A systematic review of Lean Six Sigma for the manufacturing industry

• Published in: Business process management journal Vol. 21; no. 3; pp. 665 - 691
• Main Authors: Albliwi, Saja Ahmed, Antony, Jiju, Lim, Sarina Abdul halim
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bradford Emerald Group Publishing Limited 01-06-2015
• Subjects: Business; Business process management; Business process reengineering; Cost control; Customer satisfaction; Defects; Design engineering; Design of experiments; Lean manufacturing; Literature reviews; Management science & operations; Methodology; Methods; Operations/process management; Process controls; Product quality; Production costs; Readers; Six Sigma; Strategy; Systematic review; Variance analysis; Future research; Limitations; Impeding factors; Benefits; Lean Six Sigma; Motivation factors
• ISSN: 1463-7154; 1758-4116
• DOI: 10.1108/BPMJ-03-2014-0019

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to explore the most common themes within Lean Six Sigma (LSS) in the manufacturing sector, and to identify any gaps in those themes that may be preventing users from getting the most benefit from their LSS strategy. This paper also identifies the gaps in current literature and develops an agenda for future research into LSS themes.
Design/methodology/approach
– The following research is based on a review of 37 papers that were published on LSS in the top journals in the field and other specialist journals, from 2000 to 2013.
Findings
– Many issues have emerged in this paper and important themes have cited which are: benefits, motivation factors, limitations and impeding factors. The analysis of 19 case studies in the manufacturing sector has resulted in significant benefits cited in this paper. However, many gaps and limitations need to be explored in future research as there have been little written on LSS as a holistic strategy for business improvement.
Practical implications
– It is important for practitioners to be aware of LSS benefits, limitations and impeding factors before starting the LSS implementation process. Hence, this paper could provide valuable insights to practitioners.
Originality/value
– This paper is based on a comprehensive literature review which gives an opportunity to LSS researchers to understand some common themes within LSS in depth. In addition, highlighting many gaps in the current literature and developing an agenda for future research, will save time and effort for readers looking to research topics within LSS.