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An empirical study of key success factors for Six Sigma Green Belt projects at an Asian MRO company

Ying-Chin Ho a,?,Ou-Chuan Chang b ,Wen-Bo Wang b

a Institute of Industrial Management,National Central University,Chung-Li,Taoyuan 32001,Taiwan b

Department of Business Administration,National Central University,Chung-Li,Taoyuan 32001,Taiwan

a r t i c l e i n f o Keywords:Six Sigma

Green Belt project Key success factors

a b s t r a c t

This study determines critical factors for aircraft maintenance,repair,and overhaul companies during the initial incorporation stage of Six Sigma programs.This is achieved by examining 14key success factors.Employees of an Asian maintenance,repair,and overhaul company are surveyed.Factor analysis is used to identify ?ve key factors that are pertinent to successful completion of Green Belt improvement projects.

1.Introduction

Asia’s commercial aviation service companies (MROs)face serious challenges,including the determination of how to reduce costs while maintaining quality and pro?tability (Mathews,2006).Here we analyze an MRO company in Asia (Company A)that has used Six Sigma for over 6years to complete a pioneering modi?cation project that transformed a Boeing 747passenger plane into a large freight aircraft (Harbison,2006).Since 1999,Company A has worked with General Electric (GE)to implement the Six Sigma methodology and has decreased the B747-400engine overhaul turn around time (TAT)from 92days to 45days.We identify the key success factors that enabled its Green Belts to complete their initial projects and obtain certi?cation.

Six Sigma in statistical terms means 3.4defects per million opportunities.Early in its development,a team at Motorola developed a four-phase process for improving the quality of its products looking at ‘‘De?nition,’’‘‘Analysis,’’‘‘Optimization,’’and ‘‘Control’’(Harry and Lawson,1992).Based on this four-phase process,two additional major processes were developed:the ‘‘De?ne,Measure,Analysis,Improve,and Control’’(DMAIC)and the ‘‘Design for Six Sigma’’(DFSS)processes (Harry and Schroeder,2000)—also known as the ‘‘De?ne,Measure,Analysis,Design,and Verify’’(DMADV)process (Keller,2001).The DMAIC process was developed to eliminate defects in production or service processes.The DFSS process was developed to enable companies to design new or redesign processes that were not able to achieve targets,even after they had been improved.

2.Six Sigma personnel and organizational structure

Personnel involved in implementing Six Sigma in a company are termed Champions,Master Black Belts,Black Belts,and Green Belts —the last three terms being borrowed by the Unisys Corporation from the sport of karate.The role of a Champion is to direct the entire Six Sigma program in a company,a Master Black Belt is responsible for managing a Six Sigma team and reporting to the Champion,Black Belts carry out major Six Sigma projects,report to Master Black Belts,and coach Green Belts,who are responsible for carrying out smaller Six Sigma projects.

Table 1lists the original four roles as well as additional roles that were developed later.Fig.1shows the overall organizational structure of a Six Sigma program.The methodology and organizational structure are aimed at enabling the value stream of a company,indicated by the arrow at the bottom of the ?gure,to increase ef?ciency and effectiveness as a result of successful Six Sigma projects.

Within aviation,the AlliedSignal Corporation began using Six Sigma in 1994.A year later,GE adopted Six Sigma methodology and in 1998introduced ‘‘At the customer,for the customer’’plan to airlines who purchased aircraft engines from the company.As a result,Six Sigma quickly spread throughout the commercial aeronautical industry.

3.Six Sigma success factors

Several Six Sigma success factors have been investigated in previous research (Table 2)and to these we add an additional factor.

1.Top management’s commitment and participation .Harry and Schroeder (2000)stated that managers should make a serious

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?Corresponding author.Tel.:+88634204305;fax:+88634258197.

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Journal of Air Transport Management 14(2008)263–269

commitment when the Six Sigma system is initially intro-duced.Henderson and Evans (2000)found that at GE,top management support and participation is a signi?cant factor determining success with Six Sigma.

2.Business strategy based on customer demands .Pande et al.(2000),looking at 16English companies concluded that for a Six Sigma program to be successful,a company must connect it to both its business strategy and its customers.Harry and Schroeder discuss the importance of conducting benchmark-ing to ensure that an organization understands what its customers need while Dedeke (2002)suggests that an audit process should be set up to ensure that projects satisfy their customers.

