqrm-05-2021-0140","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to conduct an empirical study derived from the previous literature from the perspective of benefits, tools and techniques, continuous improvement (CI) and quality improvement (QI) methodologies and critical failure factors (CFFs) of Lean and Six Sigma (SS) in the national health service (NHS).Design/methodology/approachA literature review was carried out to identify previous findings, empirical data and critical variables concerning Lean and SS in healthcare for over ten years. Second, primary research in quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews was carried out with 110 participants who have experience using Lean and SS in the NHS.FindingsLean and SS have evolved into common practices within the NHS and now have an established list of tools and techniques frequently employed by staff. Lean and SS are considered robust CI methodologies capable of effectively delivering extensive benefits across many different categories. The NHS must overcome a sizable amount of highly important CFFs and divided organizational culture.Originality/valueThis paper has developed the most extensive empirical study ever produced on Lean and SS in the NHS and has expanded on previous works to create new and updated research. The findings produced in this paper will assist NHS medical directors and practitioners in obtaining up-to-date insight into Lean and SS status in the NHS. The paper will also guide the NHS to critically evaluate their current CI strategy to ensure long-term sustainability and deliver improved levels of service to patients.","PeriodicalId":14193,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2021-10-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48023522","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Quality 4.0: literature review analysis, definition and impacts of the digital transformation process on quality","authors":"Ana Dias, André M. Carvalho, P. Sampaio","doi":"10.1108/ijqrm-07-2021-0247","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ijqrm-07-2021-0247","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeThe changes brought forth by the Digital Transformation have an impact on the way we think, assess and manage Quality. While the concept of Quality 4.0 has resulted from these changes, there is still limited understanding and unclear definitions in this new era of Quality Management.Design/methodology/approachThere is a clear opportunity to review and analyze the state-of-the-art of Quality 4.0, its main research efforts, topics and directions. To do so, a bibliometric analysis and descriptive/mapping literature review were performed.FindingsThere is a clear focus on the implications of technology for Quality, but other relevant topics include business management and strategy models and systems, as well as human or soft factors. Results reveal an increasing interest in Quality 4.0 as well as a link between topics.Originality/valueTogether with the review, analysis and digest of the literature, we offer our own contribution to a commonly accepted definition Quality 4.0.","PeriodicalId":14193,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2021-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47635264","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Airport service quality dimension and measurement: a systematic literature review and future research agenda","authors":"Agus Usman, Y. Azis, Budi Harsanto, A. Azis","doi":"10.1108/ijqrm-07-2021-0198","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ijqrm-07-2021-0198","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to outline the evolution of research on airport service quality and measurement index of passenger satisfaction to explore opportunities for future research direction.Design/methodology/approachA systematic literature review was conducted involving a total final sample 27 articles published during 2000–2020, the source of the database used in this study is Emerald, ScienceDirect, Harzing's Publish or Perish with API Key based on set of inclusion/exclusion criteria for analysis and synthesis to meet the purpose of the paper.FindingsDimensions of measuring airport service quality are currently based on a process approach. There are eight dimensions of ASQ measurement practiced by the industry, which is different from the five dimensions of service quality measurement generally. There is still a theoretical and empirical gap, so one of the challenges in applying the ASQ measurement dimensions is bridging research with applications in the airport industry. Other findings, research on airport service quality measurement is currently focused on passenger satisfaction. The integration of expectation-disconfirmation theory and service profit chain models can be used in service quality, passenger satisfaction and profitability.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper seeks to contribute to and analyze limited articles on service quality at airports and identify further research areas.Originality/valueThis paper tries to explain the development of research on the dimensions of measuring service quality at airports. The author identifies a gap in airport service quality measurement dimensions used by researchers and the industry. The author believes that this study can provide a comprehensive thought on using airport service quality measurement dimensions for future research.","PeriodicalId":14193,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2021-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44219936","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Bayesian two-sided group chain sampling plan for beta binomial distribution under quality regions","authors":"Waqar Hafeez, Nazrina Aziz","doi":"10.1108/ijqrm-10-2020-0356","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ijqrm-10-2020-0356","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeThis paper introduces a Bayesian two-sided group chain sampling plan (BT-SGChSP) by using binomial distribution to estimate the average proportion of defectives. In this Bayesian approach, beta distribution is used as a suitable prior of binomial distribution. The proposed plan considers both consumer's and producer's risks. Currently, group chain sampling plans only consider the consumer's risk and do not account for the producer's risk. All existing plans are used to estimate only a single point, but this plan gives a quality region for the pre-specified values of different design parameters. In other words, instead of point wise description for the designing of sampling plan based on a range of quality by involving a novel approach called quality region.