Six Sigma is a business strategy and a systematic methodology, use of which leads to breakthrough in profitability through quantum gains in product/service quality, customer satisfaction and productivity. The concept of implementing Six Sigma processes was pioneered at Motorola in the 1980s and the objective was to reduce the number of defects to as low as 3.4 parts per million opportunities. For the effective implementation of Six Sigma projects in organisations, one must understand the critical success factors that will make the application successful. This paper presents the key ingredients, which are essential for Six Sigma implementation. These ingredients are generated from a pilot survey conducted in the UK manufacturing and service organisations.

PurposeThe literature suggests that a key ingredient for the successful six sigma implementation is project prioritisation and selection. The purpose of this paper is to identify what criteria are considered for selecting six sigma projects and how six sigma projects are selected in organisations in the UK.Design/methodology/approachUsing a survey as a method of investigation, respondents were asked what criteria are considered to select projects and how potential projects are identified, prioritised, selected and evaluated.FindingsThe results of the survey indicate that UK organisations tend to select projects based on criteria such as customer satisfaction, financial benefits, top management commitment and those projects integrated with the company's strategy. Several tools and techniques such as cost benefit analysis, cause and effect matrix, brainstorming, Pareto analysis are employed to identify and prioritise projects.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper is limited to the selection of six sigma in the UK. Further, empirical studies using larger sample sizes and greater geographical diversity may be helpful in validating the results of this study.Practical implicationsThe identification of the most commonly used criteria to select six sigma projects can aid practitioners to select projects based on multiple criteria and using tools and techniques identified in this survey.Originality/valueThe provision of empirical data on the criteria used to select six sigma projects and how six sigma projects are selected.