Six sigma as a business process management method in services: Analysis of the key application problems

Information Systems and e-Business Management

Volumn 9, Issue 3, 2011, Pages 307-332

  Johannsen, Florian ^a   Leist, Susanne ^a   Zellner, Gregor ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF REGENSBURG   (Germany)

Author keywords

Critical success factor; Literature review; Problems; Services; Six sigma; Survey

Indexed keywords

EID: 79960600644     PISSN: 16179846     EISSN: 16179854     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1007/s10257-010-0128-2     Document Type: Review

References (131)

1. Achenbach W, Lieber K, Moormann J (2006) Six Sigma in der Finanzbranche. Bankakademie-Verlag, Frankfurt a. M.
2. Adams R, Warner P, Hubbard B, Goulding T (2004) Decreasing turnaround time between general surgery cases. JONA 34: 140-148.
3. Al-Aoumar R (2007) Prestigious three. Ind Eng 39: 39-42.
4. Almario VM (2005) Six sigma and the pharmaceutical industry. Available at: http://www. ibpassociation. org/IBPA_articles/oct2005issue/SixSigmaPharmaceuticalIndustry. doc. Accessed 3 Apr 2008.
5. Anbari FT, Kwak YH (2004) Success factors in managing six sigma projects. In: Project management institute research conference, London.
6. Antony J (2004) Six sigma in the UK service organisations: results from a pilot survey. Manag Audit J 19: 1006-1013.
7. Antony J (2006) Six sigma for service processes. Bus Process Manag J 12: 234-248.
8. Antony J, Bañuelas R (2002) Key ingredients for the effective implementation of six sigma program. Meas Bus Excell 6: 20-27.
9. Antony J, Antony FJ, Kumar M, Cho BR (2007) Six sigma in service organisations: benefits, challenges and difficulties, common myths, empirical observations and success factors. Int J Qual Reliab Manag 24: 294-311.
10. Averboukh EA (2006) Six sigma trends: six sigma in financial services. TRIZ J April 2006: 1-10.
11. Bajaria HJ (1999) Six sigma quality: beyond hype. Available at: http://www. multiface. com/hype. PDF. Accessed 14 Mar 2010.
12. Bandara W (2007) Process modelling success factors and measures. Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia.
13. Bañuelas R, Antony J (2003) Going from six sigma to design for six sigma: an exploratory study using analytic hierarchy process. TQM Mag 15: 334-344.
14. Beaver R (2004) Six sigma success in health care. Qual Dig 24: 31-34.
15. Benedetto A (2003) Adapting manufacturing-based six sigma methodology to the service environment of a radiology film library. J Healthc Manag 48: 263-280.
16. Bin Abdullah MM, Uli J, Tari JJ (2008) The influence of soft factors on quality improvement and performance-perceptions from managers. TQM J 20: 436-452.
17. Biolos J (2002) Six sigma meets the service economy-six sigma: it's not just for manufacturing. Harv Manag Updat 7: 3-5.
18. Bisgaard S, Freiesleben J (2004) Six sigma and the bottom line. Qual Prog 37: 57-62.
19. Black K, Revere L (2006) Six sigma arises from the ashes of TQM with a twist. Int J Health Care Qual Assur 19: 259-266.
20. Bott C, Keim E, Kim S, Palser L (2000) Service quality six sigma case studies. In: ASQ's 54th annual quality congress proceedings, pp 225-231.
21. Box TM (2006) Six sigma quality: experiential learning. SAM Adv Manag J 71: 20-23.
22. Brady J, Allen T (2006a) Six sigma literature: a review and agenda for future research. Available at: http://www-iwse. eng. ohio-state. edu/ISEFaculty/allen/BradyAllenSSLitRev2006. pdf. Accessed 14 Mar 2010.
