Project Categorization, Prioritization, and Execution Based on Six Sigma Concept

Over the past two decades, numerous organizations have used Six Sigma to improve their operational capabilities. This article outlines a new framework--informed by Six Sigma's methodology--for systematically categorizing potential projects and subsequently selecting and implementing projects that enable organizations to realize operational improvements. In doing so, it discusses the challenges and concerns involved in categorizing and selecting projects; it defines operational improvement (OI) projects and describes Six Sigma's methodology and its DMAIC roadmap. It also outlines the proposed framework, showing its process--and noting its potential concerns--for controlling, categorizing, prioritizing, and implementing OI projects. It then details the results of using the framework to help one Internet company implement an OI project, an effort that focused on identifying the areas that enabled the company to improve its customer service performance.