A fuzzy AHP approach to prioritize the barriers of integrated Lean Six Sigma

Purpose To endure against the global rivalry, various organizations are espousing several quality melioration techniques, but most of them flunk to implement them in palmiest way; hence, to surmount the failure of implementation, it is very essential to identify and prioritize the impediments of the technique to be implemented. Lean Six Sigma (LSS) has evolved as one of the most efficacious technique implemented by organizations. The purpose of this paper is to identify and prioritize the barriers of LSS for its productive implementation. Design/methodology/approach The study initiates from conducting a literature review of peer-reviewed articles concentrating on LSS barriers. The barriers are identified from literature as well as opinion from industry experts. These barriers are categorized underneath the canopy of five major criteria. The final elite barriers are prioritized and stratified by employing the fuzzy analytical hierarchy process approach. Findings The present study identifies 27 critical barriers that obturate the palmy LSS implementation. Further prioritization of these barriers will help the practitioners to develop the strategies to tackle the barriers. Research limitations/implications The LSS barriers are identified through the literature search and opinions from industry experts, while a survey can be conducted in order to incorporate more barriers related to manufacturing concerns. Originality/value The main contribution of this paper includes identification of LSS barriers and later prioritizing them to project their intensity in order to make the practitioners comfortable to handle the LSS implementation issues.