23. Brady J, Allen T (2006b) Six sigma literature: a review and agenda for future research. Qual Reliab Eng Int 22: 335-367.
24. Breyfogle F, Cupello J, Meadows B (2001) Managing six sigma. Wiley-Interscience, New York.
25. Brice Z (2004) Six sigma sharpens services. Available at: http://www. qsi-inc. com/Articles/June%202004%20-%20Feature%20Article%20June%20Customer. pdf. Accessed 14 Mar 2010.
26. Buck C (2001) Application of six sigma to reduce medical errors. In: ASQ Congress, Milwaukee.
27. Caldwell C (2006) Lean six sigma: tools for rapid cycle cost reduction. Healthc Financial Manag 60: 96-98.
28. Carman R, Conrad S (2000) Key performance indicators: putting the customer first. Supply Chain Manag Rev 4: 90-95.
29. Caulcutt R (2001) Why is six sigma so successful? J Appl Stat 28: 301-306.
30. Chakrabarty A, Tan KC (2006) The extent of six sigma methodologies usage in services: technology and global integration. In: Second European conference on management of technology, United Kingdom, pp 115-122.
31. Chakrabarty A, Tan KC (2007) The current state of six sigma application in services. Manag Serv Qual 17: 194-208.
32. Chassin MR (1998) Is health care ready for six sigma quality? Milbank Q 76: 565-591.
33. Cherry J, Seshadri S (2000) Six sigma: using statistics to reduce process variability and costs in radiology. Radiol Manag 22: 42-45.
34. Chowdury S (2000) Working toward six sigma success. Manuf Eng 127: 14.
35. Clegg B (2006) Business process orientated holonic (PrOH) modeling. Bus Process Manag J 12: 410-432.
36. Cooper AH (2002) Six sigma deployment in a large integrated health system. In: ASQ's Annual Quality Congress, Milwaukee, pp 71-77.
37. Cooper CM, Hedges LV (1994) Research synthesis as a scientific enterprise. In: Cooper CM, Hedges LV (eds) The handbook of research synthesis. Russell Sage Foundation, New York, pp 3-14.
38. Coronado RB, Antony J (2002) Critical success factors for the successful implementation of six sigma projects in organisations. TQM Mag 14: 92-99.
39. Davenport TH (1993) Process innovation-reengineering work through information technology. Harvard Business School Press, Boston, MA.
40. Douglas PC, Erwin J (2000) Six Sigma's focus on total customer satisfaction. J Qual Particip 23: 45-49.
41. Dreachslin J, Lee P (2007) Applying six sigma and DMAIC to diversity initiatives. J Healthc Manag 52: 361-367.
42. Edgeman RL (2002) Six sigma in communities of care-improved care via institutionalised genius. Business Briefing: Global Healthcare Issue.
43. Edvardsson B, Olsson J (1996) Key concepts for new service development. Serv Ind J 16: 140-164.
44. Ehie I, Sheu C (2005) Integrating six sigma and theory of constraints for continuous improvement: a case study. J Manuf Technol Manag 16: 542-553.
45. El-Haija AA (2004) Six sigma for enhancing telecommunications services and profitability. Available at: http://www. ituarabic. org/. Accessed 5 Nov 2010.
46. Elsberry RB (2000) Six sigma: applying a corporate model to radiology. Decis Imag Econ 13: 56-66.
47. Esimai G (2005) Lean six sigma reduces medication errors. Qual Prog 38: 51-58.
48. Ettinger WH (2001) Adapting GE's lessons to health care. Trustee 54: 10-14.
49. Fontenot G, Gresham A, Behara R (1994) Using six sigma to measure and improve customer satisfaction. Available at: http://www. sbaer. uca. edu/research/sbida/1994/pdf/46. pdf. Accessed 14 Mar 2010.
50. Foulkes M, Keight E (2002) Consumer-driven six sigma applied to HR at Ford Motor Co. Strat HR Rev 1: 26-29.