3.Establishment of the Six Sigma framework .Henderson and Evans (2000)also discussed the Six Sigma framework.They emphasized the importance of ‘‘speaking the same language’’within the organization.Dedeke states that leaders should form teams of champions.Jiju and Banuelas (2002)note that ‘‘an effective organizational infrastructure should be in place to support Six Sigma.’’

4.Project execution and follow-up of the results .Harry and Schroeder propose a system for tracking progress in Six Sigma projects.Henderson and Evans,Pande et al.,Martens (2001),Jiju and Banuelas,and Snee and Hoerl (2003)all also emphasize that a measurement system should be used to track progress in Six Sigma projects.Dedeke emphasizes the importance of integrating ?nancial evaluation systems.

5.Investment of essential resources .Pande et al.show that companies must invest resources in Six Sigma programs.Keller (2001)emphasized the importance of allocating resources effectively.Research by Brue (2002),Jiju and Banuelas,and Smith et al.(2002)also showed the need for companies to provide suf?cient resources to their Six Sigma teams.

6.Investment and training framework for trainers and mentors (such as Black Belts).The research done by Henderson and Evans focused on the importance of training.Harry and Schroeder emphasized the need for companies to provide necessary education,training,guidance,and assistance to Champions and Black Belts.

7.Incentive/reward system .Henderson and Evans state that Six Sigma projects should be supported by human resource programs,such as promotions and rewards.Brue (2002)stated that celebrating every success is important to keep everyone involved in a Six Sigma project enthusiastic.Dedeke found that compensation policies can encourage employees to focus more attention on Six Sigma programs.Henderson and

Table 1

The various roles in the Six Sigma system

Study

Harry and Schroeder (2000)

Eckes (2001)Brue (2002)Pande et al.(2000)

Personal roles

–

–Executive Leaders Leadership Group or Council

Champions Team Sponsor or Champion Champions Project Sponsors and Champions –

––

Implementation Leader

Master Black Belt Team Consultant–Master Black Belt

Master Black Belt Six Sigma Coach/Master Black Belt Black Belt Team Leader–Black Belt Black Belt Team Leader/Project Leader/Black Belt Green Belts Team Leader–Green Belt Green Belts Team Members (including Green Belts)–Team Members

––

–

Process Owner

Fig.1.The organizational structure of a Six Sigma program.

Y.-C.Ho et al./Journal of Air Transport Management 14(2008)263–269

264

Evans and Smith et al.(2002)also stated that companies should reward employees’efforts.

8.The use of data analysis with data that is easily obtainable.

Henderson and Evans(2000)also discussed the value of establishing and keeping data.Keller(2001)emphasized the importance of data and of measuring data from key processes.

9.Attention given to both long-term and short-term targets.In the

study by Pande et al.,the authors make the point that attention should be paid to the short-term effects and the long-term growth and development of Six Sigma projects.Short-term gains should become the foundation for long-term success. 10.Coordination with knowledge management systems.Also iden-

ti?ed in Pande et al.there is a need for companies to‘‘learn’’from previous experience with Six Sigma projects on on-going activities.Henderson and Evans hold that the establishment of a Six Sigma project database is necessary,while Dedeke believes that companies should set up systems for sharing knowledge from various Six Sigma projects.

11.Project meshes with company’s business strategy.Dedeke,as

well as Jiju and Banuelas(2002),stated that Six Sigma projects should be linked with company strategies.In this way,companies can ensure that the actions carried out in Six Sigma projects support company strategies.

12.Cooperation and communication.Henderson and Evans sug-

gested that companies should communicate with employees

during the early stages of the implementation of Six Sigma programs.Snee and Hoerl(2003)also believe that continuous communication with employees is necessary.

13.Utilization of Six Sigma tools.Pande et al.emphasize the

bene?ts that come from the wide utilization of Six Sigma tools—the simplest and most feasible ones,not the most complex ones.Keller(2001)discusses the application of statistics.Jiju and Banuelas(2002)emphasize the need to understand Six Sigma tools and techniques.

