LEAN SIX SIGMA REDUCES FRICTION FOR AN EFFICIENT RETAIL PRODUCT DESIGN-TO-DELIVERY PROCESS

The retail fashion industry is a highly demanding and fast-paced sector that requires its employees to provide its customers with high-quality fashionable trendy clothing. The success of the retailer depends on how well it fits with the customer’s requirements and how fast they reach the shops. Therefore, retailers need to have a competitive advantage that will set them apart from their competitors.
ABC company has its own creative designers who provide the company with a competitive advantage of having trendy designs. Merchandisers and buyers are responsible to purchase goods on time. However, ABC company faces many delays in bringing in the goods on time which is caused by frictions in the design-to-delivery process.
This research provides a study into the process and identifies the frictions that cause these delays. The research uses primary and secondary data along with a literature review to identify the problem in the company as well as the independent variables that have a relationship to the efficiency of the process. Qualitative and quantitative methods are followed to gather data, while secondary data gathered from the company justifies the symptoms of the problem. Data gathered was then used to formulate the Hypotheses to be tested. Since the mixed method is followed for data collection, a concurrent triangulation technique is followed to analyze the data. The Qualitative data is gathered through Focus group discussions and the feedback is analyzed through a process map, stakeholder wheel, power interest grid and a responsibility matrix. The quantitative data were analyzed through hypothesis testing with the aid of SPSS software. The hypotheses tested show a positive correlation between Communication, Roles and responsibilities, Forecasting, Resources, and Technology to the efficiency of the process. Therefore, all the alternative hypotheses were accepted, where all the independent variables have a positive relationship with the efficiency of the design-to-delivery process. All the null hypotheses were rejected.