51. Furterer S, Elshennawy AK (2005) Implementation of TQM and Lean six sigma tools in local government: a framework and a case study. Total Qual Manag 16: 1179-1191.
52. Gijo EV, Rao TS (2005) Six sigma implementation-hurdles and more hurdles. Total Qual Manag Bus Excell 16: 721-725.
53. Goh TN (2002) A strategic assessment of six sigma. Qual Reliab Eng Int 18: 403-410.
54. Hagaland M (2005) It's real, it's data-driven, and it's here. Health Care Strat Manag 23: 1-5.
55. Hammer M (1990) Reengineering work: don't automate-obliterate. Harv Bus Rev 68: 104-111.
56. Hammer M, Champy J (1993) Reengineering the corporation: a manifesto for business revolution. Harper Business, New York.
57. Harry M, Schroeder R (2000) Six sigma-the breakthrough management strategy revolutionizing the world's top corporations. Currency, New York.
58. Helfert M, Herrmann C, Strauch B (2001) Datenqualitätsmanagement. In: Bericht Nr.: BE HSG/CC DW2/02, (ed) Gallen US, Institut für Wirtschaftsinformatik, St. Gallen.
59. Henderson KH, Evans JR (2000) Successful implementation of six sigma: benchmarking General Electric company. Benchmarking Int J 7: 260-281.
60. Hensley R, Dobie K (2005) Assessing readiness for six sigma in a service setting. Manag Serv Qual 15: 82-101.
61. Heuring L (2004) Six sigma in sight. HR Mag 4: 76-80.
62. Ho L-H, Chuang C-C (2006) A study of implementing six sigma quality management system in government agencies for raising service quality. J Am Acad Bus 10: 167-173.
63. Hoerl R (2001) Six sigma black belts: what do they need to know? In: 45th Annual fall technical conference of the chemical and process industries division and statistics division of the American Society for quality, Toronto.
64. Irani RC (2003) Six sigma-a quality initiative. Available at: http://www. camc. com/site/CAMC_21/pdf/SMU_sixsigma_rirani. pdf. Accessed 11 May 2008.
65. James C (2005) Manufacturing's prescription for improving healthcare quality. Hosp Top 83: 2-8.
66. Jarke M, Vassiliou Y (1997) Foundations of data warehouse quality-a review of the DWQ project. In: Strong DM, Kahn BK (eds) 2nd International conference on information quality, Cambridge, pp 299-313.
67. Jarrar Y, Neely A (2005) Six sigma-friend or foe? Available at: http://www. som. cranfield. ac. uk/som/research/centres/cbp/downloads/CBPupdate1-SixSigmaFriendOrFoe. pdf. Accessed 20 May 2008.
68. Johannsen F, Leist S (2009) A six sigma approach for integrated solutions. Manag Serv Qual 19: 558-580.
69. Johnson A, Swisher B (2003) How six sigma improves R& D. Res Technol Manag 46: 12-15.
70. Johnstone PAS, Hendrickson JAW, Dernbach AJ, Secord AR, Parker JC, Favata MA, Puckett ML (2003) Ancillary services in the health care industry: is six sigma reasonable? Qual Manag Health Care 12: 53-63.
71. Jones MHJ (2004) Six sigma: at a bank. Six Sigma Forum Mag 3: 13-17.
72. Juhl HJ, Kristensen K, Østergaard P (2002) Customer satisfaction in European food retailing. J Retail Consumer Serv 9: 327-334.
73. Kim D-S (2006) A study on introducing six sigma theory in the library for service competitiveness enhancement. In: 72nd IFLA General Conference and Council, Seoul, Korea.
74. Kumi S, Morrow J (2006) Improving self service the six sigma way at Newcastle University Library. Prog electron libr inf sys 40: 123-136.
75. Kwak YH, Anbari FT (2006) Benefits, obstacles and future of six sigma approach. Technovation 26: 708-715.
76. Lazarus IR, Stamps B (2002) The promise of six sigma. Manag Healthc Exec 12: 27-30.