14.The ef?cacy of teaching material in helping Green Belt students

learn.Discussion with Black Belt experts at domestic and foreign companies who are trainers in their own organizations emphasized the bene?ts that can be obtained by Green Belt trainees from well-organized teaching materials.

4.The methodology

Taking cognizance of these success factors,a survey was administered to employees at Company A who had either gained Green Belt Certi?cates or failed the training.Data collected from employees who had successfully completed projects are analyzed using factor analysis to extract key factors that led to success in their projects.In the scale validation stage,we incorporated sur-vey data from employees whose projects had been unsuccessful.

Table2

Six Sigma key success factors

Item Key success factors Studies

1Top management’s commitment and participation Dedeke(2002);Gitlow and Levine(2005);Harry and Schroeder(2000);Henderson and Evans

(2000);Jiju and Banuelas(2002);Keller(2001);Pande et al.(2000);Snee and Hoerl(2003)

2Business strategy based on customer demands Dedeke(2002);Harry and Schroeder(2000);Jiju and Banuelas(2002);Martens(2001);Pande

et al.(2000);Smith et al.(2002)

3Establishment of the Six Sigma framework Dedeke(2002);Henderson and Evans(2000);Jiju and Banuelas(2002);Martens(2001);Smith

et al.(2002);Snee and Hoerl(2003)

4Project execution and follow-up of the results Dedeke(2002);Harry and Schroeder(2000);Henderson and Evans(2000);Jiju and Banuelas

(2002);Martens(2001);Pande et al.(2000);Snee and Hoerl(2003)

5Investment of essential resources Brue(2002);Jiju and Banuelas(2002);Keller(2001);Pande et al.(2000);Smith et al.(2002)

6Investment and training framework for trainers and mentors(such as Black Belts)Brue(2002);Harry and Schroeder(2000);Henderson and Evans(2000);Jiju and Banuelas (2002);Keller(2001);Snee and Hoerl(2003)

7Incentive/reward system Brue(2002);Dedeke(2002);Henderson and Evans(2000);Smith et al.(2002)

8Use of data analysis with data that are easily obtainable Henderson and Evans(2000);Keller(2001);Pande et al.(2000);Smith et al.(2002)

9Attention given to both long-term and short-term targets Pande et al.(2000)

10Coordination with a knowledge management system Dedeke(2002);Henderson and Evans(2000);Pande et al.(2000)

11Project meshes with company’s business strategy Dedeke(2002);Jiju and Banuelas(2002)

12Cooperation and communication Henderson and Evans(2000);Snee and Hoerl(2003)

13Utilization of Six Sigma tools Keller(2001);Pande et al.(2000);Jiju and Banuelas(2002)

Table3

Rotated component matrix

Factor

12345

https://www.sodocs.net/doc/5d13146236.html,pletion of my Green Belt project affects the results of my performance review0.90

G4.If I can’t complete my Green Belt project,my promotion will be adversely affected0.88

G5.The results of my Green Belt project affect my annual raise and end-of-the-year bonus0.87

E2.If items need to be purchased for my Green Belt project,I can request my manager’s assistance in procuring them0.87

E1.If I need manpower assistance to complete my Green Belt improvement project,my manager will help coordinate this0.86

E3.My company will adjust my workload to ensure that I have suf?cient time to complete my Green belt project0.75

B3.My department regularly researches customer demands0.92

B4.My department regularly reviews customer complaints0.91

H2.I can?nd relevant data in my company’s database0.93

H1.The data needed for the analysis of my Green Belt project is easy to obtain0.92

A4.Top management requires that each department regularly report on the progress of Green Belt projects0.91 A3.Top management requires departments to carry out Green Belt projects0.88

Extraction method:principal component analysis.Rotation method:varimax with Kaiser normalization.

Rotation converged in six iterations,and factor loadings40.75.

