Title: QUARNEWSS: a model for applying Six Sigma framework to achieve continuous quality and reliability improvement in new product development

Authors: M. Natarajan, V. Senthil, S.R. Devadasan, N. Vijay Mohan

Addresses: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Jayam College of Engineering and Technology, Dharmapuri 636 813, Tamil Nadu, India. ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, Coimbatore Institute of Technology, Coimbatore 641 014, Tamil Nadu, India. ' Department of Production Engineering, PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore 641 004, Tamil Nadu, India. ' R&D Department, Lakshmi Machine Works Limited, Coimbatore 641 020, Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract: Of late, new product development (NPD) and application of Six Sigma are actively pursued in organisations. Yet there has been no report of implementing Six Sigma for achieving quality and reliability improvement in NPD. To overcome this deficiency, in this paper, a model named as QUARNEWSS has been contributed. This model has been developed after critically studying the researches reported in literature surmounting NPD, total quality management (TQM), Six Sigma and reliability arenas. In this model, four techniques and tools which are commonly applied in these arenas have formed as the core. After that, QUARNEWSS model has been incorporated with Six Sigma|s define, measure, analyse, improve and control (DMAIC) improvement methodology and belt-based training infrastructure with four stages of NPD namely initialisation, conceptulation, prototyping and evolution. The working of QUARNEWSS model is illustrated by presenting a hypothetical case study.

Keywords: NPD; new product development; TQM; total quality management; reliability; six sigma; quality improvement; continuous improvement; reliability improvement; DMAIC; training.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPQM.2011.037731

International Journal of Productivity and Quality Management, 2011 Vol.7 No.1, pp.44 - 73

Published online: 26 Dec 2010 *

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