Global corporation rollout of ruggedised handheld devices: a Lean Six Sigma case study

Lean Six Sigma is an approach that focuses on improving quality of finished products and continuous improvement during the creation of these products by reducing variation and eliminating non-value-add work within an organisation. Combining the principles and tools from Lean and Six Sigma into a single ideology is not a new concept as the application of this strategy has been documented throughout many industries in numerous case studies over the years. However, literature has not provided cases of Lean Six Sigma application to the selection and application of handheld technology in the services industry. This paper presents a case study where Lean Six Sigma tools were implemented in a global, service-based, logistics organisation. The application of these Lean and Six Sigma tools and principles were used to identify areas of improvement in the quality and timeliness of selecting and implementing a new ruggedised handheld device for field workers.