Y.-C.Ho et al./Journal of Air Transport Management14(2008)263–269265

Table4

Questionnaire

Key success factors for Six Sigma Questions Variable

notation

Top management’s commitment and participation 1.Top management periodically requests a report on my Green Belt project progress A1

2.I can ask for management assistance when I encounter problems with my Green Belt project A2

3.Top management requires departments to carry out Green Belt projects A3

4.Top management requires that each department regularly report on the progress of Green

Belt projects

A4 5.Top management will assign departments to carry out speci?c Green Belt projects A5

Business strategy based on customer demands

6.My Green Belt project is related to customer demands B1

7.I know what kind of customer demands our department needs to satisfy B2

8.My department regularly researches customer demands B3

9.My department regularly reviews customer complaints B4

10.My department’s strategy is based on customers’demands and complaints B5

Establishment of the Six Sigma framework 11.Our company has an internal framework consisting of Champions,Master Black Belts,and

Black Belts

12.Champions,Master Black Belts,and Black Belts discuss Green Belt project progress with

responsible managers and Green Belts on various occasions

C2 13.Our company has assigned champions,Master Black Belts,and Black Belts to be in charge of

certain departments

14.Champions,Master Black Belts,and Black Belts regularly hold meetings to discuss the

progress of the entire Six Sigma project

C4 15.Green Belt projects are regularly reviewed by the overseeing Black Belt C5

Project execution and follow-up of the results 16.I must regularly report on my Green Belt project’s progress D1

17.After my Green Belt project is completed,I am required to report the results of its

implementation

18.My manager or the Black Belt in charge comes to me and asks about the execution and

progress of my Green Belt project

https://www.sodocs.net/doc/5d13146236.html,pany Black Belts submit yearly reviews of the results of Green Belt projects D4

20.If a Green Belt’s project is behind schedule,he/she must submit a report explaining why D5

Investment of essential resources 21.If I need manpower assistance to complete my Green Belt improvement project,my

manager will help coordinate this

22.If items need to be purchased for my Green Belt project,I can request my manager’s

assistance in procuring them

E2 23.My company will adjust my workload to ensure that I have suf?cient time to complete my

Green Belt project

24.My company allows me to work overtime to complete my Green Belt project E4

25.My manager will help me obtain any resources needed for my Green Belt project E5

Investment and training framework for trainers and mentors(such as Black Belts)26.Black Belt mentors arrange a schedule for counseling Green Belts F1

27.A Black Belt is speci?cally assigned to handle the counseling of Green Belts in our

department

28.As a Green Belt,if I have questions,I know which Black Belt can assist me F3

29.Black Belts assist me in analyzing problems with my Green Belt project F4

30.Black Belt instructors use different examples to counsel me on my Green Belt project F5

Incentive/reward system 31.A public ceremony is held for Green Belt certi?cation G1

32.Each year,there are Green Belts who are recognized by the company G2

https://www.sodocs.net/doc/5d13146236.html,pletion of my Green Belt project affects the results of my performance review G3

34.If I can’t complete my Green Belt project,my promotion will be adversely affected G4

35.The results of my Green Belt project affect my annual raise and end-of-the-year bonus G5

The use of data analysis with data that is easily obtainable 36.The data needed for the analysis of my Green Belt project are easy to obtain H1

37.I can?nd relevant data in my company’s database H2

38.All data from daily work is recorded H3

39.When data is needed but not available,I can ask the IT department or members of the

Green Belt project for assistance

40.There are guidelines for data preservation that I must follow while working on my Six

Sigma project

Attention given to both long-and short-term targets 41.My Green Belt project is related to my department’s long-term goals(2or more years)I1

42.My Green Belt project is related to my department’s short-term goals(less than1year)I2

43.One of the foremost considerations in selecting a Green Belt project is whether it can be

easily completed

44.My Green Belt project is related to my daily work I4

45.Following evaluation of a proposed project,if the project is considered bene?cial,it will be

carried out,even if more than a year is needed to complete it

Coordination with knowledge management system

46.When selecting a Green Belt project,I can consult other Green Belt projects in the

knowledge management system

J1 Y.-C.Ho et al./Journal of Air Transport Management14(2008)263–269

266

We then analyzed all of the survey data from both successful and unsuccessful Green Belt trainees using discriminate analysis,in order to verify that the key success factors obtained earlier could explain why the successful Green Belt projects succeeded and why the unsuccessful ones failed.The results and an explanation of them will be provided below.

