Critical success factors of six sigma: An overview

Main objectives of this work are to describe the current situation and increase the understanding of successful Six Sigma (SS) implementations through a study of Critical Success Factors (CSFs) reported by researchers and practitioners. The work integrates lessons learned from successful projects and considers additional progress to the approach, through an extended literature review. In order to provide a comprehensive investigation with emphasis on establishing the evolution of SS, two periods of time were analyzed using odds-ratio and a meta-analytic summary was conducted to study 17 CSFs reported in 234 studies from different countries. Main findings support the notion that CSFs reported in the literature are changing their frequency of use in the recent years. Top management involvement and commitment remains as the most important CSF whereas project selection and prioritization seems to decrease its presence nowadays.