Charles Tennant

Selection of six sigma projects in the UK

Purpose – The 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/approach – Using 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.Findings – The 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 companys 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/implications – This paper is limited to the selectio...

Hoshin Kanri: Implementing the Catchball Process

Abstract Involving employees in strategy deployment is an active topic of strategic management, but has been difficult to achieve in western companies. The methodology known as Hoshin Kanri has proved an effective strategy deployment process in Japan where it has been extensively applied for integrating strategy and Total Quality Management (TQM), but its adoption in the West has been low, except for a few innovatory companies. The application of Hoshin Kanri relies on a process called “ catchball ” to gain consensus on the deployment of Hoshin targets and measures in a team environment. This paper presents a process design based on an adaptation of the Delphi technique for the effective implementation of catchball, to reinforce the link between the corporate strategy and annual planning cycle. The catchball process described was implemented at the Rover Group, a UK-based automotive company, to develop the companys quality strategy based on Hoshin Kanri principles.

The design of a training programme measurement model

Outlines the key areas which manufacturing organisations should consider in order to improve the effectiveness of training programmes for production operators. The authors carried out a study of UK‐based manufacturing companies to identify current evaluation methods, and identify the predominant barriers to the implementation of effective training programmes. The research concluded that most of the companies believed that their training programmes did not realise the full potential in terms of higher productivity, better on‐the‐job performance, and improved quality. Causal factors were found to be inadequate training objectives and evaluation mechanisms, which stem from a number of barriers. Proposes a training programme measurement model, which has been adapted from existing concepts, and could be applied by manufacturing organisations as a framework for carrying out appropriate evaluation activities. Concludes with some recommendations for future policy, and areas of further research in the implementation of training programmes in manufacturing organisations.

The creation and application of a self-assessment process for new product introduction

Abstract The new product introduction (NPI) process within the automotive sector is under constant pressure to deliver products with ever increasing levels of performance improvement, which is being compounded by the added complexity of organisational rationalisation through mergers and acquisitions. NPI processes are often defined and implemented along common generic themes, whilst the detailed process description and practices vary across organisations, often causing inconsistent application and process conformance. The NPI process implementation is often reviewed in a conventional audit mode, which does not tend to facilitate senior management and supplier involvement, or drive organisational learning to improve the process. This paper presents a summary of research carried out to create a self-assessment process, based on the principles of Hoshin Kanri—policy deployment—for new product introduction. The self-assessment process was adapted and applied at Land Rover, resulting in the achievement of significantly improved programme performance measures on the Freelander compact sport utility vehicle programme. Because the project team owned the self-assessment approach it created real-time organisational learning to simultaneously achieve rigorous process deployment, and continuous improvement. This self-assessment process for new product introduction can be adapted and applied by organisations to evaluate their performance against best practice, and improve conformance through rigorous application.

A self-assessment tool for implementing concurrent engineering through change management

Abstract A review of various tools for assisting organisations to implement Concurrent Engineering (CE) found they tend to operate independently from each other, rather than being integrated to rigorously manage the change towards effective assessment and deployment. A new workbook style tool is proposed, which is based on a self-assessment model to enable the implementation of CE through a change management strategy. The combination of self-assessment and change management enables the simultaneous measurement and deployment of practices, which can assist organisations in the project management of product development, and lead to the identification of further improvements to rigorously manage the transition to CE. The new tool described was implemented at London Taxis International (a large sized UK based automotive company) and led to the creation of a formalised new product introduction process, implementation of a project management system, and enhanced teamworking at the company.

Application of the Hoshin Kanri methodology at a higher education establishment in the UK

Hoshin Kanri has been described as one of the core aspects of Japan’s management system, for integrating the principles of total quality management (TQM) within the organisation’s business strategy. Although most of the published case studies have involved large multinational manufacturers, the authors believe that Hoshin Kanri can be applied in any type or size of organisation. This paper describes how the quality and reliability (Q&R) team of the Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) at the University of Warwick has applied Hoshin Kanri to create a deeper understanding of customer requirements, a team vision and strategic goals. Deployment has led to achievement of team consensus and commitment to delivering and reviewing the plan, and has demonstrated that the technique works well in a small team within the service sector.

Using Hoshin Kanri for strategy deployment

Hoshin Kanri is a technique for policy deployment that represents a core aspect of Japanese companies management systems and is the means by which the overall control system and total quality management (TQM) are deployed. Industrial applications of Hoshin Kanri have tended to focus on Japanese companies, with a handful of practitioners evident in the USA, and no significant evidence of application within the European business community. This research is a significant application of Hoshin Kanri adapted for use within the European industrial sector, to create a five-year quality strategy that identifies improvement milestones for each of the key business processes at Rover Group. Deployment included a rigorous review process for the quality strategy milestones to establish progress and up-date the quality strategy.

A continuous improvement process at Severn Trent Water

The paper presents the development of a continuous improvement process for the customer relations department at Severn Trent Water in the UK. In‐company research was carried out to identify the main barriers to continuous improvement in the areas of leadership, training, communication, motivation, teamwork, and change management. The study concluded that the company should develop an organisational culture and management style to support continuous improvement of daily working processes, and that change should be managed against the achievement of appropriate quality targets. A continuous improvement process was developed based on a structured problem‐solving model incorporating the application of established quality tools, to be applied by problem solving teams from the customer relations department. It was recommended that the team members should be trained in the problem solving process, and the related quality tools and techniques. Also, management should lead and support this approach by concentrating on team (rather than individual) performance achievement.

Measuring business transformation at a small manufacturing enterprise in the UK

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to validate the applicability of Strategic Quality Management (SQM) methods at a UK based manufacturing Small to Medium Enterprise (SME) for changing the organisational culture and improving the business performance results.Design/methodology/approach – Action research was conducted in the form of a single company case study where an existing SQM methodology (Hoshin Kanri) was adapted and applied at the company.Findings – The paper finds that this application of Hoshin Kanri is particularly innovative, as Western applications of this Japanese approach at SMEs are few as reported in the academic literature. This achievement represents a significant delivery of a cultural transformation to achieve business transformation by adopting a holistic performance measurement methodology.Research limitations/implications – The paper has limitations due to the single case study approach and possible influence of the researchers during the application. Further applications at oth...

The development of a model to support synchronous change

Purpose – This paper aims to present an investigation of the problems concerned with delivering a variety of differing change programmes in a logically structured, repeatable and measurable manner.Design/methodology/approach – Case studies were conducted on a selection of significantly different manufacturing facility programmes at GKN Aerospace where the output was a generic model more explicit and illustrative than previous approaches taken at the company.Findings – This paper supports the idea that a strategic and tactical planning process with transferable, common key issues, can be managed in an environment of rapid change. Furthermore, discreet tailoring of the model enables differentiation of each programme type to support a standardized, repeatable and synchronous approach to change management.Practical implications – This was achieved through the compilation of a single change management process termed the “5 × 5 Model” incorporating a multi‐site working document containing quantifiable, value‐ad...