The company selected to be surveyed,Company A,was established in1997.As of2006,its revenue was approximately $235million,and it employed close to1600workers.Its primary operation is the maintenance and repair of aircrafts,engines,and engine components.The number of employees of Company A who have been trained in Six Sigma exceeds200,and this is the group that was surveyed.The questionnaire included70questions, based on the14key factors(each factor had?ve corresponding questions,Table3).

Some113employees who attended Green Belt training at Company A were surveyed,81of which completed the ques-tionnaires.Among these,51indicated that they had successfully obtained certi?cation.These valid samples were analyzed using factor analysis with varimax rotation and?ve factors were identi?ed.Because the number of questions used was less than 50,only12questions with a factor loading greater than0.75were selected(Hair et al.,2001).The factor loading for each of these questions is shown in Table4.

After extracting the?ve key success factors,we obtained the total explainable variation,which was86.4%.Questions G3,G4,and G5from Factor1referred to‘‘performance review,’’‘‘promo-tion,’’and‘‘bonus,’’hence we named this factor‘‘Incentive/reward system,’’as shown in Table4.Questions E1,E2,and E3from Factor 2referred to‘‘manpower assistance,’’‘‘manager’s assistance,’’and ‘‘workload,’’hence we named this factor‘‘Investment of essential resources.’’Questions B3and B4referred to‘‘customer demands’’and‘‘customer complaints,’’hence this factor category was named ‘‘Business strategy based on customer demands.’’Questions H1 and H2referred to‘‘data is easy to obtain’’and‘‘relevant data,’’hence this factor was named‘‘The use of data analysis with data that is easily obtainable.’’Finally,questions A3and A4both referred to top management requirements;hence we named this factor‘‘Top management’s commitment and participation’’—Table5.

After analyzing the reliability of the questions in the survey,we found that the Cronbach’s alpha reliability coef?cient for these questions was0.91,which indicated that the survey questions were reliable.The results from factor analysis were analyzed using both Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin(KMO)and Bartlett’s test of sphericity. Results show that KMO?0.62,which is in the acceptable range. In addition,Bartlett’s test of sphericity showed that the p value was less than0.05,which also indicates that the results are acceptable.

Discriminate analysis was performed to con?rm whether or not the key success factors obtained through the above analysis could effectively explain the success of a Green Belt project.The

Table4(continued)

Key success factors for Six Sigma Questions Variable

notation

47.The topic of my Green Belt project is related to other Green Belt projects that are in the

knowledge management system

48.If I encounter problems with my Green Belt project,I can seek explanations from the

knowledge management system database

49.If I encounter problems with my Green Belt project,I can seek assistance from other Green

Belt colleagues,whose projects are listed in the knowledge management system database

50.Data related to Six Sigma can be found in the knowledge management system database J5

Project meshes with company’s business strategy 51.My department makes known the standards and de?nition of its strategy K1

52.When choosing a Green Belt project,I take into account the strategy of my company K2

53.Department managers encourage us to carry out Green Belt projects that are related to the

company’s strategy

54.Black belts suggest Green Belt projects that are related to the company’s strategy K4

55.Managers’counsel regarding the direction of my Green Belt project is based on the

company’s strategy

Cooperation and communication 56.I meet regularly with my Green Belt project group L1

57.My Green Belt project members are aware of my project’s progress L2

58.My Green Belt project group assists me in measuring or obtaining needed data L3

59.My Green belt project group actively participates in discussions about projects L4

60.If I need assistance from my project group in carrying out project improvements,group

members are eager to help

Utilization of Six Sigma tools 61.I use Six Sigma tools to locate the core problem of the project M1

62.My Green Belt project utilizes the DMAIC process M2

63.Statistical analysis of my Green Belt project has identi?ed a key factor M3

64.I use Excel and statistical analysis software to analyze project data M4

65.I use charts and statistics to analyze project data M5

Ef?cacy of the teaching material in helping Green Belt students learn 66.Black Belt instructors help me understand the operation logic behind six sigma N1

67.Explanations from Black Belts can help me understand the answers to questions I may have

during Green Belt classes

68.If I have problems with my Green Belt project analysis,I can?nd solutions in the class

materials

69.I can use class materials in my daily work,in addition to using it to complete my Green Belt

project

N4 70.I can understand the Black Belt instructor’s explanations during classroom instruction N5

Note:survey questions were answered using the?ve-point Likert response scale.

