A framework for Six Sigma project selection in higher educational institutions, using a weighted scorecard approach
| Published date | 02 February 2015 |
| Date | 02 February 2015 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/QAE-04-2014-0014 |
| Pages | 30-46 |
| Author | Monica C. Holmes,Lawrence O. Jenicke,Jessica L. Hempel |
| Subject Matter | Education,Curriculum, instruction & assessment,Educational evaluation/assessment |
A framework for Six Sigma
project selection in higher
educational institutions, using a
weighted scorecard approach
Monica C. Holmes
Business Information Systems, Central Michigan University,
Mount Pleasant, Michigan, USA
Lawrence O. Jenicke
Management Department, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant,
Michigan, USA, and
Jessica L. Hempel
Business Information Systems, Central Michigan University,
Mount Pleasant, Michigan, USA
Abstract
Purpose – This paper discusses the importance of the Six Sigma selection process, describes a Six
Sigma project in a higher educational institution and presents a weighted scorecard approach for
project selection.
Design/methodology/approach – A case study of the Six Sigma approach being used to improve
student support at a university computer help desk was used. An error related to the timeliness of
service was dened and improved over the course of the project.
Findings – The Six Sigma approach was useful for improving timely service, but a methodology for
selecting the project was needed by the project leader. Using such a methodology would have ensured
higher probability of project success.
Practical implications – This framework provides directions for selecting a Six Sigma project in a
higher educational setting. The weighted scorecard method is presented and may be used for selecting
a project which would likely be the most efcient use of time and resources.
Originality/value – While project selection methodologies have been published with regard to Six
Sigma projects in business, this paper lls the need for selection criteria as they relate to higher
educational settings.
Keywords Information technology, Selection, Quality assurance, Higher education, Quality culture,
Service quality assurance
Paper type Conceptual paper
1. Introduction
The Six Sigma improvement methodology has been widely applied in both
manufacturing and service organizations. Measurable improvements in products and
processes have resulted from utilizing the Six Sigma approach in manufacturing
environments at rms such as Dow Chemical, General Electric, Allied Signal and
Motorola. Service companies such as Chase Financial Services and Fidelity Wide
Processing have improved customer service products (Chakravorty, 2012), as well as the
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
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QAE
23,1
30
Received 3 April 2014
Revised 24 July 2014
Accepted 16 October 2014
QualityAssurance in Education
Vol.23 No. 1, 2015
pp.30-46
©Emerald Group Publishing Limited
0968-4883
DOI 10.1108/QAE-04-2014-0014
transactional aspects of customer interaction. Health-care systems, educational
providers and government agencies have only started to use Six Sigma to enhance
processes that are largely human-driven.
As the success stories illustrate, the Six Sigma methodology can yield major
improvements in an organization’s nancial performance, growth, product quality and
customer satisfaction. However, Six Sigma does not achieve these results through a
comprehensive revamping of the entire organization. Improvements with Six Sigma are
reached with a decentralized, incremental improvement strategy. The basis of the
incremental improvement is the Six Sigma project: a carefully managed undertaking
with a denite starting and ending point that provides a benecial outcome. Overall
organizational gains are achieved on a project-by-project basis.
While Six Sigma has beneted many organizations, the Higher Learning
Commission (HLC) (2014) in the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools,
which accredits higher learning institutions in the north-central region of the USA, also
plays a role in quality improvement. Higher education institutions can select the
continuous quality improvement pathway – the Academic Quality Improvement
Program (AQIP) – leading to accreditation by the HLC. Institutions in higher education,
especially community colleges and private colleges and universities, use the AQIP
principles of continuous quality improvement to guide their quality cultures. For
example, Northwood University, Midland, Michigan, has used the AQIP (2014)
approach for many years. Although higher education has used quality improvement
strategies for many decades, this fact is not well-known among business or academia.
Only those administrators and faculty directly involved with accreditation are aware of
the use of the quality improvement methodology in higher education.
Whatever the quality improvement technique chosen, careful management of each
project is critical if the organization is to benet from quality improvement measures.
There are many factors that contribute to the success of a particular project including
trained personnel, management commitment, measurable performance, alignment with
organizational strategy, project management structure and careful selection of projects.
This paper discusses the importance of the project selection process, illustrates the
implementation of a project in an educational institution and presents a weighted
scorecard methodology for selecting a project in an academic setting.
2. The importance of the careful selection of Six Sigma projects
Poorly selected Six Sigma projects often result in the organization spending time and
resources leading to little or no improvement to the process that the project had been
focused on. This can contribute to a decrease in management support for the Six Sigma
initiative, as well as no measureable benets in areas such as cost, quality, throughput,
customer satisfaction or sales. Overall, there may be little progress in achieving key
business goals or elevating nancial performance.
Not only should a selected Six Sigma project have a high probability of success, but
it should also have a high impact on organization outcomes. There are a few generally
accepted rules for selecting Six Sigma projects:
• The project should be in direct alignment with the strategic goals of the
organization.
• The project should be completed within four to six months.
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Six Sigma
project
selection
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