Prioritizing of six sigma project selection : a resource-based view and institutional norms perspective

![CDATA[With increasing choice of selection from a range of continual (i.e. QC story, Kaizen) and breakthrough (i.e. Six Sigma, Business Process Re-engineering) programs, project selection within broader supply chain context and resource constraints has become a major research challenges in current times. The purpose of this study is, therefore, to provide a mix of the different criteria for selecting the best improvement projects under Six-Sigma programs. In this study, important criteria were identified from previous studies and based on two organizational theories: resource-based view and institutional norms. These include: (i) business drivers for improvement and the common performance metrics deployed, (ii) the organization's stakeholders needs (Customers, Shareholders/Owners, Employees, and Suppliers), and (iii) process owner's needs to improve and provide resources to enable the project to be undertaken by teams and individuals. In order to determine the relative importance of influencing factors within the criteria, various insights and opinions were collected from 30 experienced practitioners including Six Sigma champions and master black-belts, company directors, consultants, and process owners through a series of interviews in small, medium and multi-national sized organizations. The hierarchy of evaluation criteria is based on Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). The results show that among six criteria, impact of customer, financial impact, and impact on operational goals make significant proportion of overall criteria in selecting an appropriated Six Sigma improvement projects.]]