Evaluation of the Application of Six Sigma Method in Moroccan SMEs Using the Hybrid SWOT-FAHP Model

The Six Sigma method brings direct gains for the company as well as customer satisfaction. It allows better use of human and financial resources and production tools in order to improve performance. It also increases productivity by reducing non-quality. Six Sigma thus creates a dynamic of continuous progress making it possible to launch large-scale projects such as new products or new processes, thus increasing the competitiveness of the company and therefore its profits. Despite its benefits in terms of cost reduction and variability, many manufacturing companies, especially Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), are reluctant to apply it because it is a method that requires many skills within the company. This paper aims to examine the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) related to the application of Six Sigma method in Moroccan SMEs. Because of the lack of determination of importance ranking for SWOT factors, we proposed to improve the SWOT analysis with a multi-criteria decision-making technique called Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP). The objective of using the hybrid SWOT-FAHP model is to systematically qualify the SWOT groups and assimilate their intensities using fuzzy numbers that deal with the uncertainty and subjectivity of human decisions.