Y.-C.Ho et al./Journal of Air Transport Management14(2008)263–269267

results of this analysis of the 81samples are shown in Table 6;79.0%of the samples could be discriminated correctly (Wilks’lambda ?0.69,chi-square ?26.89,df ?12,p ?0.008),indicating that the analysis was effective.

5.Findings

Comparison of the Six Sigma and the Green Belt success factors is shown in Table 7.As shown in the table,?ve of the 14Six Sigma success factors have greater impact than the others on the success of Green Belt projects.In the table,‘‘v’’is used to show a connection between a success factor culled from previous research and ones determined here.Following discussions with the Six Sigma Master Black Belt and Black Belt experts at Company A,some insights as to why these factors are important are gleaned.

Top management’s commitment and participation .The Six Sigma

program was introduced to Company A by GE.For these methods to succeed,top management needs to push to ensure that all employees participate in the project.In addition,top management need to personally attend each related meeting and training session.If upper management merely passes the responsibility of the project on to employees,then the Six Sigma project is likely to fail.If the employees who participate in Green Belt training sense their manager’s expectations,their motivation to complete the project will increase.True participation also means incorporating the Six Sigma project into the overall strategy of the company.

Business strategies based on customer demands .One key to a

company’s success is its ability to incorporate customer demands into the direction and goals of the company.As companies begin Six Sigma projects,if employees attending Green Belt training can formulate projects based on customer demands,then cooperation from other departments during the course of the project will increase.This is because the aim of the project will be in line with the main goals of the company.In addition,employees will also have a higher expectation of positive feedback from customers on the successful comple-tion of the project.The success rate of projects will increase when this principle is adhered to.In short,when Six Sigma projects are underway,Green Belts should establish project strategies that follow the company strategy and are based on customer demands.This will have a signi?cant impact on the success of the project.

The use of data analysis with data that is easily obtainable.One common characteristic of Six Sigma projects is the need for data.When employees choose a Green Belt project,they should be mindful of whether they will be able to gather suf?cient data for analysis.If suf?cient data are not available,then the project will fail.Moreover,organizations and depart-ments should make efforts to ensure the proper storage and preservation of data from daily operations.Ideally,this data should be stored and made available for use in Six Sigma and company projects.In this regard,MRO companies similar to Company A should be able to easily adapt to Six Sigma practices because ?ight safety regulations require appropriate preservation of maintenance records.The more complete the preserved data is,the higher the likelihood that Green Belt projects will be successfully completed.

Investment of essential resources .Employees who are respon-sible for completing project have to invest extra time and energy to complete their activity.As such,they need resources from the company,including assistance with project coordina-tion from colleagues in the same department or assistance from the IT department with data collection.Additionally,funds may be needed for improvements made during the project.Furthermore,a Six Sigma Green Belt project often requires the most skillful employees,who have a greater understanding of the processes,to join the project.Normally,

Table 5

Question factor analysis results Factor

Question Question content

Factor name

Factor 1

G3Completion of my Green Belt project affects the results of my performance review Incentive/reward system

G4If I can’t complete my Green Belt project,my promotion will be adversely affected G5The results of my Green Belt project affect my annual raise and end-of-the-year bonus Factor 2

If items need to be purchased for my Green Belt project,I can request my manager’s assistance in procuring them

Investment of essential resources

E1If I need manpower assistance to complete my Green Belt improvement project,my manager will help coordinate this

My company will adjust my workload to ensure that I have suf?cient time to complete my Green Belt project

Factor 3

My department regularly researches customer demands Business strategy based on customer demands

B4My department regularly reviews customer complaints Factor 4

I can ?nd relevant data in my company’s database

The use of data analysis with data that is easily obtainable H1The data needed from the analysis of my Green Belt project is easy to obtain Factor 5

Top management requires that each department regularly report on the progress of Green Belt projects

Top management’s commitment and participation

Top management requires departments to carry out Green Belt projects

Table 6

Discriminate analysis classi?cation results Green Belt project success or failure

Predicted group membership Total

Success

Failure Count

Green Belt project success 411051Green Belt project failure

3079.0%of original grouped cases correctly classi?ed.