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology is based on five phases, which are (1) operating procedure, (2) derivation of the probability of lot acceptance, (3) constructing plans for given acceptable quality level (AQL) and limiting quality level (LQL), (4) construction of quality intervals for BT-SGChSP and (5) selection of the sampling plans.FindingsThe findings show that the operating characteristic (OC) curve of BT-SGChSP is more ideal than the existing Bayesian group chain sampling plan because the quality regions for BT-SGChSP give less proportion of defectives for same consumer's and producer's risks.Research limitations/implicationsThere are four limitations in this study: first is the use of binomial distribution when deriving the probability of lot acceptance. Alternatively, it can be derived by using distributions such as Poisson, weighted Poisson and weighted binomial. The second is that beta distribution is used as prior distribution. Otherwise, different prior distributions can be used like: Rayleigh, exponential and generalized exponential. The third is that we adopt mean as a quality parameter, whereas median and other quintiles can be used. Forth, this paper considers probabilistic quality region (PQR) and indifference quality region (IQR).Practical implicationsThe proposed plan is an alternative of traditional group chain sampling plans that are based on only current lot information. This plan considers current lot information with preceding and succeeding lot and also considers prior information of the product.Originality/valueThis paper first time uses a tight (three acceptance criteria) and introduces a BT-SGChSP to find quality regions for both producer's and consumer's risk.","PeriodicalId":14193,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2021-10-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41974400","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
J. Antony, M. Sony, Olivia McDermott, S. Furterer, Matthew P. J. Pepper
{"title":"How does performance vary between early and late adopters of Industry 4.0? A qualitative viewpoint","authors":"J. Antony, M. Sony, Olivia McDermott, S. Furterer, Matthew P. J. Pepper","doi":"10.1108/ijqrm-05-2021-0134","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ijqrm-05-2021-0134","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeIndustry 4.0 is a new trend among organizations. Some organizations have been early adopters or later adopters of Industry 4.0. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how performance effects vary between early and late adopters of Industry 4.0.Design/methodology/approachThis study applies a qualitative research methodology using grounded theory. 14 senior management professionals who have implemented Industry 4.0 participated in this study through a theoretical and snowball sampling approach. These professionals were from manufacturing and service sectors, from North America, Europe and Asia. The study used semi structured open-ended interviews to capture the organizational performance on operational, financial, environmental and social dimensions.FindingsThe findings were analyzed in terms of four broad themes which emerged from the interviews. In operational performance the operational and implementation cost will be higher for early adopters. The late adopters may enjoy the advantage in terms of improved business models. In terms of financial performance, the early adopters may see a marginal increase in profit and increased stock price compared to late adopters. The performance on the environmental dimension will see early adopters enjoying material efficiency, energy savings and an improved image of the company compared to late adopters. In social performance, the early adopters will provide a better quality of work life, safer manufacturing environment. However, the resistance from labor unions will be higher for early adopters compared to late adopters.Practical implicationsOrganizations must decide the timing of implementation of Industry 4.0. This study will act as a guide wherein they can decide to be an early adopter or late adopter based on knowledge of the resulting performance consequences.Originality/valueThis is the first paper that studies the performance effects of early versus late adopters of Industry 4.0.","PeriodicalId":14193,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2021-10-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43629034","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Follow the 'Ting: sorghum in South Africa.","authors":"Laura M Pereira","doi":"10.1080/15528014.2021.1984631","DOIUrl":"10.1080/15528014.2021.1984631","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This paper follows sorghum, an indigenous, but currently underutilized, grain in South Africa, through six encounters to discover its potential to transform the country's food system. By listening to stories from diverse perspectives, it shows that the re-inclusion of sorghum could not only diversify diets, but could also move toward breaking colonial stereotypes of what constitutes aspirational food. It employs a Follow the Thing method to unpack the multiple identities of sorghum and the role it could play in galvanizing a healthier, more diverse food system. By opening up to a radical following method that does not constrain the researcher, the underlying stories associated with sorghum are highlighted, which coincides with a shift in perception of the multiple potentialities that the crop embodies. The research highlights that a strong cultural link to sorghum remains in South Africa and that if innovation could be broadly interpreted, this might invigorate a richer engagement with sorghum, not just as a commodity, but as a culturally significant food.</p>","PeriodicalId":14193,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management","volume":"10 1","pages":"116-144"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2021-10-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7616219/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"84432424","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Bootstrap beta control chart for monitoring proportion data","authors":"S. Chowdhury, Amarjit Kundu, Bidhan Modok","doi":"10.1108/ijqrm-09-2020-0287","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ijqrm-09-2020-0287","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeAs an alternative to the standard p and np charts along with their various modifications, beta control charts are used in the literature for monitoring proportion data. These charts in general use average of proportions to set up the control limits assuming in-control parameters known. The purpose of the paper is to propose a control chart for detecting shift(s) in the percentiles of a beta distributed process monitoring scheme when in-control parameters are unknown. Such situations arise when specific percentile of proportion of conforming or non-conforming units is the quality parameter of interest.Design/methodology/approachParametric bootstrap method is used to develop the control chart for monitoring percentiles of a beta