Article Preview
TopIntroduction
The concepts of continuous improvement and risk management are industry standards that help to stay competitive in the market today. The focus of these methods is to reduce and eliminate waste, which will then reduce the incurred costs. Once the production costs are lowered, the saving can be passed on to the consumers. There are many different methodologies for continuous improvement that have been proposed over time. For example, Deming's 14 principals of management detail how managers can improve a company by emphasizing quality throughout and by removing barriers that inhibit work performance. Toyota instituted continuous improvement mechanisms by the name of “The Toyota Way,” which also tackles the problem of improvement from multiple fronts and provides a holistic approach. By adding to this list, Lean Six Sigma is an extension of the lean manufacturing done at Toyota combined with the Six Sigma method (Ahern, Leavy, & Byrne, 2014; Brown & Eisenhardt, 1995).
Research Objective
Literature explains the importance of these variables, their concepts, and models in project management and performance, but information is missing about how they cause such a smooth progression in these fields. Such a research gap is the root of this study, which aims to assess the elements and applications of current variables, concepts, and models. Furthermore, the study aimed to assess the similarities and differences between the variables to suggest a universal framework that encompasses the best elements from the current model. This framework can apply to many elements of projects, operations, and performances in any organization. Essentially, we aim to provide evidence-based answers in our research for primary questions from experts in these variables, their concepts, and models, and the research findings can become a platform for future research on this topic.
Research Gap
Even though there is plenty of literature on the importance of these variables, their concepts, and models in operations and project management, there is a research gap on how they facilitate the progression of operations and project management. To fill this gap, this study will evaluate the most current variables, their concepts, and models and their elements in operations and project management. Furthermore, this study seeks to understand their differences and similarities.