Y.-C.Ho et al./Journal of Air Transport Management 14(2008)263–269

268

they are important members of the department,the indivi-duals most needed by department managers to assist with the normal workload of the department.If the company cannot invest the resources needed,it will be dif?cult to achieve the goals of the project.

Incentive/reward system.An incentive or reward system is important for motivating employees;this helps them see the value of the project and inspires them to invest more of themselves.Such a system yields a twofold bene?t.The employees experience a sense of achievement on completion of the project and they receive recognition from the company.

As a result,they will have greater motivation to engage in subsequent projects,which in turn will bring them greater recognition and a stronger sense of achievement,thus produ-cing an upwards spiral effect.

References

Brue,G.,2002.Six Sigma for Managers.McGraw-Hill,New York.

Dedeke,A.,2002.What Makes Six Sigma https://www.sodocs.net/doc/5d13146236.html, Publishing. Eckes,G.,2001.The Six Sigma Revolution:How General Electric and Others Turned Process into Pro?ts.Wiley,New York.Gitlow,H.S.,Levine,D.M.,2005.Six Sigma for Green Belts and Champions.Pearson Education,Upper Saddle River.

Harbison,I.,2006.Stratobruiser.MRO Management8,83.

Harry,M.,Lawson,R.,1992.Six Sigma Productibility Analysis and Process Characterization.Wesley,Boston.

Harry,M.,Schroeder,R.,2000.Six Sigma:The Breakthrough Management Strategy Revolutionizing the World’s Top Corporations.Currency,New York.

Hair,J.,Anderson,R.,Tatham,R.,Black,W.,2001.Multivariate Data Analysis,sixth ed.Prentice-Hall,Upper Saddle River.

Henderson,K.M.,Evans,J.R.,2000.Successful implementation of Six Sigma: benchmarking General Electric company.Benchmarking7,260–281.

Jiju,A.,Banuelas,R.,2002.Key ingredients for the effective implementation of Six Sigma program.Measuring Business Excellence6,20–27.

Keller,P.A.,2001.Six Sigma Deployment:A Guide for Implementing Six Sigma in Your Organization.Quality Publishing,Tucson.

Martens,S.L.,2001.Operationally deploying Six Sigma.Annual Quality Congress 55,751–755.

Mathews,N.,2006.Unleashing opportunities for MROs in Asia.Overhaul and Maintenance12,28–32.

Pande,P.S.,Neuman,R.P.,Cavanagh,R.R.,2000.The Six Sigma Way:How GE, Motorola,and Other Top Companies are Honing Their Performance.McGraw-Hill,New York.

Smith,D.,Blakeslee,J.,Koonec,R.,2002.Strategic Six Sigma:Best Practices from the Executive Suite.Wiley,New York.

Snee,R.D.,Hoerl,R.W.,2003.Leading Six Sigma:A Step-by-Step Guide Based on Experience with GE and Other Six Sigma Companies.Pearson Education,Upper Saddle River.

Table7

Comparison of the key success factors for Six Sigma projects and Green Belt projects

Item Six Sigma success factors culled from previous

research

Key success factors for Green Belt projects,as determined in this research

Incentive/reward system Investment of

essential

resources

Business

strategy based

on customer

demands

Use of data

analysis with

data that is

easily obtainable

Top

management’s

commitment

and participation

1Top management’s commitment and participation V

2Business strategy based on customer demands V

3Establishment of the Six Sigma framework

4Project execution and follow-up of the results

5Investment of essential resources V

6Investment and training framework for trainers and

mentors(such as Black Belts)

7Incentive/reward system V

8The use of data analysis with data that is easily

obtainable

9Attention given to both long-term and short-term

targets

10Coordination with knowledge management system

11Project meshes with company’s business strategy

12Cooperation and communication

13Utilization of Six Sigma tools

14Ef?cacy of the teaching material in helping Green

Belt students learn

Y.-C.Ho et al./Journal of Air Transport Management14(2008)263–269269

An empirical study of key success factors for Six Sigma Green Belt projects at an Asian MRO company

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