distributed process when in-control parameters are unknown. Extensive Monte Carlo simulations are conducted for various combinations of percentiles, false-alarm rates and sample sizes to evaluate the in-control performance of the proposed bootstrap control charts in terms of average run lengths (ARL). The out-of-control behavior and performance of the proposed bootstrap percentile chart is thoroughly investigated for several choices of shifts in the parameters of beta distribution. The proposed chart is finally applied to two skewed data sets for illustration.FindingsThe simulated values of in-control ARL are found to be closer to the theoretical results implying that the proposed chart for percentiles performs well with both positively and negatively skewed data. Also, the out-of-control ARL values for the percentiles decrease sharply with both downward and upward small, medium and large shifts in the parameters. The phenomenon indicates that the chart is effective in detecting shifts in the parameters. However, the speed of detection of shifts varies depending on the type of shift, the parameters and the percentile being considered. The proposed chart is found to be effective in comparison to the Shewhart-type chart and bootstrap-based unit gamma chart.Originality/valueIt is worthwhile to mention that the beta control charts proposed in the literature use average of proportion to set up the control limits. However, in practice, specific percentile of proportion of conforming or non-conforming items should be more useful as the quality parameter of interest than average. To the best of our knowledge, no research addresses beta control chart for percentiles of proportion in the literature. Moreover, the proposed control chart assumes in-control parameters to be unknown, and hence captures additional variability introduced into the monitoring scheme through parameter estimation. In this sense, the proposed chart is original and unique.","PeriodicalId":14193,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2021-10-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49340919","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Analysis of barriers of cyber-physical system adoption in small and medium enterprises using interpretive ranking process","authors":"V. Wankhede, S. Vinodh","doi":"10.1108/ijqrm-06-2021-0174","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ijqrm-06-2021-0174","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to report a study on analysis of barriers for cyber-physical system (CPS) adoption in small and medium enterprises (SMEs).Design/methodology/approachIn Industry 4.0 scenario, Indian SMEs are struggling to bring their manufacturing processes in line with large manufacturing sector. CPS is considered as the backbone of Industry 4.0, and its implementation in SMEs will make significant changes pertaining to manufacturing automation. However, due to the lack of a proper CPS implementation strategy, SMEs face many challenges in its adoption. Hence, this study identified 18 possible barriers and seven performance measures pertaining to CPS adoption in Indian SMEs. Interpretive ranking process (IRP) is used to develop the contextual relationships among CPS barriers. IRP process include structured step-by-step matrix-based approach in which dominance among various alternatives is determined using performance measures developing a structured ranking model.FindingsThe developed IRP model revealed that CPS barriers “Lack of skilled manpower (CPSB2)” and “Lack of robustness with respect to environmental conditions in automotive environments (CPSB7)” are the most significant barriers (top two) hindering CPS adoption in SMEs.Research limitations/implicationsIn the present study, barriers for CPS adoption has been analyzed. In future, barriers for adopting other Industry 4.0 technologies could be analyzed.Practical implicationsThe present research work is one of the few studies which analyzed CPS barriers in SMEs and provided improvement suggestions to the most significant barriers for its smooth adoption. The managerial and practical implications have been derived.Originality/valueThe analysis of barriers for CPS adoption in SMEs is the original contribution of the authors.","PeriodicalId":14193,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2021-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47556155","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Analysis of signature reliability of ring-shaped network system","authors":"M. Ram, Subhi Tyagi, Akshay Kumar, Nupur Goyal","doi":"10.1108/ijqrm-04-2021-0113","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ijqrm-04-2021-0113","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to design a ring network topology system and alter it into a series–parallel type framework. Then, reliability of the framework is analysed and authors also discussed the signature to analyse the most sensitive component.Design/methodology/approachThis study presents a ring-shaped network system where this type of topology forms a single continuous pathway for signals through every node. In this study, a system consists of ring network topology is generalized in the series–parallel mixed configuration and reliability characteristics are evaluated with the assistance of universal generating function (UGF) technique. The system consists of wires, repeaters, components or computers and power supply. The wires and repeaters are in series, so, if they fail the whole system will fail and the signals will not go further. The components or computers are connected to each other in parallel configuration. So, the whole system will not fail until the last computer is working. There is also a two-unit power supply system which has one unit in a standby mode. On the failure of first power supply, the second one will start functioning and the whole system fails on the failure of both power supply.FindingsBy the assistance of UGF technique, reliability function of the framework is evaluated. Also, Barlow–Proschan index and expected lifetime for the designed system is estimated by considering a numerical example for the general ring-shaped network system.Originality/valueUGF technique is very effective for estimating the reliability of a system with complex structure and having two performance rates, i.e. completely failed and perfectly working, or more than two, i.e. multi-state performance. This technique enables to estimate every components contribution in the working and failure of the whole system. A general model of ring-shaped network system is taken and generalized algorithm is drawn for the system. Then a particular numerical example is solved for illustrating the use of this technique.","PeriodicalId":14193,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2021-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46411439","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}