Investigating readiness in the Iranian steel industry through six sigma combined with fuzzy delphi and fuzzy DANP

• Main Authors: Peyman Barzegar Keliji, Bahram Shabani Diz Abadi, Mostafa Abedini
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Growing Science 2018-09-01
• Series: Decision Science Letters
• Subjects: Six sigma; Fuzzy delphi; Fuzzy analytic network process; Fuzzy DEMATEL; Tabarestan steel
• Online Access: http://www.growingscience.com/dsl/Vol7/dsl_2018_1.pdf

In today's competitive world, Six Sigma can serve as a corporate strategy to improve quality and reduce costs. Six Sigma is a comprehensive and flexible system for achieving, maintaining and maximizing organizational success, through an improved performance of processes. However, this tool can only be successful in organizations which are already prepared for Six Sigma implementation. This study investigated the readiness of an Iranian company, Tabarestan Steel Co., in terms of Six Sigma projects. In doing so, the study proposed a model designed for assessing the readiness of Six Sigma in organizations. To this end, primarily Six Sigma readiness indicators were identified through Fuzzy Delphi, by recourse to the experts’ opinions. Next the interrelationships between the indicators were examined through the Fuzzy DEMATEL method. The internal links between the indicators were determined after the examination, and the degree of importance and the weights of the indicators were decided. Ultimately, three highly important dimensions were discovered that had a significant function in Six Sigma implementation (leadership and perspective, corporate strategy, and focus on the customer).