77. Lee K-C, Choi B (2006) Six sigma management activities and their influence on corporate competitiveness. Total Qual Manag Bus Excell 17: 893-911.
78. Light RJ, Pillemer DB (1984) Summing up: the science of reviewing research. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA.
79. Löfgren M (2005) Winning at the first and second moments of truth: an exploratory study. Manag Serv Qual 15: 102-115.
80. Lucas JM (2002) The essential six sigma-how successful six sigma implementation can improve the bottom line. Qual Prog 27-31.
81. Magal SR, Carr HH, Watson HJ (1988) Critical success factors for information center managers. MIS Q 12: 413-425.
82. Magnusson K, Kroslid D, Bergman B (2004) Six sigma umsetzen. Hanser, München/Wien.
83. Maleyeff J, Kaminsky F (2002) Six sigma and introductory statistics education. Educ Train 44: 82-89.
84. Mayring P (2000) Qualitative content analysis. Available at: http://qualitative-research. net/fqs/fqs-e/2-00inhalt-e-htm. Accessed 16 Apr 2008.
85. Mayring P (2002) Einführung in die qualitative Sozialforschung. Eine Anleitung zu qualitativem Denken. Beltz Verlag, Weinheim und Basel.
86. Morgan J (2005) Six sigma-the route to business excellence. Manag Serv 49: 32-33.
87. Morgan J, Brenning-Jones M (2006) Six sigma and the future of quality. Manag Serv 50: 46-47.
88. Mutize J (2003) Six sigma. In: AACE International Transactions, pp 1.
89. Neuscheler-Fritsch D, Norris R (2000) Capturing financial benefits from six sigma. Qual Prog 34: 39-44.
90. N. N. (2002) 12 critical success factors for six sigma effectiveness. Meas Bus Excell 6: 68-69.
91. N. N. (2003) Yes, six sigma can work for financial institutions. ABA Banking J 95: 93-94.
92. Ograjenšek I (2002) Applying statistical tools to improve quality in the service sector. University Ljubljana, Ljubljana.
93. Ouellette SM, Petrovich MV (2002) Daily management and six sigma: maximizing your returns. In: ASQs Annual Quality Congress, pp 33-45.
94. Pande P, Neumann R, Cavanagh R (2000) The six sigma way-how GE, Motorola and other top companies are honing their performance. Mc Graw Hill, New York.
95. Patton F (2005) Does six sigma work in service industries? Qual Prog 38: 55-60.
96. Petzel E (2006) Six Sigma in Finanzinstituten-Noch viele Fragezeichen. Versicherungsbetriebe 2006(4): 38-42.
97. Pfeifer T, Reissiger W, Canales C (2004) Integrating six sigma with quality management systems. TQM Mag 16: 241-249.
98. ProcessLab, Celerant (2008) Six Sigma in der Finanzdienstleistungsbranche-Studie zum Status Quo und zu den Erfolgsfaktoren von Six Sigma in Deutschland, Österreich, der Schweiz und Großbritannien, ProcessLab, Frankfurt a. M.
99. Pyzdek T (2003) The six sigma handbook. McGraw-Hill, New York.
100. Quelch J, Harris B (2005) Six sigma comes to marketing. Eur Bus Forum Autumn 2005: 32-35.
101. Ramias A (2005) The mists of six sigma. Available at: http://www. bptrends. com/publicationfiles/10-05%20WP%20The%20Mists%20of%20Six%20Sigma%20-%20Ramas1. pdf. Accessed 14 Mar 2010.
102. Rehbehn R, Yurdakul Z (2005) Mit six sigma zu business excellence. Strategien, Methoden, Praxisbeispiele. Publicis Corporate Publishing, Erlangen.
103. Reijers HA (2006) Implementing BPM systems: the role of process orientation. Bus Process Manag J 12: 389-409.
104. Revere L, Black K (2003) Integrating six sigma with total quality management: a case example for measuring medication errors. J Healthc Manag 48: 377-391.
