A diagnosis framework for selecting operational improvement opportunities for Malaysian industries

• Main Author: Ramly, Edly Ferdin
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English; English; English
• Published: 2019
• Subjects: HD2329 Industrialization
• Online Access: http://eprints.uthm.edu.my/59/1/24p%20EDLY%20FERDIN%20RAMLY.pdf; http://eprints.uthm.edu.my/59/2/EDLY%20FERDIN%20RAMLY%20COPYRIGHT%20DECLARATION.pdf; http://eprints.uthm.edu.my/59/3/EDLY%20FERDIN%20RAMLY%20WATERMARK.pdf; http://eprints.uthm.edu.my/59/

Organizations need to diagnose their current operation performance and identify the opportunities for improvement in order to stay competitive. However, there seems to be lack of studies that focuses on operation diagnosis that align quality audit, business excellence (BE) assessment and project selection for lean six sigma. Hence, this study was undertaken with the objective to develop, evaluate and refine a diagnosis framework that selects operational improvement opportunities. The operational diagnosis framework which was aimed at identifying and selecting operational improvement opportunities was developed through multiphase mixed methods. Qualitative data was used more dominantly than quantitative data. The first phase of the research was to develop of the conceptual framework. The conceptual framework was formulated based on the literature review and semi-structured interviews. Then, it was included in the case study protocol to conduct the actionbased case study. The second phase of the research was to evaluate and refine the diagnosis framework through action-based case study and evaluation survey. Four organizations were involved in the case studies and the results were analyzed. Evaluation survey was conducted to assess the proposed framework in term of design and contents. The final diagnosis framework consists of diagnosis steps and the diagnosis enablers. The diagnosis steps included; 1) evaluate the operational performance through BE categories; 2) determine the ISO9001 elements as the cause of operation performance; 3) determine the available operational improvement tools and techniques, and 4) select the improvement opportunities. The diagnosis enablers include; (1) diagnosis initiation, (2) leadership, (3) person who conducts the diagnosis, and (4) teamwork. Based on the final diagnosis framework, a diagnostic instrument was developed and tested. Hence, both the diagnosis framework and diagnostic instrument can be effectively employed in a wide range of Malaysian industries.