Application of Lean Six Sigma in IT support services – a case study

E. V. Gijo, Jiju Antony*, Vijaya Sunder M.

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

49 Citations (Scopus)
3031 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Purpose: Lean Six Sigma (LSS) has been accepted globally across the service sector as a management strategy for achieving process excellence. In the past one decade, the application and success of LSS in services is remarkable across Information Technology (IT) organisations. However academic research has seldom derived implications from this practitioner’s science of improving processes. The purpose of this paper is to feature the application of LSS in the system maintenance department of a manufacturing firm. Design/methodology/approach: The research reported in this paper is based on a case study carried out in system maintenance department using the Six Sigma Define-Measure-Analyse-Improve-Control (DMAIC) approach and its application in reducing complaint resolution time. Findings: The LSS article presented here highlights a real-world case study of how LSS DMAIC methodology help reduce the complaint resolution time from 12.5 to 8.5 h (~30 per cent improvement) and the corresponding standard deviation from 28 to 17.4 days. This study also has resulted in reducing the turn-around-time of all the core processes in the organisation. The indirect financial savings estimated as a result of this overall impact was around INR2.5m. Research limitations/implications: The research was restricted to studying the impact of LSS in one organisation. The validity of the results can be improved by including more organisations and more case studies from the IT support services. Originality/value: This could serve as a resource for both practitioners to derive useful implications and to academicians as it contributes to the LSS body of knowledge towards theory testing.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)417-435
Number of pages19
JournalTQM Journal
Volume31
Issue number3
Early online date13 Feb 2019
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 8 May 2019

Keywords

  • Case study
  • Lean Six Sigma
  • Resolution time
  • Support service

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Decision Sciences
  • Business and International Management
  • General Business,Management and Accounting
  • Strategy and Management

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