Title: Six Sigma in construction industry: a review

Authors: Preetam Singh Negi; Akash Mandaliya; Abhijit Mahida; Alap Patel; Vishal Singh Patyal

Addresses: National Institute of Construction Management and Research (NICMAR), Pune-411045 Maharashtra, India ' National Institute of Construction Management and Research (NICMAR), Pune-411045 Maharashtra, India ' National Institute of Construction Management and Research (NICMAR), Pune-411045 Maharashtra, India ' National Institute of Construction Management and Research (NICMAR), Pune-411045 Maharashtra, India ' National Institute of Construction Management and Research (NICMAR), Pune-411045 Maharashtra, India

Abstract: Six Sigma (SS) is a business strategy which aims at zero defects and eliminating variations in business processes to achieve breakthrough business results. The purpose of this study is to understand the role of SS implementation in construction industry. This study has systematically reviewed published literature on the topic of SS during 2003-2016 based on semantic search techniques. A total of 39 relevant articles from leading journals and proceedings were selected for this study. The findings of this study revealed that more case studies have been conducted as compared to empirical and conceptual studies. Though the empirical studies started later, it is now gaining more momentum in tandem with case studies. The paper also highlights the SS application areas in construction industry. The quality tools like cause and effect diagram is used in most of the areas followed by Pareto chart, control and run chart, failure mode effects analysis (FMEA), histogram, value stream mapping for SS implementation in construction projects. The paper draws conclusion and future research directions for effective implementation of SS in construction industry.

Keywords: Six Sigma; construction; literature review; quality; TQM.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPQM.2017.087863

International Journal of Productivity and Quality Management, 2017 Vol.22 No.4, pp.451 - 465

Received: 23 May 2016
Accepted: 01 Oct 2016
Published online: 06 Nov 2017 *

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