Application of Six Sigma on METRO Rail Construction Project

Abstract

Six Sigma is a Quality Improvement Technique widely used in Man-ufacturing Industry. Application of Six Sigma is yet to be explored exhaustively in the field of Construction. This study explores the possibility of application of Six Sigma in METRO Rail Construction. This paper defines and analyses Con-struction Performance of Pier Construction in METRO Rail Project of Ahmed-abad using Six Sigma Technique. A stretch of 4 km from North-South Corridor is selected for the study from APMC to Shreyas. The data such as Work Break-down Structure, List of Activities, Time of Activities, Dependency of Activi-ties, Construction sequence etc. is collected and analysed using software Pri-mavera and Minitab. Process Capability Analysis is used to determine how well an actual process meets a set of specification limits in a scheduled plan. Data is represented and analysed by preparing different charts and graphs such as I – Chart, Moving Range Chart, Capability Histogram and Capability Plot. A com-parison was done between the actual works done at the site and the schedule planned for the progress to calculate the Sigma value. It is found from the result that the calculated Sigma value is near to the ultimate Sigma Level. This work provides valuable insights for the implementation of Six Sigma Technique in the Construction Industry. Six Sigma Technique can evaluate the quality of cur-rent construction activity and quantify the improvement goals so as to control succeeding critical activities for the project. Improvement in Quality of Con-struction can be observed at large extent with the application of Six Sigma Technique. Six Sigma Technique can be linked with Lean Principle.