Process improvement methodology selection in manufacturing: A literature review perspective

Abstract

Problems in manufacturing have always been a hurdle for leadership, engineers, and professionals. They can lead to low productivity, poor quality, high costs, and ultimately loss of customers. Problems should be prevented by fair means and following well-established methodologies of continuous process improvement. The present paper addresses this topic, which in both academic and professional literature has been discussed from one single angle–that is, how to use a specific methodology in a certain situation. From that perspective, researchers from academia and consultancy promote the use of a particular method. One of the greatest challenges to researchers and practitioners in manufacturing is to select the right methodology for problem-solving and process improvement. The present paper attempts to address this issue from a literature review perspective. The approach followed is based on the fact that understanding the attributes of process improvement methodologies reported in the open literature and their linkages to the main phases of the continuous improvement process will provide insights on how the selection of the methodologies can be carried out in real manufacturing situations.

Links between components of business continuity management: an implementation perspective

“…This can be explained as the right strategy can improve succeeding operational activities. Appropriate planning leads to effective application and maintenance according to the concepts of systematic problem solving approaches such as PDCA, DMAIC and 8D (Aichouni et al ., 2021; Tamher et al. , 2021; Kholif et al ., 2018).…”

“…This can be explained as the right strategy can improve succeeding operational activities. Appropriate planning leads to effective application and maintenance according to the concepts of systematic problem solving approaches such as PDCA, DMAIC and 8D (Aichouni et al, 2021;Tamher et al, 2021;Kholif et al, 2018). This is similar to the concept of management systems such as ISO 22301, ISO 14001 and the cleaner production and environmental management system (ISO 22301:2019(ISO 22301: , 2022Campos, 2012;UNEP/UNIDO, 2004;Oliveira et al, 2017).…”

“…FADE includes focus, analyze, develop and execute. Aichouni et al (2021) had reviewed PDCA, DMAIC, 8D, 4Q, DRIVE and FADE and revealed that these methodologies shared a common logic based on the classic and the almost universally used PDCA. They consist of a set of elements.…”

“…Botha and Solms (2004) divided business continuity into seven phases: project planning, business impact analysis, business continuity strategies, continuity strategies implementation, continuity training, continuity testing and continuity maintenance, respectively. Accordingly, Aichouni et al (2021) comprehensively reviewed several operational improvement methodologies such as Plan, Do, Check and Act (PDCA) and Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control (DMAIC) and 8 Disciplines (8D). They found that these methodologies are based on the PDCA cycle.…”

A Scientific Approach of using the DMAIC Methodology to Investigate the Effect of Cutting Tool Life on Product Quality and Process Economics: A Case Study of a Saudi Manufacturing Plant

“…An extensive literature review was performed and indicated that a large number of process improvement methodologies are available for manufacturing [16]. The study showed that the PDCA and the six sigma DMAIC methodologies present superior performance in problem-solving and process improvement compared to other improvement models.…”