The implementation of Lean Six Sigma framework in the Indian context: a review and suggestions for future research

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this work is to gain insights about Lean Six Sigma (LSS) in the Indian context by reviewing the related literature for one decade based on various perspectives, such as author profile, year of publication, type of firm, type of methodology used, type of industry for which the research work is carried out and the key findings from the research.Design/methodology/approachThis study reviews the research related to LSS from the articles published in the reputed journals. The literature used for reviewing is derived from the sources, including Science direct, Google scholar, IEEE, Taylor and Francis Group, Emerald Insight, Springer, Inderscience and Elsevier during the period between 2010 and 2021. Totally, the authors have included 141 LSS-related research articles that are published in the Indian context. The keywords used are Lean Six Sigma, Lean Six Sigma in the Indian context, Lean Sigma and LSS to identify and consolidate the research papers published during this timeframe.FindingsThe research papers collected from various reputed journals, including Scopus and non- Scopus enlisted, are classified and grouped under various categories to identify the class of author who publishes more in this field, research trend over the years, the type of firm which implements LSS, the research methodology which is commonly used in LSS and related research and also the key takeaway from these articles are highlighted. Further, the authors have also identified the major contributions of researchers in various sectors during this period in India.Originality/valueThis classification framework and the systematic review help in identifying the research gap and in giving directions for future researchers. It will be useful for researchers and practitioners working on the area of LSS, rural and urban entrepreneurs, start-up managers, professionals working in micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and executives of the Make in India Project to make India as Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan. Further, the clear direction of progress over the current decade in manufacturing industries, service sectors and processing industries can help the professionals working in these sectors.

Lean Six Sigma and Industry 4.0 – a bibliometric analysis and conceptual framework development for future research agenda

“…Based on the research gap identified from the literature and the recommendations and suggestions given by various authors in this field and by conducting a systematic literature review using appropriate keywords in reputable sources like WoS, Google Scholar, Scopus, Taylor and Francis, Inderscience, Emerald Insights and others, a conceptual framework was developed that emphasizes the ergonomics, sustainability and operational impact of LSS 4.0. To locate the pertinent papers for the conceptual framework of LSS 4.0, the forward and backward snowballing approaches, as well as a specific journal search approach, were utilized in addition to the systematic literature review (Tranfield et al, 2003;Yadav and Desai, 2016;Citybabu and Yamini, 2022). Research methodology adopted for this study IJPPM 73,5…”

“…To locate the pertinent papers for the conceptual framework of LSS 4.0, the forward and backward snowballing approaches, as well as a specific journal search approach, were utilized in addition to the systematic literature review (Tranfield et al. , 2003; Yadav and Desai, 2016; Citybabu and Yamini, 2022).…”

“…The DMAIC methodology will be provided by Six Sigma, and the essential tools will be provided by Lean to form LSS (Yadav et al. , 2018; Citybabu and Yamini, 2022).…”

“…LSS is an integrated tool that aids in the reduction of process variances, errors and wastes, as well as the elimination of non-value-added tasks. The DMAIC methodology will be provided by Six Sigma, and the essential tools will be provided by Lean to form LSS (Yadav et al, 2018;Citybabu and Yamini, 2022).…”

Exploring lean manufacturing drivers for enhancing circular economy performance in the pharmaceutical industry: a Bayesian best–worst approach

“…To ensure improved regulatory compliance, Jalundhwala and Londhe (2023) identified a number of enablers for operational excellence in the pharmaceutical sector. Some evidence of lean practices in different regions can be found in many publications such as (Garza-Reyes et al, 2012;Ghosh, 2013;Krishnan et al, 2022;Verma et al, 2022;Citybabu and Yamini, 2022;Hasan et al, 2022).…”