Critical Success Factors for Quality Implementation in the Manufacturing Industry

Quality directly influences organizational performance in the manufacturing industry. Through an examination of literature, critical success factors that lead to the implementation of six-sigma in the manufacturing industry are identified for organisations of differing sizes: SMEs, large enterprises and general/unspecified organisations (not specified as either SMEs or Large in literature). It is found that general success factors across organisations (unspecified) include Employee Education/Training, Top Management Commitment, Project Selection, Employee Involvement/Communication, Project Management/Leadership. While for large enterprises the following factors were identified: Project Selection, Alignment with Customer Requirements, Employee Education/Training, Senior Management Commitment, Use of Quality Tools, Visible Cost Saving. The results serve as a guide for a better understanding of the requirements leading to the successful implementation of six-sigma in organizations and where to best direct resources.