Descriptive and Predictive analytics on the Usage of Process Improvement Methodologies - An empirical Study

Abstract

Process Improvement is not a new concept. Contrariwise, Kaizen, change for better, is instilled in the Japanese philosophy of business for decades already. Henry Ford and Taiichi Ohno have been the pioneers of establishing concrete process improvements methods in their production systems already in the early 1900s. There are couple of process improvement methodologies in the existing literature. Some of them hail wide recognisability while some others not as much. Meanwhile, new process improvement methodologies are continuously emerging shaking the business world and promising to better deal with the current high-speed, volatile business era. The goal of this thesis is twofold. In the first place, to review if there are any commonalities and/or major differences among the three of the most predominant and widely recognized process improvement methodologies. The second part of this research paper is devoted to the presentation of historical and future trends on the usage of the aforementioned process improvement methodologies. The part of the descriptive analytics provide a better understanding of things that have evolved so far. The outcome of the predictive analytics can provide better insights on how the research interest on process improvement will evolve. This is of paramount importance not only for the researchers and academic publishers but also for companies across all sectors which yield advantages by using cutting edge research outcomes in their every-day business.