105. Rigby D, Bilodeau B (2005) Management tools and trends 2005. Available at: http://www. toolsandtrends. com/management_tools/Management_Tools_and_Trends_2005. pdf. Accessed 14 Mar 2010.
106. Rockart JF (1979) Chief executives define their own data needs. Harv Bus Rev 57: 81-92.
107. Rosemann M, Vessey I (2008) Toward improving the relevance of information systems research to practice: the role of applicability checks. MIS Q 32: 1-22.
108. Rucker R (2000) Citibank increases customer loyalty with defect-free processes. J Qual Particip 23: 32-36.
109. Rudisill F, Clary D (2005) Six sigma: saving and making money. Chart Account J 84: 21-25.
110. Ryan J (2004) Making the economic case for quality. Available at: http://www. ejc. no. Accessed 6 Apr 2008.
111. Schmidt M, Aschkenase S (2004) The building blocks of service excellence. Supply Chain Manag Rev 8: 34-40.
112. Seecof D (2002) Applying the six sigma approach to patient care. Available at: http://www. gehealthcare. com/usen/service/docs/SixSigmaApproach. pdf. Accessed 14 Mar 2010.
113. Shin N, Jemella DF (2002) Business process reengineering and performance improvement-the case of Chase Manhattan Bank. Bus Process Manag J 8: 351-363.
114. Simmons JC (2002) Health organizations look to 'Higher Gronnd' to reduce turnover, achieve quality care. Qual Lett Healthc Lead 14: 2-9.
115. Skrinjar R, Bosilj-Vuksic V, Indihar-Stemberger M (2008) The impact of business process orientation on financial and non-financial performance. Bus Process Manag J 14: 738-754.
116. Snee R, Hoerl R (2003) Leading six sigma. Prentice Hall, New York.
117. Spees S (2003) Practitioner application. J Healthc Manag 48: 392.
118. Stamatis DH (2000) Who needs six sigma, anyway? Qual Dig 2000: 1-7.
119. Su C-T, Chiang T-L, Chang C-M (2006) Improving service quality by capitalising on an integrated Lean six sigma methodology. International Journal of Six Sigma and Competitive Advantage 2: 1-22.
120. Taner MT, Sezen B, Antony J (2007) An overview of six sigma applications in healthcare industry. Int J Health Care Qual Assur 20: 329-340.
121. Thawani S (2004) Six sigma-strategy for organizational excellence. Total Qual Manag 15: 655-664.
122. Thomson P, Lewis M (2002) UVa compliance department uses six sigma model to improve performance. J Health Care Compliance 4: 19-23.
123. Töpfer A (2004) Six Sigma als Projektmanagement für höhere Kundenzufriedenheit und bessere Unternehmensergebnisse. In: Töpfer A (ed) Six Sigma. Springer, Berlin, pp 44-95.
124. Töpfer A (2007a) Six Sigma in Banken und Versicherungen. In: Töpfer A (ed) Six sigma. Springer, Berlin, pp 440-474.
125. Töpfer A (2007b) Six Sigma in Service und Dienstleistung. In: Töpfer A (ed) Six sigma. Springer, Berlin, pp 172-195.
126. Töpfer A, Duchmann C (2000) Markteintrittsprobleme bei Dienstleistungen. In: Oelsnitz Dvd (ed) Markteintritts-Management: Probleme, Strategien, Erfahrungen. Schäffer-Poeschel, Stuttgart, pp 203-221.
127. van den Heuvel J, Does RJMM, Bisgaard S (2005a) Dutch hospital implements six sigma. Six Sigma Forum Mag 4: 11-14.
128. van den Heuvel J, Does RJMM, Verver JPS (2005b) Six sigma in healthcare: lessons learned from a hospital. Int J Six Sigma Compet Adv 1: 380-388.
129. Wang F-K, Du TC, Li EY (2004) Applying six-sigma to supplier development. Total Qual Manag Bus Excell 15: 1217-1229.
130. Woodard TD (2005) Addressing variation in hospital quality: is six sigma the answer? J Healthc Manag 50: 226-236.
131. Wyper B, Harrison A (2000) Deployment of six sigma methodology in human resource function: a case study. Total Qual Manag 11: 720-727.